Sustainable living is a luxury for the wealthy

r/

We’re always told to be more eco-friendly… drive electric cars, eat organic, recycle properly, use eco friendly public transport. but most of these “green” choices cost more.

Electric buses are pricier, garden waste collection isn’t free, organic food is expensive, and electric cars are unaffordable for most.

It’s easy to go green when you have money. For many, it’s not a lack of care… it’s a lack of access!

Comments

  1. AutoModerator Avatar

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  2. Any-Yoghurt9249 Avatar

    Ya – just do what you can

  3. WolframLeon Avatar

    This isn’t an unpopular opinion, this is straight facts lol.

  4. Dr-Assbeard Avatar

    No it is a out for the government’s and large corporations, they are trying to shift the blame to individuals instead of making the systemic changes that are needed for sustainability to be the more attractive option

  5. 1stDayBreaker Avatar

    Yep, you as an individual are expected to make the sacrifices that our governments and corporations would never.

  6. Downtown_Boot_3486 Avatar

    I’d argue that it is cheaper overall cost wise, it’s just not feasible time and upfront cost wise. Like solar is cheaper if you can install it, a bike is cheaper if you have the time, gardening often is cheaper if you have the land and time, etc.

  7. Edible-flowers Avatar

    We should all try to live a sustainable life. Organic food costs more because it takes more ‘man power’ to grow it. The alternative is to try growing your own food. Once you’ve sown seeds & nurtured seedlings, you’ll have a better understanding of why good food costs more to produce.

    Buying a 2nd hand bicycle & maintaining it is much cheaper than buying & maintaing a car. Or buy some decently padded trainers & walk rather than using public transport.

  8. Rockou_ Avatar

    They love the third r, Recycling, but will never talk about reusing and reducing

  9. KeeperOfUselessInfo Avatar

    Sustainable living is a luxury for the non-lazy. Heck, most of the people who do the whole sustainable thing are the lower income earners.

  10. lizzofatroll Avatar

    The crazy part is it’s not the common person causing this pollution and damage lol. It’s huge corporations, and the wealthy using jets as Ubers

  11. Salami__Tsunami Avatar

    Yeah, it’s a lot like when the billion dollar corporation wants me to pay to donate to charity to help “those in need”

    Bitch, those in need are your own employees, let’s cut out the middleman here.

  12. Real-Hat-6749 Avatar

    And those who publicly say all this, fly private jet for 10minutes ride. BeCaUsE oUr TiMe Is So ImPoRtAnT.

    what an irony

  13. Maleficent_Can_4773 Avatar

    Organic is a scam that isnt even sustainable.

  14. RetroMetroShow Avatar

    Costs more and takes a lot more time, still good to try tho

  15. Huxtopher Avatar

    This isn’t unpopular or an opinion, it’s a stark reality

  16. Potential_Lie_1177 Avatar

    Just do what you can. But why is recycling more expensive?

    I pick these actions that are green, good for me and my wallet: less meat, more active commuting, more home cooked meals.

    Good for my wallet and green: less plane travel, buy less clothes, a house that isn’t too big, bulk purchases for less packaging.

    By being not rich, you already pollute less!

  17. Trippygirl13 Avatar

    In what universe is this an unpopular opinion? Anybody with more than two brain cells can conclude this…

  18. Turbulent-Rest187 Avatar

    “Agenda 2030”

  19. Comprehensive-Pin667 Avatar

    You can always try to reduce – that’s the cheapest option (the cost is literally negative) and no matter how eco-friendly the stuff you buy is, the stuff you DON’T buy will always be more sustainable.

  20. aderpader Avatar

    This is a very popular opinion, and very much brought to you by the fossil fuel industry, thats their whole narrative. And organic food is in no way sustainable

  21. rapaciousdrinker Avatar

    Just another facet of green washing.

    The biggest scam on earth is carbon credits. These companies dump out tons and tons of carbon and claim to be environmentally friendly because they purchase “credits” from some very dubious enterprises that claim to be reducing carbon and usually aren’t.

    The wealthiest people who own these companies then turn around and feel they have done their part because they sent a tweet from their private jet about recycling.

    The wealthy assuage their guilt by lecturing the poor about how unsustainable it all is while not actually doing a damn thing about it that actually makes a difference.

    And what would make a difference? Well if every one of us stopped driving cars, stopped using AC, stopped all fossil fuel consumption it would change nothing. 71% of greenhouse gasses are due to just 100 companies.

  22. Time-Ladder4753 Avatar

    Ah, yes, very unpopular opinion

  23. Pristine-Sun4877 Avatar

    I have huge sewer roaches in my house. I use 57 bags a day to contain everything I own. To contain every crumb of food. To contain the roaches i kill. To take out the trash 9 times a day. 

    I go through around 3 or 4 cans of borax a week. Sprinkling it around every drain. I sprocket poison outside to kill them. 

    And all that just keeps them at bay. 

    When I leave here I will probably throw away most if my possessions and so will the next person who moves in. 

  24. piercinghousekeeping Avatar

    If you live in a university town where there are a lot of left-leaning people this is a very unpopular opinion, but outside of those left zones, this is not unpopular at all.

    And it’s possible that no matter how sustainable us normal people are, it will never have a significant impact

  25. Sage_the_Cage_Mage Avatar

    nah hard disagree, you should never be negative that your contribution will not make a difference.

    Public Transport-no matter the kind will always be greener than a single electric car which only serves 1 family and often 1 driver from said family.
    Bicycles are the most green transport model there is.
    Solar installations can save you money in the long run and the price of panels is much cheaper than it once was.
    recycling is either government funded or in my country there are private contractors who will come collect your recyclable rubbish for free.
    Everyone can use less water, Everyone can choose not to keep buying plastic bags, everyone can choose not to upgrade their phones every 1-2 years, everyone can choose to not buy plastic water bottles all the time and etc etc.

    It is all small things but they do genuinely make a difference.

  26. mrkaluzny Avatar

    Is it?

    1. Cars – Chinese electric cars are cheap, but more sustainable is any form of public transport/bicycles etc.
    2. You can grow your own organic food, even in apartments, but for sustainability I don’t think you need „organic”, some produce is more sustainable then others – cow is less sustainable then chicken which is less sustainable then veggies, just choose local providers – less transport etc. Drink tap water vs bottled water if it’s safe and so on
    3. Garden waste? That’s compostable, so why would you pay to get rid of that?

    What sustainability requires is effort, not money

  27. HarithBK Avatar

    Overall sustainable living is doing less if you are poor you are already doing less and being eco friendly.

    Organic pales in comparison to eating less meat since you can’t afford to eat more. You travel less since you can’t afford gas. By definition these are expensive solutions to rich people.

  28. TheseriousSammich Avatar

    Listen. Washing machines, candy bars, supermarkets are for the wealthy. Hell, so is tap water.

  29. Visual-Squirrel3629 Avatar

    Driving electric cars and recycling isn’t eco friendly.

    The three R’s are ‘Reduce, Re-use, Recycle.’ They are listed in order of importance. Poor people win the first and second R’s in spades. Poor people are more eco friendly.

  30. arix_games Avatar

    Public transport is more expensive where? There’s a bigger upfront cost, but then it is cheaper both for individuals and municipalities (road maintenance costs a lot)

  31. GuKoBoat Avatar

    Yes and no.

    You are right that many of the greener options are more costly and that not everyone can afford them.

    And that is why we need to cut tax exemptions for fossil fuels and instead grant them for greener alternatives.

    However if “poor” people lease super expensive trucks that is not because they are to poor for greener alternatives, but because they are doochebags.