I have often been asked why we choose to live a natural, or green, lifestyle. Before I delve into the reasons, I do want to let you know that we don’t do it to be pretentious or snotty as many “green people” are believed to be. We do it because we believe it is what is best for our family.

We also tend to pick and choose what changes to do based mainly on our reasons for doing them–we won’t do something like buy a super expensive product because it’s the latest green thing or do something because it’s what other “green people” do. Rather, we have very specific reasons for why we do what we do, regardless of what anyone else thinks.

Lastly, we don’t try to push our lifestyle upon others because everyone should do what they believe is right for unique them. Not everyone is able to make the changes that we have nor do they feel motivated to–and that’s okay. I hate it when others try to go Nazi on me, so I’m definitely not going to go Nazi on anyone else!

Below is the list of five reasons why we choose to live naturally.

Stewardship. This is the most important reason for why we live naturally. My husband and I are born-again Christians. And as children of God, one of our responsibilities is taking care of what God left in our charge. That includes our bodies and the planet He blessed us with.
Health. One of the most important reasons for why we live naturally is because it strengthens our health. By avoiding things like unhealthful chemicals and processed foods, we are also avoiding a variety of modern health concerns and diseases.
Convenience. This point might catch many by surprise because living green often seems inconvenient and tedious. But, since we took “baby steps” towards living naturally, it has been a painless and smooth journey. And I have found that it is in many ways much more convenient than living a disposable lifestyle. For example, one unpaper towel goes a LOT further and is much sturdier than its paper counterpart. And glass leftover containers are easier to heat and wash, plus they don’t get stains or become warped over time like plastic containers often do.
Saves money. For some reason, many people believe that living naturally costs SO much money. But this is far from the truth. If you were to purchase the top-notch all-green products, then, yes, living green is expensive. But if you make your own cleansers (a ridiculously easy task, by the way), simplify (use only one or two cleansers for all your cleaning needs, get rid of unnecessities in your home, and so on), and shop wisely (follow the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen Lists, hit up sales, etc.), then living naturally is actually cheaper. The most expensive aspect of living naturally would be healthful eating, but wise shopping lessens the monetary load considerably, plus there’s the fact to consider that it’s probably cheaper to eat more healthfully now than it would be to pay hospital bills for diseases caused by poor nutrition later in life.
Comforting. For me personally, living naturally or green is a source of great comfort. It makes life feel grounded and closer to nature, which is amazing because nature is one way (besides the Bible) that God communicates with us. There’s nothing like sipping ice cold tea from a sturdy glass instead of a flimsy plastic cup, or to wipe barbecue sauce off my fingers with a single cloth napkin rather than using ten paper ones.