Good, Better, and Best

<written in response to a comment on Marketing Messages asking about better solutions, thanks for the inspiration!>

As I was talking about in my last post, there are many ways to deal with being eco-friendly. Usually, there are a lot of eco-friendler solutions, but they all reach a different level of eco-friendliness. Take the example of fabric softener, which I was asked about in a comment on Marketing Messages. There are a lot of ways to go eco friendlier when it comes to fabric softener. One of the worst things you could do is always be buying small bottles with a lot of packaging and throwing the bottles away when you're done with them. Buying large bottles and recycling the containers is a good start, but how can we really start being better? 

When I think about eco-friendly alternatives, I like to think of a good, a better, and a best option. A good option is eco-friendlier than a typical option, a better option is even more eco-friendly, and the best option is the most eco-friendly solution I can possibly think of. Sometimes the best option has limits and restrictions, so I have to go for the better option. Thinking about fabric softener, lets look at an example:

Good: Buying refills in cardboard boxes and reusing the original container. That way, you're recycling the cardboard boxes and only using one plastic bottle.

Better: Dryer balls. These fairly small and bumpy rubber balls diminish the need for fabric softener altogether and also reduce your drying time. So all in all they use less water, less energy, no fabric softener, and over time they're cheaper! Shockingly, though, there's a better option...


Best: Don't use a tumble dryer! Use a washing line and take advantage of the outdoors! Hang your clothes outside until they're dry. Although sometimes unrealistic because of weather, time limitations, and countless other reasons, it is still the best option. It uses no energy, water, fabric softener, or money. 

Fabric softener is a perfect example for good, better, and best, because it shows a best alternative that can't always be used. Although that means we can't use the best option all the time, we can use the best option for the situation. My family recently switched to dryer balls because we saw the benefits and wanted to give them a try, and so far they're doing great! 

There are good, better, and best options to everything, we just need to find them. So next time you see something that is an even more eco-friendly alternative to what you have, think about it. Could there be something even better?