I’m not talking about people who are against green living, but those who thinks they are leading a greener lifestyle.
I have been bothered by people who thinks consumption of green products is thus green living. Some people buy green products in additional to their normal needs. The key is to consume less!!
There was a great article on New York Times, but it’s subscription only right now. Treehuggers have their own report on this issue: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/buying_into_the.php
Do you know of any other common misconception about green living that you’d like to share with us?
More about recycling controversy, here’s clips from Penn & Teller:
pt.1 http://youtube.com/watch?v=9oloM_dSoW4
pt.2 http://youtube.com/watch?v=gvfQ0iffj40
pt.3 http://youtube.com/watch?v=Cnoj9MPpi54
Not all recycling is good. I really hope that people notice that REDUCE is the most important part of green living.
people get squirrely when they want to ‘make a difference’ and don’t know where to turn. as belladonna says, it’s not difficult, it’s simple. there is no measuring stick for how ‘green’ you must be save the one you use on yourself. for those who think they ARE living a greener lifestyle, if they’ve made positive changes, god bless ‘em. they ARE.
instead of fretting about which strategies you CANNOT use, act upon the ones you will. one preconception people have is that, "i can’t do it all myself, so i won’t do anything." this misses the whole point that what we all do helps. baby steps repeated endlessly by you and cumulatively by us have the same effect as one large corporate or governmental one- and are a heck of a lot easier to manage.
"i’m the only one doing this". not true, but if you need a mentor, find one. look up local members of the green party. find a ‘recycling buddy’ at work: most people exercise more regularly when they have someone to ‘push’ them, why not find a kindred to inspire you? the misconception that you’ll be looked upon as odd is old news. the chance that someone will strike up a conversation with you as you bring your own bag to the local grocer (i did say local, didn’t i?) is more than likely, and it’s a chance to share your ideals as well as stroke your ego. good deal, eh?
finally i agree that buying a surplus of ‘extra’ items because they’re earth-friendly is the wrong way to go about it. in fact, permaculture and many other green philosophies emphasize using LESS, not more. perhaps you could use this as a good opportunity to compare the ‘green vs. normal’ products, and let them know that there’s no dropoff in quality. maybe next time, they’ll remember your conversation and only toss the ‘green’ one in their bag. their canvas bag.
it doesn’t always go the way we’d like it to go. best not to alienate anyone: just support the good works that are being done. lemonade, not lemons. not always easy, peace.
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HousePortInchttp://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/users/houseportincTechHouse Port, Pop Up House, Hally Thacher, prefab home, modular home, sustainable home, solar, green building, green development, eco-living, smart house, green rating, green design, green living, eco-friendly housing, SIP, structural insulated panelHome Green Home – Webisode 2: An Eco-Friendly Living Solution
Today more than ever people are interested in Eco Living. There is a growing awareness that our home, the earth, is to be respected and cared for by her human inhabitants. People everywhere are looking for better ways to live that will protect our environment. More and more people want to make sure that they are being good stewards and want to leave the earth a little better place to live than they found it.
