Righteously Green: The Risks of Eco Snobism
There's a lot of power in guilt. If you live in America and care about the environment, you're likely racked with it daily. There's no escaping the way we live: no matter how much we love mother earth, many of us have to drive to work, dwell in climate controlled offices or homes, throw away the occasional plastic fork, or like Graham Hill, rely on disposable coffee cups when we've forgotten our Thermos in the drying rack. If you suffer from severe environmentally-induced guilt, you may have a condition that once plagued me: green fever.
My green fever nearly destroyed my ability to function without brooding over the state of landfill affairs. I brought Tupperware to restaurants to take my leftovers home without wasting a doggie-bag -- a move that was unappreciated by wait staff and dinner companions alike. Forks and spoons collected crumbs at the bottom of my purse among rusting pennies and crumpled receipts. I offered them to fellow diners whenever I lunched with someone on the run as an alternative to plastic cutlery. I refused to buy anything pre-packaged. For a while I stopped using the gas on my stove. During my months of green fever, I ate many raw vegetables.
I seriously reduced my carbon footprint, no question. But I paid a price. Not only did my efforts make me forlorn and distressed about the rest of the world's waste, but I also started judging my friends and family. I watched loved ones drink bottled water in horror -- even if they subsequently tossed their vessel in the recycling bin. I only drank out of fountains or glass cups. I couldn't stand when my mother bought boxed cereal: what about that plastic bag on the inside?! Not to mention the cardboard box! I only ate raw oats. My boyfriend drove to work -- how lazy. I only traveled by bicycle or on foot.
But, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown of green. Somewhere along the line my cause became a source of alienation. My social life suffered--no cabs for me, thanks. I was nervous and ornery, a pedantic nag. I had become so indignant and polemical in my environmental message that I'd turned people off of going green.
What I learned from my fever was simple: we cannot teach people through stubbornness alone. Sometimes an idea that is so foreign -- as being diligently eco-conscious is to most functioning Americans -- needs to be presented gracefully and through inclusive example rather than by relentless begrudging. As I write this, I'm reminded of a gorgeous Southern belle who once told me in a subtly seductive lilt: "Darlin', you catch more flies with honey."
But of course revolution is difficult, often violent. Changing the way people live in America, where luxury and success are defined by conspicuous consumption, is a harrowing task indeed. So how do we fundamentally alter people's habits through subtle, graceful example? We start by making green trendy. This is happening: Gisele Bündchen is glamorizing the movement in her own leggy, Amazonian way: by starting an environmental blog in charmingly broken English. Even for us anonymous folks with limited sex appeal, there are tricks for making green cool. One example is starting a garden. Serve your foodie friend a Julep with fresh mint from your own windowsill or back yard. He will be impressed, perhaps envious. He may go home and plant a minty patch of his own or one-up you with a bed of lemon verbena. Go with friends to farmer's markets and prepare a simple meal together; the effort will likely lead to more excursions and collaborative cooking.
Of course, if you have green fever, you already know all of the eco-friendly things you can do. The trick is to set an example and include people in your efforts without seeming like you're trying to forcefully convert them. Even if you do silently judge your boyfriend for driving an SUV, remember that telling him what a petroleum pig he is will likely make him less receptive to your green propaganda.
The only way to change the system is from within. Be delicate, clever and coercive, but keep in mind that daily life in America runs a certain way: sometimes it's OK to drive to work, buy a box of Cheerios, or drink coffee from a disposable cup. In my experience, being too stringent in my practices and too didactic in my approach caused people to resist listening, defensive against feeling guilty or at fault. (Hence the "Stop Global Whining" bumper stickers so often plastered to Hummers or Suburbans.) So when it comes to being green, do what you need to do to set an example -- canvas tote, recyclable shoes, Prius, etc. -- but always play it cool.
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I am a big old tree-hugger and gardner. It's not hard to slip a little tip or lesson into conversation to move folks who don't know better to go green or greener. It is about tact and not being a self-righteous buzz-kill. And just leading by example goes a long way.
My city cut out recycling pick up about a year and a half ago but does offer drop off stations. The normal reaction of all of my friends was to just throw it all out and say 'what a shame'. But we set up a recycling station outside our back door with separation bins and drive the whole 10 blocks to drop it off once a week. We had a neighborhood party and folks saw the bins and dutifully put their plastic, glass, and metal in the correct bins when asked where to dispose of the party ware. They asked why we were still recycling when the city stopped picking up and we said what's the big deal, we just drive a few blocks to drop it off. That made a difference, we have several friends who do what we do now. I didn't tell them they should do it too, just answered the question.
You don't have to be a psycho about it. Let people ask you when they see what you're doing and are curious. It's inevitable they will, we're a curious bunch.
Hi Isabel,
Interesting article.
Visited the Jersey shore this weekend . . . in a town considered extremely green, liberal and "all about the environment" . . . personally don't like mixing with these folks . . . a couple plovers (little birds) look at each other . . . then the entire town's construction industry comes to a halt . . . two amorous birds, seven miles away and nobody can lift a hammer or risk jail.
The town was covered with bikers and walkers . . . all sporting the latest in eco-attire . . . complete with peace signs and green logos. . . . looked like some sort of global warming utopia . . .
Except for the cars and air conditioning . . . we watched as cars pulled into town . . . complete with "save the earth" stickers . . . all having driven 70-80 miles to get there . . . we started counting them . . . but there were so many! Talked with the gas station attendant, who was taking 8 deliveries on Saturday . . . he said "gas sales couldn't be better" . . . he attributed it to the little cars, where the folks seem entitled to drive as much as they want. Estimated this impromptu convention of "green people" used more than 400,000 gallons fo fuel.
With no solar panels to be seen . . . the windmills voted down to preserve the marsh view .
If that area was to lose the "plover" population over a questionably necessary construction project there is the scientific likely prospect whatever those plovers ate to survive might make this NJ tourist town a bit less attractive to visit. Birds keep the insect population in check. Less birds means more bugs. It's a balance and obviously that's a concept very foreign to you.
At least the folks you saw were driving little cars that get great gas mileage., Do you think if they were all driving F-150's the gas station attendant wouldn't have had a better sales total to report to you? What a stupid argument. Isn't it better that people save money with fuel efficient cars so they can afford to vacation at this place rather than stay home and not support that economy?
The distorted argument about wind is that folks are against the view etc...when in reality it is about the wildlife it would affect. Those are issues easily hashed out and will not prevent it's implementation as the technology progresses. You can cry hypocrisy to justify your reluctance to change but in reality it's more about your insecurity than your excuses.
You're absolutely right on about one thing. It seems to me that every time someone perceives me as being an environmentalist snob, they go out of their way to portray me as a hypocrite- does seem like a way of avoiding responsibility. Most people don't realize that there is a lot more to being green than taking public transportation and putting up solar panels....
Hi ClevelandChick,
Do have many insecurities . . . being fashionably "eco" is not one of them.
And we saw many mini-vans with "Save the Ocean", "Save the Marsh", "Be Smart be Green" stickers on them . . . obviously, they didn't give folks a test before they gave these out!
As to our house . . . our cars were parked, we used bikes and it is the only house on the block without A/C . . . we like the shore breeze.
Using less oil is the goal . . . and we can't accept the paradox that buying a more efficient car entitles one to consume greater quantities of gas.
The point . . . environmentalism is not about "being fashionable" . . . driving a cute little car between two large inefficient urban centers is hard to rationalize.
As to the birds . . . just escorted a nature club through one of our forests . . . who offered appreciation for what we have accomplished "for the birds".
Real conservationists don't have a "better-than-you" attitude.
Yours,
Texas Proud
Can you tell me which town and convention this was? You are making some pretty general criticisms of a large group of environmentalists, I'd like to know where this mass gathering of hypocrites took place. Then maybe, I can look into it and check your facts.
Hi Ajita,
Appreciate the questions!
I was in Ocean City, but it was the same in Stone Harbor and Cape May . . . never saw so many cars and green shirts!
Was there to see my father receive a proclaimation from the State of NJ for his environmental efforts relative to forestry (in NJ).
As to the bubbling over eco-fashion along the Jersey Shore . . . Everybody you talk to is into environmentalism . . . They have a half-billion dollar bird reserve at the south end of the island . . . protecting the mating plovers . . . folks are down there all the time, with Binocs, looking for these birds . . . guess it is a kind of voyerism. Poor birds never get any peace when you consider all the nature lovers who are there!
But these folks self describe themselves as green.
One can not convert people. One can tell them that they are idiots not driving the bus and riding the train, though. Having said that, the train I was on this morning had an extra car and was packed. Since gas prices are rising you see people ride the train who two years ago probably did not even knew it existed. How many of those new people were "converted"? None. How many were forced by their budget? All of them.
Which brings us back to why regulations and high gas taxes (and a carbon tax) are ultimately the only way to go. People do not listen to reason, but they do act on economic pressure.
we don't have to convert them
nature will do it for us
of course waiting for nature to do it will only be more painful
but most people only learn the hard way
Yup - there is still the mass delusion that all this will go on forever, that we are just at a spike, the CO2 problem will take care of itself. Do you think people throw out plastic forks in India and China? That they use disposable everything? I suppose that we may need to get to the point where it will not be an option to take disposable. That five day work-weeks move to four days. Things can get much, much worse.
I loved your article. I went through a similar phase and found myself judging everyone around me and consequently alienating even my best friends. I think you offer a partial solution to the problem- make environmentalism trendy. Thus we can use our consumer powers to change things. I do think however that there needs to be a fundamental paradigm shift in the way we approach life itself, if we are to truly stop heading down this destructive path we're on. In the long run, our excessive consumerism, one-sided economic models and self-absorbed living habits must give way to a more sustainable and nature-conscious way of life.
Ajita,
It is not unusual to judge your friends or your friends to judge you for a myriad of other reasons so why should the environment be off limits? It just has to be done in a more tactful way and you can't expect them to go as far as you have chosen personally.
Every store I go into now sells re-usable bags for like 50 cents or a dollar. We only shop with reusable bags and almost everyone I know does too. Most folks are more than happy to not have to deal with the mess of plastic bags.
If you make environmentalism trendy there's the very real likelihood it will become an "out" thing to do. If you promote it as a lifestyle at any level then it will more likely stick and become the norm.
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