It's Not Easy Being Green

"The difference between animals and humans is that animals change themselves for the environment, but humans change the environment for themselves." -- Ayn Rand

In light of the recent BP oil spill, I've been thinking of a question I've pondered for a few years now.

What does it mean to be "green"?

The word, that once was simply used to describe the colour of an apple, a leaf, a shirt, is now so convoluted and loosely defined that any use in advertising and even use of the colour itself can be misleading. It's not only an adjective but now a verb. You can be green, you can live green, you can green your space, you can green just about anything. You can buy green products and green cars, you can have a green lifestyle, a green footprint.

It's in my belief that the simple use of this term has lead the masses to believe that environmentalism is simply a passing trend. Green is the new black, right? I actually saw that saying printed on a canvas shopping bag, labelled as a "green product".

I'll digress for a moment to talk about the confusion between environmentalism and the "green trend."

I have been interested in the environment for as long as I can remember. I was always outside playing, camping with family and friends, enjoying fresh air and lakes. It wasn't until I took an Outdoor Education class in that I really became in touch with environmental issues.

Immediately, I was taken aback, as most people are, as the severity and absolute enormity of our problems. A slow global destruction isn't exactly a small issue. And yet, some people don't even have even the tiniest grasp of what's really going on in the world.

After just four years of studying the environment and being immersed in issue after issue concerning our world I still forget that simple fact; some people still have no idea about what today's environmental issues really are.

And I still ask myself, how is this possible?

How can people not know that all these extreme weather events are related to climate change? How can they not know that global warming is occuring, that we're running out of oil, that we're losing unpredicted amounts of animal and plant life that we can never get back?

These are global problems, yes, but there are many more that can be seen from your front door.

Does no one wonder why there are more and more houses being built (population growth)? Where our garbage goes (waste management)? Where our food, water, and materials come from (natural resource management)? Why so many loved ones are dying of cancers and respiratory illnesses (environmental health issues)?

I tell people that I study Environmental Science and I get a strange look about eighty percent of the time.

Here are a few replies I've gotten;

"Why? Couldn't you make more money being a lawyer or something?"

"But you're so smart! Why wouldn't you be a doctor?"

"Oh, that's nice. Have fun picking daisies while the world goes by."

"I guess there'll be jobs once we're all gone and you have to clean up our mess."

I think these answers really reflect most people's views of the environment and society and that particular interaction. There are four fundamental principles going on here; the world revolves around money, no one has or will have the solutions, studying the environment doesn't matter, and it's a last ditch attempt at cleaning up once everything is over and done with.

Environmental issues, to most people, don't directly affect them and are for "the other people" to figure out and solve. This is essentially the basis of the BP oil spill problem in the Gulf of Mexico. Everyone is laying blame on BP, saying it's their fault for billions of dollars lost, thousands of organisms killed, the deaths of humans. But is it not our fault, too? If we didn't life in such a gas-dependent society and an oil-driven world BP woulnd't have been in such a rush to drill, and possibly wouldn't have drilled at all. BP drills oil so you and I can get to work on time; so isn't that spill partly on you and I? How is it fair that we, once again, lay the blame on "them"?

Here's some news for everyone;

We are "them".

As both a global and local subject, environmentalism needs to start at an individual level.

And that's where this green trend has started.

Someone had the brilliant idea of marketing environmental change to the individual, using the term "green". And yes, it has worked; people are driving hybrids and using less plastic and biking to work. There is a huge demand for "green" products. But will it last? Will people understand why they're going "green" and keep it that way?

I honestly don't believe that the average understand why bringing a mug to work or going to the library or composting will help the environment. I think they just know it's "green" and it looks good if you do it, because everyone else is.

And I forget this, sometimes, too. I sometimes think people generally care about environmental issues. But upon further questioning of a person with a stainless steel waterbottle, they'll tell you "it looks cool" or "it doesn't have bad stuff in it". When asking a person who drives a hybrid, it's because "it costs less and keeps the air fresher". When asking a person with a "keeping it green" shirt if it was made from organic cotton, they'll shrug and tell you "I got it from Wal-Mart".

I think that as an environmental student it's my responsibility to let people know what's going on, and why they're doing the things they're doing, and what repercussions they have.

I'm all for environmental products being used widespead, don't get me wrong. It's great! I just feel that people should have a better grasp of why they're needed.

There seems to be a bit of a disconnect between environmental academics and the rest of the world; the politicians, the citizens, the corporations.

Everyone knows that something needs to be done; but no one outside of academia seems to know why or how.

Green products were originally about helping the average person understand and accept and have responsibilty for their own actions. But somewhere along the way, people picked it up as a trend instead and have no clue why they're doing what they're doing.

To me, being "green" isn't simply following a trend without knowledge of what we're doing. Truly being green is being an environmentally responsible person; knowing your impact and it's repercussions, having the ability to think on a local and global level, being well-informed and being able to make decisions based on that.

So, from now on, I'm going to help out with that. Hopefully, I can start posting some shorter blogs about environmental issues and products, and what they mean.

So stick around. Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this long-awaited post somewhat enlightening. To be honest, I'm afraid I'm in the same situation I mentioned before -- I hope I'm not in my ivory tower expecting everyone to understand everything and assuming I do. I sincerely hope that all of us can gain a better understanding of the biggest problem we face.

Keep up the good work -- and make sure you know why you're doing it!

- C