Tomorrow we’ll look at what everyone else had to say (I got some excellent answers) but first we’re going to take a look back at what I’ve thought in the past. This is not in any way a new question of mine. I’ve been frustrated for years over people not going green and many of the excuse I hear.

In case you’re a newer Tree Hugging Family reader, or missed these the first go-round, following are the six excuses I hear the most from non-green folk when I say, “Why not live green?” and my reasons why their excuses are mostly bunk…

1. I don’t matter
2. Global warming is a crock
3. Going green is too expensive
4. I’m not a damn hippie
5. I don’t have time
6. I have no idea where to start

Tomorrow we’ll see what other people had to say and later on I’ll tell you my new number one theory about why people aren’t going green.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Obviously this conversation spun out of control with me on the side of green is compelling and my boyfriend saying um, no, not for most people. THEN he said, if you want to make green compelling to the general public, there should be a reality TV show where anti-green people have to live green to win a million bucks or something. Sigh.

The sad part is I’m not sure he’s wrong. I bet millions of people would tune in to a lame reality TV show where the reward for going green is cold hard cash. Does that defeat the purpose of living green? In my opinion yeah. To me there are compelling reasons to go green without someone waving cash in front of my face. Plus, not everyone would get that opportunity. Rewards for going green can’t always be about money, or something you can touch; it’s just not realistic.

BUT does everyone agree with me? Nope. Obviously not. Look at the eco-statistics – people are doing a horrible job when it comes to green living. Very few people recycle. Few people will give up their toxic cleaners for green and safe cleaners and I highly doubt that folks will cancel cable to save energy and get outside instead.

What is it about green that’s so hard for the majority of people to swallow?

I’ve been thinking about this and I think I’ve got some reasons rounded up, but before I post them, why not tell me what you think. Why don’t more people go green? How come living green doesn’t factor in for the majority of Americans?

What do you think?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Blog Action Day is the brainchild of Collis Ta’eed, and the first year he managed to recruit 20,000 bloggers to all write on the same topic on the same day. It was an amazing event. This year it should be even bigger and better, and it’s always fun to see what various bloggers have to say on the same issue.

Blog Action Day is a major social media effort to get everyone talking about an important issue on one day. No matter your blog’s topic, you can participate. When bloggers come together to focus on one topic, it gives attention to that topic, exposes readers, and shows the world that we can tackle some big issues if we all focus our efforts together.

Any blogger, large or small can participate. Head over to the Blog Action Day site and register your blog, or blogs. I usually sign a bunch of my blogs up and this year, so far Tree Hugging Family is on board (of course) as well as Thrifty Mommy, Blisstree Green Living, and Best Green Home Tips.

On October 15th you can sit back and let everyone discuss climate change, or you can join in and actively participate in the conversation. I’m gonna say join in!

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

365 – Number of days we all have to make a difference each year, and yet…

137 – The amount of plants, animals and insects species we lose each day to rainforest deforestation.

147,000,000 – The gallons of gas per year that vaporize into the earth’s atmosphere due to shoddy or lost gas caps.

7 – How many trees the average American uses up in one year. Also, the number of greenwashing sins BTW.

4.6 – How many pounds of trash that the average American creates per day.

3 – Percent of folks who recycle their cell phone.

2 – Percent of “green” products (out of 2,219 in the United States and Canada) found to be actually green and NOT greenwashing.

80 – Percent of people who think toxic cleaners are safe.

55 – The percent of paper waste that Americans recycle each year. PAPER! I.e. easily recycled – just 55% – sad.

24 – The percent of disposable water bottles that are recycled in American each year. Not cool when reusable water bottles abound.

107 – number of ingredients in pesticides thought to cause cancer (so far) which makes organic food sound pretty darn good. (After Silent Spring, NRDC, 6/93)

600 – Number of plastic tampon applicators found on ONE beach during ONE beach clean up day.

10 – The number assigned to the most toxic, least safe beauty and body care products by Skin Deep. You probably have some 10s in your bathroom right now.

19,000 – How many pounds of waste the average elementary school creates annually due to lunch time.

18,000,000 – Liters of oil saved when a tax on plastic bags was introduced in Ireland (they reduced their plastic bag consumption by 90%).

1 – How many people it takes to start making a difference. Just one; and that one person today could be you.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

“For the president to talk out but not just say what we should do but what will happen if we don’t stop littering…We should have one day a month that should be green day. Start putting a lot more commercials about the environment. Start putting posters up and I know it may sound extreme but maybe even paint the White House green…We should star putting a program about “green” on national TV also, so we can inspire other states, communities, families and countries.”

That’s what one child said when asked about how the public should be better educated on green issues in the new report, “Growing Up Green.” The report, a first of its kind, focuses on what kids ages 11 and 12 think about the current eco-issues.  Growing up Green is by no means a typical report looking at typical American kids. The children surveyed go to Merrill Middle School in Des Moines, Iowa – which according to the report is “one of the greenest schools in one of the nation’s greenest cities.” So their answers are related to their world and immediate surroundings, not the typical surroundings that the average American kid is emerged in.

However, what’s cool about this report is that it shows what kids who are exposed to green think about and how they choose to make a difference. The report reflects some excellent examples as to why we really need to focus on kids and get them on board with green living now not later.

In the report, the children answered more than 40 questions (many open ended) that offer insight into the role environmental conservation and sustainability play in young people’s lives, and they wrote essays explaining what they think it will take to protect the environment, who should lead the charge, and why it matters.

Some findings from Growing Up Green:

• Most students agree that the local, state and federal government has an important role to play when it comes to eco-issues, but the kids were split on whether it’s through legislation or encouraging the public to be more environmentally conscious.
• Many students said that individuals need to take simple steps in their own lives to protect natural resources.
• The students identified a need to raise public awareness of the problems and also to make more of the public understand how they can help.
• The students generally believe that involving more youth in environmental issues will make an impact in the future.
• Many of the students said government leaders and businesses should find new and different ways to protect the environment.

I read through most of the report and was amazed at he insights these kids have. It’s astounding what children consider when given the tools to do so. If you didn’t think that kids have the ability to change the world and keep it green, you will after reading this report. You can download the report “Growing Up Green” for free (pdf) and read all about it including many other cool quotes from eco-minded kiddos.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

For example, the post above was linked at the Inhabitat Facebook site and while some comments are smart and balanced, others were more extreme, i.e. akin to, “Having kids is selfish…” or “The crazy thing is that many of the humans that are breeding out of control are well educated environmentalists that know that we have already exceeded the earths carrying capacity…” and so on. It’s not just here either. Lots of people offline and on have said stuff like this to me.

Is it selfish to have kids? OR are you only selfish if you have more than one? How about if you have one kid, a gas guzzling hummer and like to buy plastics and own four televisions? Are you more selfish than a recycling family with four kids, a solar powered home, and an organic garden? Who is the biggest eco-loser?

It’s not only a totally gray area but it’s almost impossible to argue for population control. Why, because if you’re arguing for population control, you were already born which makes you yelling about no more babies seem sort of silly, no?

If we’re going to argue that people who have kids are selfish maybe we should also argue that people who let granddad live so long are selfish too. Extreme? Maybe; but then so is the idea that childbearing is selfish. To me, consumer choice is a larger issue than the baby having choice. I think it’s selfish to own a McMansion or four cars, but then, that’s just my opinion.

There are some balanced arguments going on though (thankfully). For example, one of the fellas over at the Facebook argument posted this link – Population and Sustainability: Can We Avoid Limiting the Number of People?. It’s a balanced piece plus they point out what my major argument is – that the actions of one can matter just as much as the actions of many.  The piece notes…

“Nature, of course, couldn’t care less how many of us there are. What matters to the environment are the sums of human pulls and pushes, the extractions of resources and the injections of wastes. When these exceed key tipping points, nature and its systems can change quickly and dramatically. But the magnitudes of environmental impacts stem not just from our numbers but also from behaviors we learn from our parents and cultures. Broadly speaking, if population is the number of us, then consumption is the way each of us behaves. In this unequal world, the behavior of a dozen people in one place sometimes has more environmental impact than does that of a few hundred somewhere else.”

I have one child, but honestly, I’d have another and not assume that it’s a negative eco issue. What would be negative is if I raised my child/children to behave in irresponsible ways. However, I do teach conservation at home and my son is already way greener than I am (at age eight) so hopefully he’ll grow up and be part of a larger solution.

It’s a tricky issue, and I’m for thinking it through before you have a baby, plus making sure you pass on eco-traits to your kids, but I’m never going to think that limiting kids is the real answer to all of our eco-issues. The babies haven’t created these issues, past generations have.

What do you think?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

What’s noteworthy at the site:

Rainforest Heros is packed with tools for adults that make teaching kids about rainforests easier. For example at the Teacher’s Lounge, you can download an awesome Kids Action Toolkit that’s designed to answer your students’/kids questions about rainforests, climate change, Indigenous land rights, animal and plant species, and the latest causes of deforestation. There’s also a neat FREE movie you can watch with your kids, Forest Family Forever!, that tells the story of a thousand year old grandfather tree who teaches his sapling grandson about the wonders of the rainforests and what kids can do to save them. Lastly are lesson plans, ideas, fact sheets and more – all created to help you pass on rainforest knowledge to the kiddos.

The kids corner is made just for the littles and has activities, action steps, news about what other kids are doing and more.

The Jungle Gym section of the site is made for fun and learning with a Kids’ Art Gallery, Crafts and Recipes, Games, Coloring Books and more.

Best of all is a heroes area that highlights what kids all over are doing to save the rainforests. Kids learn best by example, in my opinion, and when they learn from other kids it drives the point even further home.

Visit Rainforest Heroes today and get the whole family involved in rainforest action.

[image via Rainforest Action Network]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

You could score a job. In this job market that’s a very big perk. People like to hire on people they’ve already worked with on other projects and even in unrelated volunteer opportunities, employers like to see some volunteer experience on your resume.

You can gain experiences that might lead you to a green career choice. If you aren’t sure about a green career choice volunteering can lead you to a conclusion about a job.

You can gain life skills. For example volunteering on green home building projects you can gain skills that may allow you to build your own green home one day.

Where to find green volunteer experiences:

The best article I’ve ever seen on green volunteer opportunities is 21 Places to Look for Green Volunteering Opportunities at Greener Buildings. They really cover all the bases in this piece. You should be able to find a cool green volunteer gig with just this piece but just in case you need more…

How to Go Green: Volunteerism

Types of ‘green’ volunteering

And just because it’s green wedding month – Green Weddings: Volunteer Honeymoons

Now, get out there and volunteer green!

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

1. Plant a tree! You knew I’d say this, but really, tree planting is fun, good exercise, and healthy for people and the planet. To learn more about tree planting in your neck of the woods read the following:

• Tree Planting Where You Live
• Volunteer with a local tree-planting organization

2. Learn your personal footprint… You can and should take the time to learn how big your environmental footprint is. There are many carbon footprint calculators out there, many appropriate for kiddos. After learning about your own (or your family’s) footprint, brainstorm about how to reduce your impact.

• First ‘water footprint’ calculator goes live
• Top 5 Carbon Footprint Calculators
• Zero Footprint Kids Calculator

3. Take At Least One Green Hour for Kids. Kids who get outside are healthier and more prone to appreciate and protect the planet. Plus getting outside is fun for everyone.

4. Take some tips from the kids – last year we asked some kiddos how to go green. See what they said (yes, it’s super cute).

5. Participates in a beach clean-up. If you live near a coastline, or have the means to travel to one, you can read Start A Sea Change for easy tips about how to get involved with keeping our coast and oceans clean and safe.

Don’t forget to enter the Disneynature’s Earth Giveaway!

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

There are plenty of reasons. First of all a walkable town or community means that most likely the area is greener than others. This is a major perk for the planet and your family’s health. Recent news about this includes…

• Green Spaces Beneficial for Kids Health
• Less asthma among kids – just one more reason to hug trees
• One small step: spend one mile on nature today – yup green spaces help you stay fit.
• Of course the more green there is, the more likely you are to ditch that car and walk or bike, which in turn aids in the fight against global warming.

BUT the question is, how can you actually find a walk-friendly place to live? Luckily it’s as easy as green pie with the following sites:

Walk Score -gives you a walking-friendly (or not) score for various areas. You enter your address and Walk Score spits out how your neighborhood stacks up. My own neighborhood is not so cool. It earned a 34 out of 100 (100 is best). While I actually do live in a green space complex, the reason my area is not considered walking-friendly is based on limited nearby resources like grocery stores and libraries.

Other sites to try:

• 10 least polluted areas in the U.S.
• Top 25 Towns for Clean Air, Dirty Air
• The 25 Most Polluted Regions in the United States
• 15 Green Cities – not pollution specifically but a green overview. Same for America’s Greenest States.
• What makes a city walkable.
  

If your area scores low for walk-ready areas it may not be time to pack up the U-Haul though. You might be able to green your community with a little help from your neighbors. Read How to Protect Your Neighborhood Land, Go Green: How to Build an Earth-Friendly Community, or Green Infrastructure: Linking Landscapes and Communities for ideas.

Is your area green enough? OR is a lack of walk-friendly areas keeping your family inside way too often?

Post from: Tree Hugging Family