That all said, the “eco consumerism” the article criticized did not represent the whole green movement. Many families and individuals have taken to reduce, reuse and recycle in their daily. They have less material focused. Even in the shopping world, most green-minded consumers buy local food instead of food shipped from another hemisphere. They buy better-cleaning solutions instead of the standard 409’s. Are there people who are out there buying 10 pairs of chic shoes from “eco-material”? Yes, of course. Are there businesses out there that use the “green” logo to make a quick buck? absolutely. That’s why we need to learn about the products and the companies that make them.

I personally do not like buying more stuff for the sake of owning more stuff, whether the stuff is green or not. But to make a sweeping generalization that green movement is about green consumerism is silly.

I agree, like flaming blogs, harsh articles can be a good way to garner attention, it’s just sad that when people do that the writing comes off as wrong somehow; out there for all the wrong reasons.

In any case, it’s great to “see” you, I’ll have to pop over to Be the Change, since Balance closed up shop I don’t get around as much. (bad me)

Tiffany, I agree that it is probably a good idea to replace a toxin-filled mattress with an organic one for the sake of a child’s health. So I feel kind of bad for admitting that I haven’t done that. I bought our crib mattress right before hearing about how terrible conventional mattresses are. I just hate feeling wasteful. I didn’t run out and replace that mattress, but I did decide that I’d be careful with our next purchase, when she switches over to a twin-sized bed.

Tiffany, agreed. I don’t think that article covered health much at all. For example, I pay more for some organic foods but not all, I base it on which have the most health benefits, I consider the green aspect, but it’s more about Cedar’s health.

A better example is probably the original one from the article: replacing vinyl floors with bamboo or something and calling it “green.” Someone I know did this very thing, and everyone was complimenting her for reducing her carbon footprint. Well, no . . . she didn’t, really. Of course, that wasn’t her real goal, anyway: she just wanted nicer floors.

I really like the point you made above when you said you want people to love green ideas rather than shy away from them. You’re right–that article didn’t do that at all!