Why don’t people live green?
September 29, 2009 by Jennifer
Last night I watched an advanced screening of No Impact Man, which I really liked for the most part (review soon) however, my boyfriend felt it lacked any sort of compelling content. He felt it was a movie mainly for people who are already living green not the general public. He noted that while No Impact Man was dull and not worth seeing (note: I didn’t agree) some documentaries like Super Size Me DO offer shocking facts and compelling content and therefore make people sit up and take notice and are very much worth viewing.
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]
I’m sure you’ve got this one on the top of your list already, but convenience. Green (to most people) = hard. Why grow your own food when you can go to a fast food place and get what you want hot, fast and have no dishes to wash? I think another one, tied into the first, is time. Why take the time to wash cloth diapers when you can quickly toss the old and grab a new one? Sometimes people are grossed out or they think green is unclean. A friend of mine is horrified that I put feces, urine and spit up in my washer. She thinks it contaminates the machine. I was a little afraid of the family cloth myself, but I haven’t gotten ’sick’ from it yet. My parents would never consider buying any clothing from a thrift store. What if someone had lice, scabies, MRSA…?? Ugh. That fear is perpetuated by the media who wants you to believe that you need things like Lysol, bleach and germX. It’s hard to decide which makes me more mad – apathy, ignorance or paranoia! Ok, sorry, I guess I’m on a little bit of a rant here. I am looking forward to your list! (Ps – interesting to hear the diff. takes on the movie. Thanks for sharing them both! Does your bf ever get a defensive when talking about green stuff w/you?)
Wait – that sounds personal…sorry…no need to answer that…it’s piques my curiosity when people seem at odds over an issue that’s important to them but yet find a way to talk about it, share their opinions but ultimately carry on a friendship/relationship. My hubby and his best friend are almost polar political opposites but it’s great to hear their discussions. I learn a lot from both of them, most of all I value their mutual respect. Again – thanks for sharing each of your views…
I agree with all the reasons you listed
I think you hit all the biggies – apathy, lack of knowledge, and paranoia. There’s also the angry people (global warming is a crock types). The ‘clean’ issue is a HUGE deal too. I get that a lot from people, especially since I won’t use paper towels, only cloth.
So far as the BF deal, it’s actually not too personal to me. It’s a big deal when it comes to green because a lot of couples are mixed – i.e. half green, half not so much. I wrote about couples before – http://www.blisstree.com/articles/when-your-soul-mate-isnt-green/.
In my case, I’m lucky because Dave is willing, he’s just not quite there. He recycles, but forgets reusable bags, didn’t really buy the important organics before living with me, and had a ton of toxic cleaners at his house. Now that we’re a mixed household (me, my son, him, his 2 girls) it’s complicated.
We do have MANY debates over stuff; recycled toilet paper, plastic baggies, that movie, and more. On the bad side, yeah, of course I wish he always sided with green, but on the good side, he’s a great resource because he debates me without being mean, so I get another perspective (the general non-green perspective) vs. my own green obsessed opinion. It’s interesting to hear what he thinks because I’m betting there are more people at his stage of green (sort of, but not very) than at other levels. It makes me think about what I write for sure, especially when it comes to getting people to try and go green, and that’s always a good thing.
DramaMama, you said basically everything I was thinking. I would also like to add that I am fed up with the eye rolls I get when I buy the ‘healthier’ or organic choice for my kids’ food. For friends and family, I don’t preach, I inform and let them make their own choices-they are grown ups after all. But its exhausting trying to explain to my kids why chemical free is better for them and our planet when the kid next to them is eating a garbage filled lunch and they want one too! A lot of people I know think it’s all a ‘crock’ and carry on happily with the status quo. Its tough going against the crowd-but I keep going.
Though I believe that most of it comes down to convenience as well, I also think a small factor may be many peoples’ need to “fit in.”
If it is not the current norm, people will look at you weird and I have seen that people do not like to be looked at as weird. (Maybe people are stuck in that “high school – want to fit in” mode)
just my own observation. luckily for me, i don’t mind being a “neo-hippie wanna be” (yes, i’ve been called that. ha!)
This really sounds like a familiar conversation between my husband and I last week LOL! I told him I had been wondering if the world really is greening up or if I am just more consumed with surrounding myself with this type of crowd? Hmmm…he laughed and said he truly thinks most do not give a crap.
Darnit. Um…I think this is probably due to convenience. I think it is easier for people to let others worry about saving our planet. That is just my take.
I definitely agree with the apathy and convenience arguments. I grew up recycling at home, but didn’t think twice about throwing out a recyclable container if there wasn’t a recycling bin around. Now recycling is still a fundamental thing for me – I recycle, it’s what I do (and now I bring things home to recycle, and am actually somewhat fanatic about it). It does make me mad when companies and people don’t recycle, but if it’s not what they are used to, then there is a huge behavior change needed and lots of possible excuses they can give (though I don’t buy it). I think a lot of people also aren’t convinced that they matter and their actions can make a difference, so we environmentalists need to not just preach but really reach people and convince them that they count, they can help, they matter.
In my opinion, I think a couple of the big reasons why people don’t even attempt to go green are a) going green implies change. People are naturally resistant to change. It is much easier to continue doing things the way we have always done them, because we don’t have to think about it…we just do it. We don’t like to leave our comfort zone and a change in habits takes us out of that comfort zone. b) Going green is such a vast topic, that requires action in so many areas (if one wants to live completely green) that it can seem very overwhelming. And I think that many people don’t believe that even small changes in their daily lives could make a difference in the grand scheme of things.
I must admit that I was guilty of both of these reasons. But I realized that with a little extra effort on my part, living a more Earth friendly life is completely doable. I know that it can’t all be done in a day…but as the old saying goes…”A journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step”.
Jennifer has been super patient with my non-green ways. It turns out that green IS my favorite color. I am open to green choices and sustainability etc, but I have my limits.
I thought No Impact Man was watchable, but not very fun to watch. I definately wouldn’t call my guy friends and say “Dude, lets hang out and watch this awesome movie!” Um, not so much…
In general, I’m open to green products as long they successfully acheive their intended purpose without causing physical pain, excessive extra work, or if they are lame in general.
My fav product Jennifer has introduced me to is this US Canteen water bottle. It is stylish, keeps my water cold and has started some great conversations with my coworkers about green products. It rocks!
@Tina, “its exhausting trying to explain to my kids why chemical free is better for them and our planet when the kid next to them is eating a garbage filled lunch and they want one too” – that’s true, your kids peers have a lot to do with it. Maybe though, all that talking with your kids will work out though. Sometimes Cedar wants something that’s appalling in terms of packaging, like all kids, but after so many years of living green, he’s way more likely to give a green lecture to the kid next to him than conform to the kid next to him – which is cool.
@Melissa I hear that whole, “I’m not a hippie” speech a lot. It’s frustrating. I’m betting there are more green folks who don’t fit that stereotype than who do. But people are big on fitting in; well, many – not all.
@smilinggreenmom it is WAY easier to let others worry but I’m glad you’re not living that way. There’s a good amount of people who are willing to make changes, which rocks.
@Laura the problem I see with how “we environmentalists need to not just preach but really reach people”is that one I agree, but small nice tactics don’t always work. Guilt doesn’t always work. Extreme just gets you labeled as a greenpeace/Peta type (even though they’re not all extreme). There’s this fine line about how far we should push people for change. I don’t think I’ve found that line yet and it’s frustrating.
@Vali I think that “green is overwhelming” is a major issue. I get that a lot. People are always emailing saying that there’s too much info. Plus on the other side, the mainstream media does a terrible job for the most part about giving people advice they can use. We rarely see green commercials or read positive green stories in the news. It’s almost all Internet folks and books passing around green info, and not all people have access to either.
@Dave ha, thanks for visiting. You’re funny – because to me that canteen lacks in the green area, although it does have some perks and I’m glad you like it. Maybe the issue is that green should be more hip/cool, so you can call your guy friends up and say, “let’s see this, read this, use this… etc.” Green has a crunchy history and it’s not always seen as too cool. Although I am glad you’re warming up
Okay, this isn’t an answer to “why don’t people live green,” but more of a reflection on how I deal with watching myself and others not always making green choices.
For me, when I stay away from the labels the whole issue fades away and the barriers come down. My husband is not into being as green as I am. When I label myself as “being green” and him as “not green” then it puts up a barrier instantly. But if I think of us as a couple trying to make the best decisions we can for our environment, then there is no issue, there are no barriers, it is just us being us. This attitude gets me past the times when I see friends/family/coworkers, or even myself for that matter, doing something “not green.” For example, I recently co-hosted a moral-booster type of event at work with one of my coworkers. It was to be light and fun. He came up some fun facts and tips for us to give out at the event. It was his contribution, and he was pleased with it. I asked him how many to print, and he said 15. A voice in my head screamed, “but this is all just going to end up in the garbage at the end of the event, can’t we just print 3 and pass them around for people to read at the event?” But a bigger voice said, “now is not the time for you to make your statement. This is HIS contribution, so you need to let this go and do it as he sees best.” So I printed the 15. And I felt totally okay with that, because I took off any labels related to the situation and just saw it as a chance to work with a valued colleague. It helped me feel better about him, about myself, and about living in a pale green, rather then vibrant green, world.