My sister’s a nerd, but she’s got a point…
Going green; it’s for the birds
Nicole Martin
I’m starting to think my ability to function like the rest of society is slowly being taken from me. When did everyone stop living in the land of the free? You know, the place where original ideas were promoted and not following the norm was encouraged. I’m all for minimizing my footprint, but when that footprint is losing its significance, I think I’ll pass. When you purchase a product simply because the label says, “Made from 100% recyclable materials,” any chance of the art of living is lost.
Here’s a thought; nothing is really “100% GREEN”! When something becomes too much of a good thing, it probably is. When something becomes too trendy maybe it’s begun to lose its original value.
The fact that we know nothing about living in an eco-friendly environment is okay. Let’s embrace our ignorance; at least it’s original and genuine. Choosing to buy something based on a label is starting to make me want to go out and buy a huge gas eating SUV…You see where I am going with this?
So the next time you drive your car to work, don’t feel guilty. It is completely unfounded guilt. Did you know “…every vehicle made in the last 30 years is equipped with a catalytic converter which converts harmful pollutants such as CO into NON-harmful CO2 and water vapor.”
Instead of joining the bandwagon, let’s become educated first. Let’s realize it might be more beneficial for us to spend an hour of our day picking up trash than paying 3 extra dollars for a recyclable coffee mug. Next time your neighbor drives his Toyota Prius to one of the nine Starbucks in your neighborhood, make sure to tell him to fill up his re-usable tote with some logic before he leaves the house.
Thinking for yourself –that’s green!
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Nicole Martin, my sister, specializes in interior design. She attended the University of Cincinnati School of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning [DAAP] where she earned a BS in Interior Design. As a talented young designer she currently freelances in the Cincinnati area. Her portfolio includes everything from graphic work to interior and product design.
cnicole.martin@gmail.com
I only drink from styrofoam cups. all day.
Environmentalism is not about the environment. It’s about taxes, subsidies and scare tactics. Keep the people afraid and you keep them in line. Nicole is absolutely right when she says that most people preaching “green” are mostly uneducated. I would go as far as saying they are mostly idiots. They think buying a Prius will save the environment? It won’t. And them being so self-righteous is not just embarrassing, it’s pitiful.
Great article. It’s good to hear an opinion that actually makes sense and doesn’t just follow the popular belief.
I’ll never try to fool myself or anyone else into believing that anything and everything stamped “green” is the right and obvious choice. However, I do think that we should make more planet-friendly choices when they are available.
I wouldn’t consider reusable shopping bags or coffee mugs pitiful or self-righteous. I would associate both of those terms to those who feel, as individuals, we have no responsibility to preserve the resources around us.
Leah makes sense. Nicole is right about one thing. We should all continue to “process information”. We should not abdicate our right to question the information they give us, even if it is about “righteous causes”….
Agreed…but just being average or non-passionate is a prosthetic sentiment. The passive approach is creating a media mockery of the public, our decision to adopt a couple of green solutions is a waste of time. There’s no point in reusable bags or coffee mugs when you drive to the Starbucks and Kroger in your SUV, even though they are both a block away. It’s about lifestyle choices, not summer fads.
Nicole, as usual, makes terrific points. If the only way to be green is to go about it in a completely round about way, then it fails as a product. Remember even if a product claims to be green (i.e. the Toyota Prius pictured above), it’s a given it’s fuel efficient, and that relieves ourselves of most of the guilt. However, did the consumer ask the dealership if the manufacturing process of the vehicle made was as green as possible? Not at all. People buy the idea of “green” not knowing that is only took a ludicrous amount of energy and consumption to come up with that idea. Whatya think of that Nicole?!
Beautiful point, I recall a situation with a suv driver stopping her car in order for someone to pick up litter that was thrown out of her window, people like that need to just drive immediately to the nearest cliff and drive into it.