Can you tell us about common misconceptions on green living?
I have been bothered by people who thinks consumption of green products is thus green living. Some people buy green products in additional to their normal needs. The key is to consume less!!
There was a great article on New York Times, but it's subscription only right now. Treehuggers have their own report on this issue: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/...
Do you know of any other common misconception about green living that you'd like to share with us?
Answer:
people get squirrely when they want to 'make a difference' and don't know where to turn. as belladonna says, it's not difficult, it's simple. there is no measuring stick for how 'green' you must be save the one you use on yourself. for those who think they ARE living a greener lifestyle, if they've made positive changes, god bless 'em. they ARE.
instead of fretting about which strategies you CANNOT use, act upon the ones you will. one preconception people have is that, "i can't do it all myself, so i won't do anything." this misses the whole point that what we all do helps. baby steps repeated endlessly by you and cumulatively by us have the same effect as one large corporate or governmental one- and are a heck of a lot easier to manage.
"i'm the only one doing this". not true, but if you need a mentor, find one. look up local members of the green party. find a 'recycling buddy' at work: most people exercise more regularly when they have someone to 'push' them, why not find a kindred to inspire you? the misconception that you'll be looked upon as odd is old news. the chance that someone will strike up a conversation with you as you bring your own bag to the local grocer (i did say local, didn't i?) is more than likely, and it's a chance to share your ideals as well as stroke your ego. good deal, eh?
finally i agree that buying a surplus of 'extra' items because they're earth-friendly is the wrong way to go about it. in fact, permaculture and many other green philosophies emphasize using LESS, not more. perhaps you could use this as a good opportunity to compare the 'green vs. normal' products, and let them know that there's no dropoff in quality. maybe next time, they'll remember your conversation and only toss the 'green' one in their bag. their canvas bag.
it doesn't always go the way we'd like it to go. best not to alienate anyone: just support the good works that are being done. lemonade, not lemons. not always easy, peace.
Common misconceptions:
That it costs more. You think more about your purchases, about your lifestyle, but it always costs less because you consume much less.
That it is 'other' not mainstream. Hippies and tree huggers only. It needs to be across the board multi agency and multidisciplinary. It is blatantly not true today that people co-operate. We all need to work together to make a difference.
That it is painful. Difficult to do. Requires sacrifice. Being green is easy It makes sense, costs less and is being responsible for our children and their children's future.
Dear Noodles,
I think there are many, many misconceptions. About many things. I can tell you the more information I pick up on how western industry operates the more I change to "green".
Don Fitz, the editor of the Green Party’s magazine, provides ten ways in which “green” building is often not actually environmentally friendly:
but I found this:
1. It ain’t green to ignore perfectly good homes.
2. It ain’t green to build massive homes.
3. It ain’t green to encourage urban sprawl.
4. It ain’t green to build as if space for homes has nothing to do with transportation.
5. It ain’t green to ignore advantages of multi-family homes.
6. It ain’t green to pretend that there is no advantage to building underground.
7. It ain’t green to not know what the word “green” means.
8. It ain’t green to protect the environment with one hand while destroying it with the other.
9. It ain’t green to build homes that will not outlast our grandchildren.
10. Voluntary green ain’t green.
"
For me, buying close to home, from local farmers is one of the "greenest" things you can do. Less gas, you take you bag, they treat the land better that the mega-producers.
fox
I put some interesting links below -
I think those who believe recycling is actually doing any good is mistaken; although the efforts of all are admirable.
The facts are that to reuse materials that are recycled cost companies more than to just put out 'new'. Most of what we put in recycle bins ends up in our landfills; I have personal testimony on this from someone who works in this department. The recycle bins are set up more to appease people into thinking they're doing something good than anything else.
As consumers, we need to demand 'greener' packaging; packaging that isn't oversized. If everyone start shopping with canvas totes it would save a LOT of plastic going to the landfills or paper. We need to support the companies that are taking more efficient steps to operating greener.
Lots of people think that if something is recyclable that it is "green." But is it actually recycled? They also forget about the reduce and reuse part, which come first.
Of all the buildng materials that are used, wood based products are greenest. These at least can be replenished. PIty we choose to use trees that are 1000 years old.. but you get my point... grow your own house is much greener than to pulverise a mountain side for concrete, quarry out the granite for your floor, remove 10 billion years worth of decomposed materials to get the clay to bake bricks using a coal furnace...
Wood. Is Good. Wood. Nothing wrong with using wood. Choose it from farm stock instead of old growth forest for your next house. Incorporate a few straw bales and you are well on the way to being very green indeed. You can grow your own home in a season.
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