What does it mean to “go green”? Why would anyone want to go through the hassle of going green? Where do you even begin?
I want to find out. I have decided to go green, and I will be chronicling my efforts here. This is not intended to be a guide for going green, nor is it intended as a polemic against the existing political, cultural, or economic structures. I am certainly interested in the bigger picture and may even write about it along the way, but for our purposes here, I am not looking to change the world from the top down.
I am simply driven by an interest in being green, and how one might go about becoming green. This record is about the journey, the steps and the missteps, along the way to being green. It is about trying to take responsibility for my actions and becoming mindful of my influence on the world around me.
I’d like to take a moment to define what “going green” means. There are many definitions of going green, and many opinions on the right ways to go about it. The most common definition might go something like this: Going green refers to the steps that are taken by an individual to reduce their negative impact on the environment. Consult Wikipedia or do a Google search, and I am sure you will find similar definitions.
And that definition sounds alright, if slightly lacking in poetry. The basis of my project will in fact be “to reduce my negative impact on the environment.” Unfortunately there is so much conflicting information about how to best reduce your negative impact. I hope to navigate my way through all the information and misinformation, but perfection is not the goal, not from the start anyway. Therefore, my goal will be this: “To be aware of the impact of all my actions and to make lifestyle choices that recognize, respect, and celebrate my relationship with the environment.”
My goal sounds a bit lofty, and frankly a bit pompous. Unfortunately the idea of going green has already become a bit of a cliché. American society in the year 2008 has an impressive ability to chew everything up and spit it out with frightening speed. Most people have no idea what it means to live a green life, much less have they attempted to do it, and already they are sick of hearing about it. We are so bombarded with information that a concept like going green can become cliché before it is even put into practice.
Forget all that garbage. It doesn’t matter if going green has become a cliché, or if you are tired of it, or if green consumerism smacks of elitism. That is all a lot of white noise that distracts from the real issue: going green is becoming a necessity for all of us. Rising energy costs and food prices and global temperatures are a reality.
So my goal is to find out how to live in ways that are green, and economical, and even fun. That is the journey I am hoping to undertake, and I am excited about what I will find. More to come….
Posts
