Is Being Green becoming too Trendy?
// July 8th, 2007
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or you can get it delivered right to your Email. Thanks for visiting!
That is the question that is posed by Slate Magazine. You really can’t miss it. Being green is the new catch phrase now a days. Celebrities, Politicians, and Urbanites have all jumped on the bandwagon. So are we just doing it for kicks or do we truly care about the Environment?
I admit I am a casual environmentalist. I am not about to go join GreenPeace, infact, they kind of scare me. When I used to live in the city, whenever one tried to approach me, I would actually start running to the other side of the street dodging ambitious cab drivers and cyclists who were probably biking to reduce Carbon Emission. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for the environment, but I didn’t need some college kid with nothing to do during breaks do a sales pitch on me in the middle of chaotic streets of New York. Oh back to the article.. so this is what Slate said,
Yellow journalism now comes in a new color: green.
Often as sensationalistic as its yellow predecessor, green journalism tends to appeal to our emotions, exploit our fears, and pander to our vanity. It places a political agenda in front of the quest for journalistic truth and in its most demagogic forms tolerates no criticism, branding all who question it as enemies of the people.
Take for example, Live Earth, that was on today. At first I was so bummed because I wanted to go. But then I thought about it and realized, that I wanted to go for selfish reasons. I didn’t want to go to save the Environment but rather to schmooze with green people and see some great bands play. Do you think this concert will really change the perception of how people will live day to day? (Perhaps I am being a bit bitter) I was watching VH1 and MTV (flipping back and forth) and between the nauseous My sweet sixteen and Fabulous Life of Heiresses, there were smattering of Green commercials. It seemed a bit odd.. here you are having all these advert to consume more and more.. and then commercials about consuming less, Identity crisis for sure. Oh, yes back to the article.. Slate questions the validity of Carbon Off-putting programs and companies that are all of sudden going “green”
Equally skeptical of the carbon credits has been the Financial Times. “Companies and individuals rushing to go green have been spending millions on ‘carbon credit’ projects that yield few if any environmental benefits,” Another brilliant FT piece cites several academic studies to show that imported foodstuffs aren’t necessarily the carbon bombs that “localvores” make them out to be. The piece speculates that the car ride back from the grocery store might be the most carbon-intensive part of a fruit, vegetable, or leg of lamb’s journey from farm to pantry.
So what do we do now.. should we just say **** it and give up? No, I don’t think that’s the answer either. Perhaps it is a marketing gimmick to get people to buy more products meanwhile doing nothing for the Environment. Maybe this is a whole big conspiracy to make people want to do for the environment but actually harming it instead. But I know where it can start. It can start in the home. You as a consumer can make some decisions to lessen the impact that doesn’t cost any money.. or little money. You don’t have to buy a compost that costs couple hundred dollars (I was actually tempted to buy one but decided to do more research instead and make my own compost) Certain things make sense.. like Recycling. It doesn’t cost you a dime but it is effective… Recycling is Indeed Better according to Economist. Turning off the lights you don’t use.. makes sense.
Source: Slate
Popularity: 7% [?]
Tagged Recycling, Global Warming, Environmental Issues
17 Responses to “Is Being Green becoming too Trendy?”
Leave a Comment
Best Green Posts
Where am I?
You’re currently reading “Is Being Green becoming too Trendy?,” an entry on Hip Green Living by Jolly Green Girl on Jul 08 2007 @ 7:02 am
Categories:
- Accidential Environmentalist
- Animal Testing
- Beauty
- Conservation
- Cruelty Free Products
- Eco-Baby
- Eco-Fashion
- Eco-friendly Stores
- Ecopreneur
- Environmental Issues
- Green Books
- Green Gastronomy
- Green Giveaways
- Green Home
- Green Pet
- Green Travel
- Living Green
- Organic Lifestyle
Powered by FireStats
July 8th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Sweet!! I am having a hard time figuring how I am going to spread my appreciation around. You know this makes 2 now, and I am such a part time blogger hah. I don’t know what to say, but thank you so much and will soon be able to put way more time into my blog.
In the meantime I enjoy your
writing so much. I can
tell you are as honest
as one can be and I respect that.
Your comment box rox btw! I was typing around it until I scrolled down…doh!
July 8th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Sundance channel had excellent coverage of the event with a ton of little shorts and news clips about the environment.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
First of all, to my adult cynic eyes it seems this concert is as meaningful as the Concert for Diana, but I’m sure it can help young people get motivated to at least think about environmental issues.
I was about sixteen when I saw a three-hour Amnsety concert that changed my life. Now, I wouldn’t be caught dead listening to any of the artists they had there, but when Sting brought the Peruvian mothers on to the stage to sing “They Dance Alone,” and when Peter Gabriel dived backwards into the crowd while singing “Biko,” my entire perspective about the world changed forever.
July 8th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
Great post. It seems that green is definitely a marketing buzzword now. And the people who have made it a religion frighten me as much as the people who knock on your door and try to get you to change your worldview in an afternoon.
One thing that is a result of all of this is that people are buying more stuff that is labeled “green” and are deluding themselves into thinking they are saving the environment. It is really going to backfire if we don’t watch out.
July 8th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
The interesting thing about the whole Live Earth think is how the performers/speakers are asking people to do things to ease the mark they make upon the Earth, yet the performers traveled to the performance via private plane/limo/hummer. They own multiple houses, their stage shows consume massive amounts of energy.
I agree that most of us have to reduce the waste we produce. I also think that before a celebrity asks me to do ANYTHING they need to it themselves, be it protect the environment, help children in the Third World, or use Pro-Active.
July 8th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
Hey Freethinker… thanks so much for always taking the time to comment and it’s so nice to have fellow green bloggers say good things about you
Kevin, thanks for the review lovely and I wish I had Sundance Channel. Bravo had the concert too but I only watched parts of it.. too painful! But I also wanted to see how it would play out on MTV and VH1 just because they are notorious for doing shows about the bling lifestyle.
People in the Sun.. welcome and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment
I have also been part of a concert that profoundly changed me.. Lilith Fair when I was a freshman in college. IT was a beautiful moving experience and I do hope that Live Earth was moving for some and actually changed their perception on green living. I suppose if it changed even one person then it did its job. But I also do believe that the message should be spread everyday and not just one day… To those who went to the concert or watched it.. did it change the way you think about the Global Warming?
Oskar, hello and welcome too
I agree.. but I do believe that some celebrities do truly live the green life and we know who they are… 
I was reading an article today about how Madonna owns many companies that are notorious for being one of the worst environmental pollutants but meanwhile she was one of the biggest name for Live Earth.. hmm… something to think about I suppose.
July 9th, 2007 at 3:06 am
I’m with you there. I wouldn’t call myself an ‘environmentalist’ but instead someone who has an interest in preserving the future for our children and children’s children. I would hate for my daughter to never be able to swim in an ocean because it’s too polluted. I would be great if being ‘green’ would be accepted into being the norm. But I also stray from being ‘extreme’…that just isn’t me.
Great post.
July 9th, 2007 at 9:45 am
I have been thinking a lot about this.
Having been a part of the environmental activism for over 10 years it is very weird to see so many people agreeing on the issues we have been preaching.
I really hope this is sincere and that it will work, but I have my doubts.
The main sponsor on the live earth webpage was Chevy. WTF!?
I also remember a time when being against fur was the hype and all the super models were against it. A few years later everyone (Including Naomi Campell that had a video piece on Live Earth) wore it.
It is positive that so many have started to care about Mother Earth, but we need to get this people to change more radically.
July 9th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
I’m all for being conscious of the environment and cutting back on waste. We recycle, we try to reuse what we can, and we don’t drive much.
But I do confess that I want to back away and hide somewhere when I meet someone who’s really hardcore and self-righteous about environmentalism…
July 10th, 2007 at 8:34 am
I appreciated your comment on my post, so I stopped by to read your blog. And though I found myself fascinated by the two articles you pulled from, I’m also skeptical of this voodoo science cited in the FT. Considering the average reader of FT, it doesn’t surprise me that they’re against green ethics in corporate life. The argument against carbon offsetting may be valid (in fact, I disagree with carbon offsets as a free pass for businesses, but it is something being used in the EU successfully to get companies to reduce their emissions). Still, the audience for FT doesn’t need to hear what doesn’t work in the green world and instead what does work.
This article also reminded me immensely of an essay I read in “Fortune” years ago that included the line, “We all know in retrospect that Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was voodoo science and that DDT is actually life-saving and not at all harmful to the environment.” We all know this, huh? Where did this fact come from? It’s totally contrary to what I’d read before, but how many Fortune readers will do that research themselves? The same with the FT. Articles like these are giving business people free passes to just not inform themselves by debunking whatever information/disinformation they’ve already gotten. Where’s the encouragement to consider other positive elements of the green movement?
July 10th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Hey Courtney, Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I love Eco-chick.. one of my favorite green blogs
As to the Financial Times Article.. I think what they were trying to say is that buying carbon emission off setting program is not effective enough. There is a scientific study that supports this.. of course they can come out with a study tomorrow that disputes this study too. I don’t think big corporations should get out of their ethical responsibility or should be given a free pass.. however, we do have to see if these Environmental friendly projects are actually helping the environment. Carbon Offsetting program is a big business now… and although I am sure some companies are legit, I do believe that some are using it as a profit gain and not to actually help the environment.
I also posted this entry because we as green bloggers and consumers shouldn’t just blindly purchase products and buy into a program just because it has the word “Eco-” or “green” added to it. I am trying to take the balanced approach to this blog. I think we should address the dissenters and see what they have to say.. that way we can find out what’s not working and come up with a more effective solution to this enormous problem.
However I do appreciate your input and thoughts on this matter..
that includes everyone!
July 11th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
I worry about all this eco stuff being trendy too. It seems my family were the only ones to reuse plastic bags for the supermarket over 10 years ago. My mum also used to have arguments with shop staff because she would refuse to take one of the shop’s bags.
I hope that this doesn’t all go out of fashion. Remember, it wasn’t that long ago that people were dead against fur, now it seems people think nothing of it.
November 17th, 2007 at 4:35 am
I completely have to agree with you about being green and the big environmental movement. So much of it scares me but I want to be a part of protecting and preserving our earth. I want to recycle and save our resources. I have enjoyed your site and hope to share more ideas with you.
March 17th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
[…] green than buying an Organic banana shipped from Peru. Of course there has been the argument that driving your SUV to the local grocery store emits more carbon emission than the trip the bananas take to get into your […]
March 18th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
You are right, that it is “too trendy”. But I’ll take that. I’d rather green products be trendy, because that is what people follow, especially you people. If thats what it takes…
May 4th, 2008 at 10:29 am
I think you’re right about going green becoming quite “trendy” these days. This rampant commercialism riding on the environmental wave was more evident during the Earth Day celebrations when thousands of companies (including mine)were scrambling to put up campaigns, press releases, and ads just to show how “green” they’ve become. I thinks there’s a lot of gimmickry but there’s also a lot of sincere people out there. Your statement on “identity crisis” is accurate, the message can rather be confusing at times. How can we help save the environment by spending or consuming more. We need to simplify our lives.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
[…] off rather than bring people together. Then there are the ones who seem to be doing it because being eco-friendly has become trendy. While being a fad has it’s advantages, let’s hope that it doesn’t go out of […]