Thinking about a green consumer revolution

Earth Day is here, along with its attendant activities, tips for being green, and stories in the mainstream press and the blogosphere. I’ve also noticed a lot of green marketing this year, with stores offering discounts on natural and/or earth-friendly products, corporate campaigns around green initiatives, and so on. Hallmark even offers online Earth Day cards (the little guy above left is from their “Have you hugged the Earth today?” card), while on Facebook you can send your friends virtual CFLs while “free” supplies last.

My Earth Day message is simple: Think. The next time you go to make a purchase — whatever it is — think about it. Think about where it came from. Think about the materials that went into it. The hands that made it. The things you are bringing to your home, your body. Think about what will happen to the item when you are finished with it, thinking again what it is made of. Think what it will do to the environment in a landfill, in the air, in the water supply. If you don’t know, find out. Think about it being refurbished or reused. Think: is this really a good product for me, for my family, for my planet.

If the product is good, go ahead and buy it with a clear conscience. Tell your friends and family about it, maybe let them try it. If it’s not good for the planet, tell your friends and family about that, too. Maybe they will remember your words the next time they are at the store, and make a better choice as a result.

Can we shop our way out of environmental catastrophe? Well, yes and no. Obviously it will take a lot more than good purchasing decisions to clean up our planet, but thinking — really thinking — about what you buy is a good starting point, especially for those who are green about being green (so to speak). Buying a greener product does make a difference. Many people buying greener products makes a bigger difference. Not only does it lower the impact on the planet, it also sends a loud and clear message to the companies that stock our shelves: We care about the planet. We care about buying products that don’t hurt it. We don’t want products that harm us, our families, and our planet.

This is what Greener One is all about, and why our team is so excited about our project: thoughts lead to action, and action leads to change. So, if you haven’t visited the main Greener One site, we invite you to come find out what makes a product green, use our toolkit to track down green facts about products, and share your green product knowledge with the Greener One community.

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How green is your bike ride?

I’m a walker and public trans person, not a biker, so I’ve never given much thought to how green biking is. I just assumed that it is! Turns out, like everything else, there are even ways to be more green while biking. Just a few things to consider:

• Where do you ride your bike?
• What do you wear while riding?
• How do you fix a flat tire?
• Do you clean your bike chain, and if so, how?

The Sierra Club has a series of “How green is my __________?” quizzes on their web site. While the biking quiz is more on the fun side, there are some great bits of information in the PC, TV screen, and laundry quizzes. And, if you are not a geek who loves to take quizzes (like me), you can jump straight to the answers. Have fun testing your green knowledge!

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What steps have you taken toward green living?

It seems like everywhere I look these days there are easy-to-adopt tips for green living. Granted, I spend a lot of time reading about environmental issues, watching documentaries, and cruising around the web to see what others are saying, but it really seems like useful tips are popping up all over: change a light bulb in your house to a CFL, use re-usable shopping bags, recycle, use more natural products, buy local, plug your electronics into a single power strip, and turn the strip off when you go to sleep.

I was curious to see what people would say, then, when I came across a thread on craigslist where someone asked about starting points for helping the environment — and saving money. “FostAdpoptMom” says she’s done the following so far, but wants to do more:

• Recycles papers and bottles; is buying containers to keep the recycling organized
• Is buying linen bags for groceries, and re-uses plastic ones that she has already
• Tries to use Tupperware instead of plastic bags for school lunches and food storage in the freezer
• Uses energy efficient bulbs and keeps the thermostat set low
• Is interested in composting

Others chimed in with the following:

• Biking, walking, taking the bus
• Unplug products that you rarely use (DVD player, VCR, etc.)
• Reduce red meat consumption (this person cited the March/April 2007 issue of The Green Guide by pointing out:

If, like most Americans, you get close to 30 percent of your calories from meat, dairy and poultry,
your diet contributes over 3,274 lbs [of CO2 emitted]. Vegetarian diets contribute half that, but you can also
replace your calories from red meat with fish, eggs and poultry, for savings of over 950 lbs.

• Eat locally grown food; subscribe to Community Support Agriculture (CSA) to buy food
• Line dry your laundry

FostAdoptMom also posted a link to an A-to-Z list of ideas, some of which were pretty clever! (My favorites: Avoid fast food, Boycott a product that is bad for the environment and write a letter to the company telling them why, Feed the birds — a natural pesticide!, Spend your money wisely, Support green companies, and Yell at a litterer.)

What changes would you suggest to green living newbies?

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