1. Who thinks green is going to be big? (almost everyone raises their hand)

2. Who has done anything about it? (almost no one raises their hand - as long you discount those pescy prius owners)

What many proponents say:
The proponents who say go green now are widely claiming that going green is becoming much more of a mainstream activity.  The general argument goes something like this:

5 years ago, people who believed that we should go green now could generally be divided into a few predicatable categories.  1) those who were trying to save the world 2) those who were trying to stop the evil corporations and government 3) those who were just rying to do the right thing.

Nowadays, you see a much broader audience of people who are interested in going green and its becoming a more and more mainstream thing to do. Every part of peoples lives are changing towards a more sustainable world even if they don't know it.  We are decreasing our use of plastic bags, buying solar panels for our houses and becoming conscience of how each product we buy is "green."

What the critics say:
The critics say that the entire argument above is a bunch of hog wash.  They say that people won't actually make a change until the new "greener" products are better and cheaper than existing alternatives.  The critics say that as a whole, people in countries like the Unites States, China, Russia and India really are not changing their lives in any dramatic way.  Americans are still loving their SUVs, still love living in suburban communities, still commute an average of 30 minutes + to work and still purchase every electronic device they can get their hands on without ever considering the energy use rating.

What I say:
I have heard these 2 arguments ad nausium and I think they are both flawed.  I believe that in the beginning, most of what going green means is not about buying new "green" products.  Its about changing your habits and working with your company to change your companies habits.  You would be amazed at the difference this makes.

At Powerset, my previous company, I implemented a program whereby the company paid every employee $600 more per month if they moved to within walking distance from work (about 1 mile - 1/2 mile in a non-walking city) The response was incredible.  We had some employees literally move and we had many employees who were moving from another state to work at Powerset change their location of where they moved to in California in order to get the $600 per month benefit.

But look at the impact on the environment.  None of these people drive to work, they all work longer hours and they are all happier for it.

My Top 10 List of the impactful a gutsy Green things to do:

1. Quit your job and dedicate your self to the green movement;
   
2. Can't get to work without driving even if you do move - then get a new job;
3. If you live in a suburban development with no public transportation then move - move to where their is public transportation. Suburban living is among the most non-green things anyone can do;
4. Walk down into your basement and come to the realization that your furnace and your water heater are woefully out of date and cough up the money to buy new ones (with the proceeds of selling your car);
5. Convince at least 10 other friends to do the same as you do, form a club and teach other people how you went green;
   
6. Change the lightbulbs in your house to the squiggly ones (which are just fine, don't worry) and then put a sign in your window announcing that you have switched so your neighbors will feel guilty;
7. Call up your local utility company and sign up for their green energy program;
   
8. Buy motion detecting switches that turn on and off lights when you enter or leave a room;
9. Stop using plastic grocery bags, stop driving to a super markets and buy a a couple reusable bags and walk to a local corner store every night.  Your life will become richer for the experience;
10. Make green issues a higher priorty in your local, state and federal governments

So how would I do?
Well, I did quit my job to focus on Green, I do take public transportation (although I still own my SUV and I am shopping to either replace it or not buy one at all)  We are in the process of replacing our furnace (our water heater is fine)  I am trying to figure out PG&Es green alternatives (if their really are any - look for a future story on this one) We do walk to our local real foods every night (or I to be honest, I should say my wife does) and I am clearly trying to make Green a higher priority in my local, state and federal government.

Where I fail miserably is those damn squiggly lights.  I tried them for the first time inside my outdoor safety lights on the stairway leading up to my house, but my electrical system didn't like them and my front lawn caught on fire.  Then I went to check out what had happened and nearly electricuted myself.  Finally, we opted for low voltage lights everywhere on the outside of our house.

I have a whole bunch of the squiggly lights, but for some reason.  I am also a musician than prefers tube amps over the new ones.  You figure it out, I can't.

Steve Newcomb
"Isn't it ironic that one of the fastest growing sectors in book sales is environment books?  Don't these people realize that this will only speed up the extinction of trees?"

Posted by Steve Newcomb on January 28, 2008 10:58 AM | Permalink