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WEEKLY Q: Big green statements?
What is the single biggest greenest positive statement I could make? What action could I do to send the most upbeat cityhippy message to the world?
And it cannot be a negative like NOT flying.
Buying organic? Switching to green energy? Gotta be something even bigger than that.
All too often the green message is about what we should not do. Lets give people things they can do...and the bigger the impact for the least amount of input the better.
Thoughts?
Namaste
Al
Technorati tags:cityhippyorganicethicalfairtradeenvironmentgreenpositiveactionactivism
8 Comments:
off the top of my head, I would have to say the biggest positive impact that one could have (although, I am not sure about it being the "least invested") would be:
Teach our children well.
Imagine, a full LIFETIME of green living. Children given a positive, green example in their lives must be much more likely to continue those practices as they grow into adulthood. Children also rub off on their friends (yes, there must be some sort of positive peer-pressure...)
Wherever you have the opportunity to influence kids, try to set a shining positive example on how to treat the earth with respect, and to be responsible for your actions.
Although 1/3 to (gasp) 1/2 of our lives may have passed, we have the ability to affect the earth positively for many years beyond our passing.
This is the biggest green statement that I think that one could make.
Yeah very good point...and as a new father this weighs heavy on my mind at all times.
What about immediate statements though that I could make this week?
What is the biggest loudest statement I could make by the end of the weekend? ;)
Any thoughts?
Namaste
Al
Baloghblog has a great point - and we don't have to wait till we have our own kids. there are kids everywhere! kids and the environment go really well together - as adults we've kind of 'weaned' ourselves out of the enchantment kids get from their surroundings.
back in the distant days when i was 15, i got involved with recycling and promoting the idea as well as trying to push for some recycling facilities in the school i went to. although it was generally quite a 'new' thing then all the kids were really keen. we did the usual sponsored walks etc. to raise some money and awareness, but the imp. thing is that it all stayed with me and has made a big difference to the person i am now.
Hi Sonia
Thanks for the comment.
I think it is very important for us all to help other adults see the variety of options they can offer their kids. As well as show our own kids. And if you work with kids then engaging with them on the issues is a must for sure. Also when my son gets older I look forward to encouraging his pals to care too. So many to make an impact on the future generation.
Also engaging with our world as children (do we ever grow up?) is a good step towards repescting it all over again.
And finally your point about the impact it had on you as a youngster is right on...positive eco happenings affect kids immensely. As do negative happenings.
Namaste
Al
The greenest thing anybody can do is to help stop maltreatment of children worldwide. In America, they grow up with hatred never aimed. It affects us all countless ways: the environment, safety, love, ................
Abuse is generational. I wrote a novel to help stop it: "Rarity from the Hollow." A percentage of any proceeds will prevent child abuse in West Virginia where I work as a Therapist in a children's mental health program. More than that, the novel will bond readers to the cause. Please promote and help in any way you can. Robert Eggleton
P.S. www.fatcatpress.com
Good stuff. I like the emphasis on positive values. I think that's the most effective way to engage people long enough to even begin to influence their values.
I spend a lot of time thinking about crafting messages for particular audiences. I have yet to see "The One" message/sentence/sound bite/bumper-sticker that works every time for every person. So I think more in terms of a collection of messages that express a framework of healthy values.
"Teach our children well" fits that framework. As y'all commented, it implicitly requires us to engage adults, too, especially parents.
I'm starting to use "Share what you care about" with some folks. I think that expresses the same value system as teaching our children well.
For folks who respond well to brief checklists, I'm experimenting with a variation: "Care. Share. Focus."
I'm also trying out a new cocktail-party sort of question as a way to try to engage people:
How would we live if the phrase, "And we all live happily ever after..." began a new story?
Perhaps that's another way to suggest, "Imagine a full lifetime of green living."
I think this is all part of an important public dialog. Thanks for sharing it!
Cheers,
etbnc
http://mybluepuzzlepiece.blogspot.com
http://home.nc.rr.com/sustain
I would say that literally encouraging everyone to do their bit, no matter how small, has an enormous impact. Get people to think about what they can do to help the environment.
This week a friend commented that she didn't really have the space to recycle as she's in a small flat - my response as to team up with the other residents and use a space in the communal area to store the recycling ready for the council to collect it - it'll take 10 mins of her time but make a big difference (especially if it gets her neighbours recycling more as well - that will be 6 flats)
Hi Al,
this post really got me thinking a few weeks ago. I came up with an idea and I'm not sure if this is what you mean by big statement, but it works for me at this level here
The idea is to promote a big campaign for Christmas to get as many people as possible to buy their adult loved ones CFLs for Christmas, which would decrease CO2 and educate at the same time.
Anyway, just thought you might be interested in where your question led me.
-Jen
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