Going green without bringing out the paint bucket

As I’ve argued on a number of occasions now, ‘going green’ isn’t about being mainstream. It’s about changing a lifestyle, in response to an understanding of the human cost on the environment.

DIY gurus from the Going Green Blog, renovate an entire kitchen. Ever heard of a tankless water-heater? No? How about low-flow taps or dual-flush toilets? You have now! This house is living and breathing, and when the day is done, it expends second-hand water into the garden to be used for a final time, and not into the sewer.

This blog is well worth the read. Check it out on http://blogs.diynetwork.com/diy/greenhomeblog/

A retrospective glance at green

Until earlier this year, I never really cared about my immediate impact on the environment. Terms like “carbon footprint” used to sweep clean over the top of my head, and living a kilometre away from the Journalism department seemed to justify using my car to get me there, and everywhere else, even in as small a place as Grahamstown. But the more I walk to Pick N’ Pay these days instead of driving, the better I feel about my small contribution to cleaner air in Grahamstown. It might not do much on its own, but I think the fact that the motive is there in one person means that it could make a significant impact if we act collectively. Just in case anyone was wondering if I actually practiced what I preach!

Here’s a blog I visit, which I find really helpful in terms of offering tips in furthering the “green revolution”, as well as the latest news in green development and technologies: http://www.thedailygreen.com/

The Organic Mechanic hits it on the head

As I was blog-trawling the other day, I found this gem of a post and decided to share it with you. The post, by Organic Mechanic, makes an interesting personal point. Having been green for a number of years before the trend spread its wings around the world, Hunt (the women who posted), was just another tree-hugger. Her friends were not interested in embracing green until the movement was endorsed by big names and big money, and suddenly her way of life was not hippie-alternative, but fashionably hip! In response to an unconscious shift from one label to another, Hunt humourously notes: “Putting “Green” before your business name does absolutely nothing when it comes to reducing your carbon footprint.” Hear hear.

Wearing, eating, supporting green-endorsed anything if the trend is all you have in mind, doesn’t achieve anything constructive. If you boast about being a greenie, then it is perhaps a wise idea to consider how you actively impact your surrounding environment, by living sustainably and resourcefully. The environment really doesn’t give a hoot about lip service.

For more on the subject, visit Organic Mechanic’s blog at http://theorganicmechanic.blogspot.com/2008/06/going-green-movement-or-trend.html.

Plastic poison

This post is going to be a little off-topic, but as it still falls under the banner of environmental research, I’m going to indulge myself!

While I read through a few posts on grist.org, I stumbled upon an article which stipulates that bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical present in plastics and can linings, can reduce the effectiveness of chemotherapy. According to scientific research, bisphenol protects cancer cells fromanti-cancer treatments, and has also been linked to diabetes, obesity, heart disease and behavioural problems.

So your average plastic bag doesn’t just strangle the poor plant that you tossed it on to… it could also be hazardous to your health.

For more, read http://www.grist.org/news/2008/10/09/bpa/index.html.

Tesla takes this trend for a spin

I recently had to write a magazine article for a project of mine, focusing on the theme of my blog. Happy to find another area to vent my frustrations over the fickleness of green, the research involved also brought me up to date with newer, greener innovations.

The car manufacturing industry for instance, is reluctantly putting its V-8 engines to one side to concentrate on models that don’t depend on fuel. Tesla Motors have done it. The Roadster is 100 percent electric. You plug it in and a single charge apparently gets you 244 miles up the freeway, a feat that hasn’t been paralleled by any other car currently in production. 

I imagine however, that sports car enthusiasts might turn up their noses at a car that you manage the same way you would a golf-cart. But according to its manufacturers, its specifications just whisper, “drive me.” And they wouldn’t be kidding. The lack of a growling V-8 would make it a very quiet car indeed.

Ah well. At least its battery pack is recyclable!

http://media.www.themichiganjournal.com/media/storage/paper255/news/2008/09/30/GoingGreen/Tesla.Roadster.Takes.Green.Trend.For.Joy.Ride-3460575.shtml

Fashion Industry strips “Green” down to its bare essentials

I wonder if Kate Moss contemplates her positive impact on the world around her as she struts down the runway in a skimpy, biodegradable dress? Does Naomi Campbell smile when she thinks of the recycled thread binding her napkin-sized outfit together? 

I recently found the equivalent of a barrel of canon fodder in a News24 article, in my attempts to weed out tree-huggers from the trendists.  The fact that this article found its angle on the stage of New York’s fashion shows got my cynical juices flowing once more. 

According to Aveda spokesperson Ellen Maguire, “characteris[ing] the environment as a ‘trend’ is extremely short-sighted.” Really? How so Ellen? Because Kate’s and Naomi’s sustainable approach is “good for business” silly!

http://www.news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_2391317,00.html

Is it possible that industries are confusing “going green” with the increasing brilliance of the emerald notes glowing in the depths of their wallets?

The Corporate Dream: Consuming Green

I recently read an article that seemed to find a happy medium between trend awareness and environmental awareness. Half of me actually didn’t seem to mind having to compromise a little cynicism for an informed take on the situation.  It goes something like this:

In the 1960’s, environmental awareness groups were viewed mostly as social lepers, whose tie-dyed antics seemed to stem from the need to be annoyingly ‘different’ and unconsumer-like.  Their morbid predictions weren’t backed by any solid proof, and their voices went unheard.

These days, we have the technology to tell us that our consumer lifestyles have, *wait for it*…damaged the environment. This has spurred a few of us to care, and changed the way we consume. Groups of us have started buying green products, or refusing to support companies who do not follow green regulations.  And as a result, corporations, those clever unseen entities have twigged on to the fact that being green is profitable. 

Hence, being sincerely green and being a trendy green seem to have overlapped in a very frustrating way. By consuming in a way that may benefit the environment, we also play into a very corporate trend and make those CEOs very happy little men.

The full article on which this blog was based can be found at this site: http://www.bluelinerny.com/blog/2008/04/15/going-green-the-21st-centurys-biggest-corporate-trend/

How green is flourishing on Designboom.com

I’m going to deviate from the usual rant today and talk instead about a competition I recently entered on Designboom.com as part of my fourth-year design portfolio. The focus was “Green Earth,” as opposed to last year’s theme “Love your Earth.” But I found that both categories are so broad that they practically overlap, with many design ideas bearing striking resemblance to the approaches taken by last year’s designers.

I really enjoyed this project because it made me think about my connection to the environment. There is no room for superficiality.  True, design is meant to focus partly on aesthetics and the visually-stimulating, but the idea had to be solid and honest. Here are my designs.

Our survival depends on its survival

Christmast - A time to stop taking things for granted.

Organic profits

Take a look at the following website:

http://www.forbes.com/2007/07/03/bp-genomics-energy-biz-sci-cx-mh_0703green_bp.html

To continue a thought from a previous post…could BP be the Angelina of the business world? Because it seems to me that the trendy green lifestyle, now translated and used in the corporate world, is merely the means to a very profitable end, with this oil giant cashing in on quite a bit of capital.

People may argue that this is nonsense and that the mere flushing of millions of dollars into bioengineered fuel should be enough to convince skeptics like me of this corporate giant’s commitment to society…but they have not succeeded. How could they, when one of their main concerns is who gets to claim intellectual property rights? 

Where is the focus? Anyone?

Environmental lip-service?

The more I read on the topic, the more my ideas seem to clash with one another. Going green is necessary… this was known by anyone who really cared, many decades ago. And their warnings and placards went unnoticed. The hole in the ozone layer continued to grow as a result of our negligence, as did the number of skin cancer cases. And what did we do? Produce stronger sun-screen, that’s what.

Being environmentally-conscious is absolutely fundamental to our existence. And now that we are, I’m struggling with the idea of our ‘enthusiasm’.  There seem to be two types of eco-friendly advocates: those who honestly recognise their responsibility, and those who would spray-paint themselves green to show the rest of the world that they are part of the environmental in-crowd.

The following link runs along the same lines, and begs the question: is this lip service? Or are you really willing to be baptised with green fire and run your house on solar panels, rain-water and ‘windricity?’

http://serverbeach.wordpress.com/2007/03/19/is-going-green-an-inconvenient-trend/

Well? Are you?