GREEN Reactor: Shades of GREEN

GREEN Reactor is in evergreen country at the moment, so here’s a re-run column from last Spring. If you missed it then, give it a read.  Fresh GREEN Reactor returns in December….

Too many hear “GREEN” and instantly think “tree hugger” or “eco-warrior” or “occupier” or other extremist or radical viewpoint.  Of course there are lots of GREENs that proudly carry those tags, but in today’s world virtually all sensible people are painted with at least SOME shade of green.  For a lot of them that shade is a really soft pastel, but it does show through from time to time.

Many of us try to be GREEN, but are mostly fair-weather fans.  Watch the water consumption, try to recycle at least the aluminum cans, don’t needlessly burn a lot of gasoline, etc.  Efforts at this level should be second nature to all of us.  Failure to even bother with the easy stuff like this is totally lazy or even narcissistic.  But doing so at least gets you a GREEN primer coat.

Lots of us have gone well beyond that, to exercising great care in our shopping (minimal disposable packaging, non-toxic produce, earth-friendly producers – LOCAL as much as possible – and when storage space is available, bulk purchasing to reduce transportation impact), to avoiding pesticides, to acquiring high-mileage lower-carbon transportation, to staying away from greedy middle-class-destroying merchandisers, to keeping our energy consumption down.  These aren’t as easy, but are still doable without major lifestyle change.  It’s a good GREEN base coat.

Let me give an example: Soap Nuts.  For less than $10 you can buy a box of “berries that grow on a tree and naturally contain soap” that will do 100 loads of laundry.  It works!  We’ve been using these for months, no more expensive jugs of Tide or whatever, ultimately getting flushed down the sewers. Much cheaper, the laundry gets clean and it’s a lot nicer on the ecosystem. There are lots of things like that that can help you move to the next shade of GREEN in your everyday lives.  Taken to the extreme, you end up with rain barrels gathering water, solar panels and/or geothermal cooling reducing your load on the grid and bicycles to get you around most of the time….

You can add to your GREEN tone with passive support for GREEN causes and active groups.  Since much of their work is in the face of deep-pockets “don’t give a shit” developers, polluters, corporations, etc, every dollar you can throw their way is of immense value.  They’ll never be able to outspend the forces of darkness, but they can spend SMARTLY and fight the good fight to surprisingly good outcomes.  Contributors to  Last Stand have greatly helped them to stop several assaults on the Keys quality of life in the face of some of the deepest pockets in the area.  It works!

Still darker shades of GREEN layer on with ACTIVISM.  Preaching GREEN is just the beginning.  Actively joining environmental groups like Last Stand and Reef Relief  and others will help you take it to the next level.  The strength in numbers counts for a lot when it comes time to go up against the greedy anti-GREENs that are always looking for ways to maximize their profits with no concern for our quality of life. These GREEN activist groups are always looking for new board members, too.

Beyond activism there’s RESISTANCE – the greenest of GREEN.  The longer we go without making headway against lackadaisical or even antagonistic government policies, the more likely drastic measures will be required.  I’ll save this topic for another day, though.

Regardless of what shade of GREEN applies to any particular GREENie, there’s a key endeavor required by all who honestly follow the banner.  That is: doing everything possible to remove and keep out of positions of power those who put greed above our very survival. I.e., to VOTE.

Should be a no-brainer, eh?  “Pick one: this guy who will work for our survival, or this other guy who insists ‘drill-baby-drill’ is a GOOD thing.”  But there are so many easily mislead voters – who’s brains have defocused enough to clump the idea of insuring the future of mankind in with their hot religious and political issues like abortion and guns.  “By golly a buncha liberals are pushing that anti-climate-change thing, I just gotta be aginnit!”

Since these Neanderthals are never going to listen to crazy stuff like “science”, it’s up to the rest of us, of all shades of GREEN (even the paler ones), to marginalize their influence.  Do NOT sit back when Cousin Jed spouts about “all them there snow storms this year sure proved global warming ain’t true.”  Even if you don’t convince HIM of what every high school student in today’s world understands, at least his elementary school kids who are listening to your “correction” will have gotten a dose of reality that might cast some doubt on Daddy’s inane world view. Same applies for the whiners at the club who are SURE that big pipeline from Canada will give America energy independence.  And the bozo on the ball field ridiculing the idea of electric cars.  And the guy who’s sure that solar energy is a scam.  Speak up!

And paint it GREEN.