5 Things You Can Do to Not Be an Eco Hypocrite
Am I Dwight?
Sure, this video is a gross exaggeration, but, like every scenario on The Office, it’s got some roots in the truth. As an “environmentalist” and someone who publicly encourages others to clean up their acts and turn to a greener lifestyle, I try to do as much as I can to actually walk the walk too. I say “try” because there are definitely things I still do (eating meat, taking cabs) that give me that cringeworthy “what if someone sees me doing this?” feeling, but now I actually feel like that’s a good thing because it helps keep me on track with the person I want to be. If you represent yourself as someone who lives an eco-conscious lifestyle, here are a few things that you’ll want to make sure you’re doing - or not doing - as much as humanly possible if you don’t want to be called a hypocrite (a.k.a. a self-greenwasher) along how well I am actually sticking to each of these practices myself.
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the green life at the wired store
if you haven’t checked out the wired store yet, i suggest you do so immediately. my favorite tech/lifestyle/all the cool stuff you would ever need magazine has appropriately upped the ante from last year with a greentech exhibit curated by man of a million facets, adrian grenier of the show alter eco on planet green (you may also know him as vince from a little show called entourage).
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side note: as much as greenwashing has been a trend this year, with many companies pretending to be green in order to attract customers and positive buzz, the opposite phenomena, let’s call it “greendirtying” until i think of something less…dirty-sounding, has also been on the rise.
greendirtying is a practice where sustainability promoters use popular products, media outlets and lifestyle choices to expose eco-friendly ideas to the public. an example of greendirtyng that i like: at the c.l.a.s.s. eco-materials showroom launch 2 weeks ago, model and eco-activist summer rayne oakes, who is working on making eco-sensible shoes with footwear giant payless, said that she got into fashion so that she could look for ways to promote sustainability to a wider audience.
so, for those of you who are wondering whether or not the green life exhibit fell into the first category or the second - maybe you shouldn’t care so much!
think about it - people who came to the wired store to check out the latest gadgets also got a taste of green innovation, and people that came specifically for the green life exhibit were able to see how even products that were not in the exhibit were adopting eco-standards. sometimes we need to forget about labeling things, and focus more on the progress being made.
anyhoo, some highlights were:
the hymini portable wind and solar power generator (looks like they beat the comparable sanyo charger to the punch in the american market) that can charge your cell phone, camera or other small device. what a great gift for both the ecosumer in your life and the techie who might need a little nudge to go green.
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the watermill (doesn’t it kind of look like a crazy mashup of c3po and a stormtrooper?) is a home appliance that makes drinking water out of- get this - air! although it is pricey, the prospect of drinking water made by a big, futuristic, smileyhead would definitely motivate some of my bottled water fanatic friends to make the switch.
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why is this a site?
swyyne has always been an experiment for me. with all of the other super eco sites out there, i've been feeling like i want to contribute something just a bit different. so for now, here are my random musings.
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