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 I like environmental tips. They offer practical ways to make one's life greener, bit by bit. But sometimes tips offer little in the way of real value.
As I check off items on my little green to-do list in order to save electricity here or reduce waste there, I often find myself in the wake of a creeping fog, which whisperingly suggests that I am subjecting myself to pointless inconveniences. There are no environmental police forcing me to recycle my plastic bags, no gold stars given for taking public transportation. Why should I, and why do many people I know, day in and day out, sacrifice the ease and convenience that is readily available to us?
Certainly there are those who don't, who daily answer the call of bright packaging to ease the pain of pinched time, using and disposing in order to focus on the more important things in their lives. They are not bad people. So why the difference?
The distinction is that some find great purpose in the sacrifices they make, to the extent that it would be more of a sacrifice to live like everyone else. To them, living responsibly doesn't just apply to one area of their lives. They do not seem to feel restricted, but instead are empowered by their choices. If I am to follow their example, even in my small way, I too have to look for meaning behind the actions I'm taking (or perhaps not taking). I have to look past 'tips' to think about how I find joy and power in living a life mindful of our planet. Otherwise the underestimated little obstacles of doubt and self-indulgence can and will pull me back from doing the responsible thing.
Each of us has to find our own unique formula for what it takes to be a good Earth citizen. What does that responsibility mean to me, and why should I bother claiming it?
A little introspection is required. When I look at the whole of my life, I see many individual parts—work, family, friends, my various emotional and physical states—and while I may try to compartmentalize, they are all interdependent. I know for a fact that I cannot cleanly untangle the feelings or circumstances of one from another. I am charged to remember that the way I live on this earth is no different. My profession, my health and my relationships are all affected by, and in turn have an effect on, my environment.
If I take in a greater perspective, I can see that even an unassuming life like mine touches the lives of many others, influencing and merging with patterns of behavior in ways I'll never fully understand. I and my actions are not self-contained; we are the environment of others. I believe this conception—that I do not live or act in a vacuum—is a rock-solid foundation for building a life of motivated ecological responsibility. It is my main ingredient.
Tips have proven to be a good start. Ultimately however, they are small potatoes to what I feel motivated to accomplish with the mindset of interconnectedness.
Updated 3/12/10; originally posted 2/3/09.
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