Green judgement

I think by now most people have conceded that GREEN IS GOOD. There is now literally hundreds of millions of people worldwide (and possibly billions) of people who are in their own way - trying to make a difference for our environments sake. While some of us haven given up our 'day jobs' and previous professions to do this, many more are making their own mark simply by the way they live.

The GREEN INDUSTRY as a whole involves a very good bunch of people, most of whom genuinely want to make a difference and while some are exceedingly good entrepreneurs who are making good money, others are purely altruistic in their endeavours and if at the end of the month, they have enough to pay the bills and enjoy a glass of organic wine, then all is well.

Importantly ONE IS NOT BETTER THAN THE OTHER, they are just different. The company that makes good money, may both in their consumption and philanthropic ventures, give a large amount back to the cause. They may also inspire other individuals to follow suit. The company that is happy just to have enough to get by, in effect is doing the same thing, in a different way.

I write this because on visiting our local farmers market the other day my husband made the comment, that he often feels that some 'hardcore greenies' are judging us. They look at our clothes, that while often sustainable, fair trade and organic or second hand (or very old but very well maintained!), are also semi-fashionable, and assume that we are 'the enemy'. On this particular day the case in point was our daughter who was wearing an adorable cotton hoodie that just happened to be pink and red and have pom poms on it. It was a gift from a family member, and she did look very cute, yet instead of being looked upon with JOY and LOVE as all children should, there was a small group of individuals that had nothing but scorn for us.

I find this hard to take, as I truly believe that we all have our own shade of green. While I absolutely commend those hard core greenies who do spend days up trees, and consume very very little that just isn't my thing. We all know we should never judge another until we have walked in his shoes, that this is very very true in the case of green credentials.
I found it frustrating that these people who know nothing about us, what we do or how we live, assume we are 'evil consumers' and label us in an instant. Of course it only worried me for a moment and then I did what all good YIPPY's would do and treated myself to an Organic, Fair Trade Coffee! (NB: a yippy is a cross between a yuppy and a hippy, who is more likely to be found sipping an organic latte from a reusable SIGG mug, than protesting on the front line).

In the past I must admit I have been guilty of looking at city slickers in huge 4WDs and designer sunnies as they drop their children at school, with some disdain. In reality, we shouldn't judge, as that 4WD may be climate friendly (that is it's emissions may have been offset), or perhaps it is actually a Lexus hybrid. That family may also purchase 100% renewable energy for their home, eat organically and choose to holiday in the countryside rather than overseas, which are all good green choices. There is also the possibility that they are from the country and do need a 4WD!

An example that comes to mind is at our Christmas holiday last year. Every year we spend two weeks at a local island (Rottnest). While our daughter usually wears cloth nappies, we decided that given our accommodation has no laundry sink or washing facilities, it may be best to go with eco-disposables. Unfortunately the nappies were not quite the right size and after one day of using them, poor Lilian had a graze and was unable to wear them any longer. After another day of just using terry towelling (which meant two hourly changes all night long), I finally realised that I would have to buy a different brand. The problem??This lovely little island that we were on has one shop and one pharmacy, both of which only stock conventional nappies. So finally I purchased some 'conventional' nappies, and as I walked back to our accommodation, I realised that if I had seen someone like me just weeks before, carrying a big pack of nappies, I would have thought, what a shame they are not using cloth or eco-disposable nappies, and perhaps a very small part of me, may have thought that they were not such a green citizen. However taking this one action out of context is unfair and I realise now that I have been guilty of that.

So while each and every one of us has a moral responsibility to do our bit, perhaps we should all try to stop ourselves from passing judgement for green reasons.

The fellow next to you at the checkout may be carrying a plastic bag, we don't know why, but it is very possible that he lives in a self sufficient house, produces his own food and donates a large amount to green causes. Perhaps someone delivered something to him in the bag and he has been using it ever since!!

So if you are going to create a story about your fellow humans as you people watch, make it a positive one, it really can make the world a better place.

Gina (yes my daughter has some cute clothes but I am still pretty green) Cacho