Earth First

I read an article about “Green Guilt.” Now, what does that sound like? An article about jealousy? Or not doing your part to save the planet? Those would be good guesses (and my first two), but they would be wrong. Green Guilt is the feeling really conscientious planet lovers get that they aren’t doing enough. Sure, they recycle and compost and bring reusable bags, but is their carbon footprint small enough? Are they utilizing too much water or contributing too much to landfills? And so on. At first, I thought it was pretty ridiculous because most of the people in the article were already very environmentally conscious--using bikes for electricity, co-housing, shopping locally--and if they aren’t doing enough, what chance do the rest of us have? But then I thought a bit more and realized that, first of all, a little guilt could go a long way if it was more prevalent, and, secondly, that I feel that guilt myself even when I’m trying to be part of the solution. Every time I start my car for a trip I’ve deemed too long for bike or foot, I wonder if I should just stop making excuses and get there some other way. When I throw my frozen yogurt cup away I think I should save it for next time. And so on. But we are trying. After we read Laurie and Marc Brown’s Dinosaurs To The Rescue, Scarlett took out the recycling and said, “I’m helping the Earth!” That’s progress.

http://www.amazon.com/Dinosaurs-Rescue-Guide-Protecting-Planet/dp/0316110876

http://www.justonemorebook.com/2008/03/31/interview-with-laurie-krasny-brown-and-marc-brown/