What Does “Going Green” Really Mean?

At its most basic level, to “go green” means to make choices that reduce, minimize, or even attempt to reverse the negative impact of your actions on the earth and its resources. “Green” choices model and promote thoughts, feelings and behaviors that demonstrate a consciousness of the relationships between human beings and the planet Earth. As one’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors become more consistent in support of the planet (and, in turn, in support of all who rely on the planet’s resources both presently and in the future — including but certainly not limited to human beings), it would be accurate to say that one has become more consistently “green.”

Two introductory lists (among many) of “green actions” one can take can be found through the Sierra Club and the Worldwatch Institute.

The Green Movement, in one significant respect, is no different than any other movement because it is susceptible to appropriation for the monetary gain of those who attempt to hijack its momentum and rhetoric. For example, how often have you read and heard the term “sustainable” or “sustainability” in relation to the idea of “going green”? How often have you deconstructed these terms to understand clearly what is being sustained and for whom? You may find out that what is being sustained is actually harmful to the earth — such as Shell’s fuel-centered practices hidden flimsily behind the veil of green rhetoric. The only thing corporations such as Shell are trying to sustain is their financial bottom line, and they know that people generally want to feel less guilty when they spend their money. There is a growing movement of people who want to believe that their money is being spent on things that will not negatively impact the earth, and this desire to do good is played on for financial gain by others.

For another critical look at the trendified combination of consumerism and “going green,” please see George Monbiot’s “Eco-Junk: Green Consumerism Will Not Save the Biosphere.” It offers an additionally comprehensive perspective on how a well-intentioned, compassionate movement has been appropriated to perpetuate consumption rather than transform and reduce it.

A truly green life is inextricably inclusive of awareness — an awareness of not only the direct impact of your actions on the Earth but of the actions taken by others who are supported by your own financial choices. Call it ecoconsciousness. Call it what you like. It’s not the terminology that ultimately matters. What matters, in the end, is what you do to take care of this planet we all share.

For more, please see “What Does ‘Going Green’ Really Mean? (Part 2).”

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