Creatures of habit

I am in support beyond the perception that going “green” is purely a trend or buzzword. The fact is that it’s real, and I truly believe in its cause. What I’m running into is the challenge that it’s very difficult to change a mindset or behavior that has been instilled in peoples’ minds for a multitude of years. It gets me riled up. It gets me motivated to be the change agent. To do something not just good, but great.

On a recent client project, I got into a discussion with client resources about recycling, and they seemed to have a mission to set me straight. They sent me a link to a Penn & Teller video clip that basically spells out to the audience that recycling is evil. The URL sat in my inbox for quite a few days, partially because I was quite busy with work, and also because I didn’t want it to ruin my week. Seriously. I grew up in an environment that embraced the theory of recycling and I still walk-the-talk and live that theory to set an example. Because I knew the nature of this video (plus other articles that supported the anti-recycling concept), I pocketed the link for the weekend to avoid making my work week purely miserable. It would have potentially had the effect of telling a child that Santa Claus did not exist, or figuring out that the Tooth Fairy was a mother sneaking quarters under a pillow. My twenty-plus years of existence would have almost been a fallacy if I was truly doing something horrible for the earth. Maybe I am a creature of habit.

So I ended up watching the video clip. I wasn’t as disappointed as I thought I would be. The video hosts, Penn & Teller, were honestly a variation of Michael Moore multiplied by two. Maybe ten. I can see how people can get sucked into their arguments if further analysis wasn’t part of the equation. Their claim to fame is that recycling is bad because the cost-benefit analysis of recycling screams negative. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supposedly launched a marketing movement in 1989 that skewed everyone’s beliefs. Turns out that recycling is costly. Well, obviously, right? There is an entire manufacturing process involved, which comes from tax dollars and waste management utility costs. Yes, it is more expensive, but how do you weigh that with what’s better for the environment? This article will even further counter my own belief.

There are choices. We all make them. I value my own health. When I shop for salmon, I prefer wild caught salmon because I don’t want to intake mercury and other chemicals that farmed salmon contains. So for my own health, I may choose to have a food product that emitted a higher carbon footprint to reach my dinner plate. At the same time, I truly appreciate locally grown products. What does one do?

I understand that going green and battling climate change goes beyond recycling; it extends to the way people consume and live, whether at home or in the office (or the way we get to an office). It’s how manufacturing processes are handled. It’s product packaging. Energy consumption (yes, turn off those lights when not in use). It can also be building construction.

On a side note, the previous client facility I worked at did not have a recycling program. I was upset at first, but I got over it because I simply brought my goods home to recycle. I was able to handle the luggage back and forth. What irritated me even more was that they left everything plugged in, especially the toasters. Sadly I unplugged them whenever they were in sight (obsessive-compulsive nature in action? Yes). If every person in the U.S unplugged their toasters or any other appliance when not in use, there could be a huge savings in energy consumption. Yet we might not be at that level because we are still, and may always be, creatures of habit.

I really want to be a person who helps change this — to spark behavioral change, and to sustain it.