To quote Kermit the Frog, “It’s not easy being Green.”
By Lisa Van De Ven
In fact, be it the federal government, a corporate entity looking to be a little more enviro-friendly, or a student wanting to do her part, Green Living is where it’s at! With scientists around the globe declaring a state of crisis, more and more people are trying to reduce their own environmental footprint* as well as pressure those in power to do the same. Still, news of melting icecaps, weird weather patterns, and depleting water supplies can make anyone freeze at the enormity of it all. Is it even possible to make a difference?
The answer is yes, says Ann Rowan, Sustainability Program Director for the David Suzuki Foundation. But only if we all pitch in. “We’re not on a pre-determined path to destruction,” she says.
EXPRESS YOURSELF
So where do you begin? The first step to individual change, says Rowan, is keeping in touch with what’s happening nationally and globally. Take the federal government’s policy on global warming, for instance. Is it enough? Rowan doesn’t think so. “What we don’t see is a comprehensive, broad agenda,” she says.
While Canada agreed, in signing the Kyoto Protocol, to reduce emissions by 6 per cent below 1990 levels for 2008 to 2012, emissions have only increased and are now almost 30 per cent higher! But that doesn’t mean it’s too late to switch things around. “The truth is that meeting Kyoto now, even after years of stalling, is still readily achievable for Canada,” David Suzuki said in a recent statement.
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR GOVERNMENT STAYS ON COURSE?
“Even if you’re too young to vote, you still have a voice,” Rowan says.
In fact, she adds that sometimes the freshest ideas come from young people.
Rowan encourages you to start by asking questions in your own home and school. What’s being done at that level? Write letters to city council, she adds, or go to public meetings to advocate environmental causes—like your community’s public transit. “It’s very hard to ignore when someone younger is asking ‘If I don’t have a car, how am I supposed to get around this city?’”
BE A SMART CONSUMER
Your voice isn’t your only weapon. Your wallet can make an impact, too. “Consumerism is a huge issue,” says Katie Altoft, Director of Education for Earth Rangers, a group that promotes environmental awareness through school programs. “Everything, from choosing less packaging to choosing certain brands that have environmental responsibility attached to them, helps.”
A quick Internet search can keep you informed on a company’s environmental report card, adds Deborah Kaplan, Executive Director of Zerofootprint, which works with organizations to offset their environ-mental impact. Companies like Roots and Mountain Equipment Co-op are doing their part, she tells vervegirl. Practising Green Livng and supporting such organizations you’re sending a message that environmentally responsible business practices are important to you. “Do your basic research,” says Kaplan, “see if an organization has a sustainability policy in place.”
OTHER WAYS TO GO GREEN
EAT RESPONSIBLY
Try to choose foods with less packaging, says Rowan, and local produce that hasn’t traveled across the world (in energy-consuming trucks and planes) to get to your table.
“Incorporating meat-free meals into your weekly diet can also make
a difference,” she adds. The production of meat is extremely water intensive and factory-farming practices have been known to lead to the pollution of local ecosystems.
And when you pick your meal up to-go and your food is in styrofoam, let the joint know they should switch to biodegradable takeout containers made of sugar-cane or corn. Dozens of American cities are banning styrofoam food containers entirely(1).
EDUCATE
You know the three Rs, but many of the environmental issues of today didn’t exist when your parents went to school, says Altoft. Often kids and teens need to take the initiative in informing their parents on how to establish a green household.
If you’re not sure where to begin, check out zerofootprintkids.com and click through the Kids Calculator. You’ll find out whether you’re doing your part for the planet, as well as discover what you and your family can do to improve.
GET INVOLVED
Not only will volunteering for environmental causes make a difference, says Altoft, but it can lead to a possible career in what is a burgeoning field.
GO ON A CARBON DIET
Turn off lights, switch to energy-efficient bulbs, drive less. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Compost when you can. In other words, use common sense and be diligent about it. Start by calculating your carbon calories
at carbonfootprint.com.
BUY CREDIT
While it’s impossible to reduce our carbon emissions to zero, you can
get closer to becoming “carbon neutral” by purchasing carbon offsets. See davidsuzuki.org for details.
CELEBRITIES WHO CARE
While former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore may be the best-known environmental crusader—especially since the release of his Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth—many celebrities are also using their voices to get the message out.
- Since 1998, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has been raising awareness of issues like global warming, alternative and renewable energy sources, and the preservation of biodiversity. Look out for 11th Hour (a film focused on global warming) which is produced, co-written and narrated by DiCaprio himself
- Baywatch bombshell Pamela Anderson has been outspoken in her own environmental views. A spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), she’s fought against factory-farming. The Barenaked Ladies have turned their tour green by fueling their bus withbio-diesel, offsetting the energy they use, and inviting environmental groups to set up information outlets at their concerts.
- Our own übermodels Shalom Harlow and Daria Werbowy are green spokespeople for carbonfund.org.
- Other celebrities who’ve been known to use their time in the spotlight to speak up for the planet are George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Edward Norton.
1 NOW Magazine, February 8 - 14, 2007
