The New Fad—Going Green

Everyone’s doing it right? From car companies creating electric cars (save the environment! Get better gas mileage and reduce the amount of CO2 emissions in the air!) to Aquafina water bottles being made with 20% less plastic, to installing solar panels, it’s all about going green, conserving energy, and reducing our carbon footprint on the world!

We read articles about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch that is at least the size of Texas. http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jul/10-the-worlds-largest-dump. We are encouraged by companies like Axe to not waste water (*sniggers*). http://www.theaxeeffect.com/#/axe-campaigns/showerpooling. SC Johnson is learning how to use methane gas from landfills to power its factories. (I’m sure you’ve all seen the commercials. Here’s an article if you’re interested: http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2003/05/05/story8.html?page=all.) And these new approaches are widely publicized! But why?

We have a strong desire to do good, to help out, to make a difference in the world. It goes back to God programming us to be stewards of the Earth. Genesis 2:15 says “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” So we, as consumers and people, want to see that our money is going to a company that is doing positive things in the world. We want to feel like we’re helping out. Companies play on this—“If you buy from us, you’re helping the environment because your money is going to a greater cause!” sort of deal. They play that card and they have us—hook, line, and sinker. It’s a guilt trip, but it’s also peer pressure.

Let’s face it, we went green because everyone else started to. There is peer pressure for the United States to still be a world leader and set an example and to fix/undo what’s been broken. So, companies began to seek change, commercials aired, celebrities got hooked and the nation followed. Going green, recycling, and being energy efficient became the new, hip, “in” thing to do. (Earth Day, here come your supporters!)

Let me give you an example of the movement to conserve energy. Many major world countries have gotten in on this, but I’ve got to tip my hat to Canada. When I was in Ontario on a geology field trip over fall break, I couldn’t go 50 miles without seeing one or several solar panels. That’s taking energy conservation seriously my friends! You don’t see that in the United States. Not yet at least.

But what about here at school? What can we do? Well, let me tell you, peer pressure is at work every day on our campus to recycle. We have recycling bins everywhere and it takes just one person throwing away their pop can or their water bottle to encourage others to do the same thing. Then we feel good about saving the environment and we go on our merry way.

Don’t get me wrong, I think all of this is a wonderful start to taking better care of the earth that God made for us! As I said before, God put Adam, and thus man, on earth to be stewards of it and frankly, we’ve done a terrible job. But if peer pressure and guilt is what it takes for us to shape up and get better, then companies, celebrities, and peers, advertise away! Wow, what a positive case of peer pressure!