I recently visited Morning Glory Farm on Martha’s Vineyard, an infamous farm that has kept the island in organic produce for the better part of 35 years.
The produce was lovely, the wind turbine beautiful and the crowds unwieldy.
As I jockeyed my way out, I was struck by something that I rarely see – but that is frequently lobbed at me as criticism of the so-called “green” movement. What struck me, almost literally given how people were driving, was the number of high-end gaz guzzling SUVs, stocked to the brim with the makings of their evening’s organic meal.
The farmer’s market I shop at in my home town doesn’t seem to have yet been discovered by the Lexus-driving crowd. Or if it has been, they must park elsewhere.
So I’ve tended to be somewhat defensive when, during my speaking engagements or media interviews, someone derides the notion of living green as “too expensive” and the domain of wealthy people who can afford, as one person put it, “to spend $5 on a grape.”
I’ve always insisted that if you think eco-living is about spending a lot of money, you’ve missed the point.
But after witnessing the legion of wealthy (or at least leveraged) people flocking to the farm market, perhaps I’ve been the one missing the point.
Perhaps green living has been expropriated by the segment of the population who can afford to spend $5 on a grape. Perhaps that’s why so many people I know, people with good intentions, have dismissed it as something they can’t afford to do right now.
But I maintain that so much environmentalism is about making choices that will save you money. If you can’t afford to install solar panels, or switch to a green energy provider, but I’ll bet you can install CFLs (if you haven’t already) and use power bars to plug in TVs, DVD players, etc. so that you can turn them off. Phantom energy, which those electronics suck up even when they’re turned off, continue to suck roughly 75 of the total energy they use. Hence the power bar to cut power off at the source.
Those who can’t afford a hybrid can surely keep their tires inflated to the proper amount, turn off their car if they’re stopped for more than 10 seconds and change their oil to improve fuel economy.
You can shop vintage for clothes, create a swap with neighbors for lawn mowers or make their own non-toxic cleaning supplies.
You can curb Christmas consumption and rely on Mother Nature (think pinecones, acorns, evergreen boughs…) to decorate for you.
You can park the car and ride your bike…or get a bus pass.
You can turn off the AC and open some windows.
You can compost. Refuse to buy disposable napkins, plates, cups.
Living green isn’t about spending it…it’s about saving it.