Twitter Analysis for Lent

I’ve never been very good at giving things up for Lent. I think I tried chocolate once. Cookies another year. And swearing.  (That one was tough!).  A few people I know give up wine, but since my birthday is always during Lent–no *&^? way!

This year, the Natural Resources Defense Council has provided a simple and easy list of 9 things to give up for Lent and this time, I think I have found something that makes sense AND I haven’t done yet. Give up paper towels. I’ve cut back and gone all recycled materials. But never totally eliminated.  This seems highly doable!

At least until Easter.

Any of these strike your fancy?  Anyone want to join me on the green Lent challenge?

The Financial Times had a story today suggesting that companies may start to fill the void for climate reduction after stalemates in Congress and a lack of major progress at Copenhagen.

Two big US companies have decided to avoid suppliers that source fuel from Canada’s oil sands to curb their carbon footprints.

The decisions by Whole Foods Market, an organic grocery chain, and Bed Bath & Beyond, a household goods company, underline how industry is moving to fill the void left by inaction at Copenhagen and the failure of the US Congress to limit carbon emissions.

Whole Foods Market doesn’t surprise me–it’s core to their brand and their customer base. Bed Bath & Beyond did. I haven’t really considered them a leader in green. A quick check of their green ranking in Newsweek shows they were in the middle of the pack at #224.

It suggests that companies are responding to pressure from well-organized industry groups, in this case, ForestEthics. But also that they must realize this whole green thing increasingly matters to the most important person for their success—the shopper. And folks, that’s people like you and me.  Granted, most of us have probably not thought about oil from sand being better or worse from an environmental standpoint than regular oil. But I do care that Bed Bath & Beyond is thinking green–and the more they show me what they do to be green, the more I will choose them over other places for similar stuff.

I tend to believe it is going to take everyone contributing–people, businesses, and government–to make progress towards a greener, more sustainable path. But if government is going to go slow or bicker, I’m glad to have Bed, Bath & Beyond step in. Now I know my job is to reward that decision with my wallet.  I see organic sheets in my future….

Which companies are you impressed with on the green front?  Which companies do you think are the worst?

If you missed this commercial because you fell asleep or had to bring up the 3rd glass of water to your young one for the night, here it is:

And not suprisingly, it is sparking all sorts of controversy.  The NY Times said, “This misguided spot put the “mental” in “environmental.”  The plastics council is upset that it unfairly demonizes plastic bags and bottles. The Daily Green thinks it’s funny.  USA today summarized the multiple points of view nicely here.

I thought one of the most thoughtful posts was David Roberts on Huffington Post, who said,

Anyway, not to overthink it (ahem), but the ad is not just another pot shot at greens. It’s an appeal to a new and growing demographic that isn’t hard-core environmentalist — and doesn’t particularly like hard-core environmentalists — but that basically wants to do the right thing. Audi’s effort to reach them, however clumsy, is actually a bit ahead of the curve.

What did I think?  Honestly, I laughed out loud the first time I saw it.  Because at some level, most of us trying to live green can relate. We have experienced a time when we felt really guilty for acting–well, like we used to. I remember the surprised look from a neighbor when she saw my grocery cart filled with paper bags (Reusable is now the green norm in 02459). And I’m feeling guilty and thinking, “Why did I have to run into someone the same day that I switched cars and forgot to switch the bags?!” Like any good commercial, it takes something people can relate to and creates a extreme version of it to provoke response.  The spot created buzz—whether it sells more clean diesel cars remains to be seen.

I totally understand that climate change, droughts, depleted resources, and toxins in our food/water/air aren’t funny. But I agree with David Roberts’ perspective that there is a large group of people out there who want to do the right thing, but also find the tone and perspective of some environmentalists judgmental, confusing, condescending, and yes–Green Police-esque. I know that’s how I felt initially—and sometimes still do!

That sentiment was part of the motivation for Practically Green. I just didn’t feel like something existed to make it simple to understand my options and the possible trade-offs based on where I was and what mattered to me. Something that gave me permission to be super green in one area and not so green in another and acknowledges that doing something is better than doing nothing.

At the core of Practically Green is a philosophy that acknowledges we’re all busy, that change is hard, that green can be confusing, and that eco-perfection may be the enemy of the good. We keep a sign on the office wall to remind us daily to be smart, practical, helpful, fun–and passionate, but never preachy.

And after yesterday’s commercial, never, ever Police-y.

So–what do you think?  Could you see the humor in it?  Or do you think it’s idiotic or downright offensive?

It’s an emerging theme.  A few weeks ago, The New York Times reported on couples seeking therapy for green conflicts.  There was a story today on the Oregon Live website highlighting the friction that can emerge between couples where one person is more into green than the other.

Let’s call it green friction, that force in a household when one person is more green-minded than another. It’s often characterized by comments like: “Why did you throw this away, Love? Did you realize it could be recycled?” (Love probably did); “Are you going to drive to the store for milk? Seriously, feel free to borrow my rain pants — it’s only a light drizzle.” “I’m about to put on a third sweater since the thermostat is set low enough to freeze an ice cube.”

While most couples probably have one person more green than the other, I have personally found it also depends on which aspect of green—energy, water, health or stuff–each person cares about and if they are different, watch out! My better half is all about energy, recycling, carbon— and ROI.  He is an accountant by trade after all.  And he was WAY greener than I when we first met.

My on-ramp to living green was health.  Particularly kid’s health.  And since he thinks some of my greenness stems from mild hypochondria, he’ll often roll his eyes when I insist that whatever we buy for the kids has to be free of preservatives, antibiotics, hormones, artificial colors, sweeteners and flavors, and high fructose corn syrup.  He reluctantly agrees to forego the Apple Jacks and Trix for healthier choices.  He throws the $6.99 tiny package of “healthy” chicken fingers in the cart, but points out that he ate Weaver and is just fine, thank you.

He knows not to ask how much the kid’s all natural lotion cost or it will ruin his day.  I’ve had to learn to breathe deep, and shut up, when he slathers products on himself that garner moderate and high hazard scores from the SafeCosmetics Database.   He talks me out of green projects with 10 year + paybacks.  I remind him that our son being able to breathe at night is priceless.

I’m sure some couples have serious green battles, particularly if one person is just starting to think green and the other isn’t there yet .  I feel pretty lucky that our green differences seem to lead only to a few eye rolls and snarky comments.  But I would also say this is where being practically green helps.  It’s easier to find detentes and compromises.  For me last week that meant bringing home a box of Apple Jacks…just to say I cared.