What does "Green" really mean?

I am committed to improving my environment. When I use the term "my environment", I mean a lot of things. It starts with my immediate surroundings: in and around my home in downtown Seattle, and in and around my office in downtown Seattle. I am committed to finding ways to improve my most local environment. To my way of thinking, my concern cannot -- and does not -- stop there. I am also concerned about the city of Seattle, the state of Washington, the United States of America, and the world beyond the shores (and borders) of the U.S.A.
That is the reason why I named this blog "My Environment." While I take care of things local to me, I also do not -- in fact, cannot -- ignore the bigger world beyond my local concerns. I wish to join with others to create an impact far larger than that which any single individual can have. And together, we can excert a positive influence on how people think about environmental issues in general.

A Double-Meaning: Money and Environment?
I am concerned, therefore, when I hear people talk about "being green" and how their interpretation involves both (a) money (in the USA, paper money is green) and (b) the environment. I am disturbed by this trend. It suggests to me that concern for the environment is somehow not enough. This brand of "green" really means being more cost-effective and efficient. But because it is au current, the environmental benefits are tied on to the economic benefit in hopes of allowing both to rise above the noise. Such a tie-in hurts the message of our need for environmental stewardship.
Certainly environmental efforts do need to take into account the economic element. There are clearly some things we can afford and other things that we cannot afford. But then we need to prioritize based on the greatest long-term impact, with a focus on improving the environment.
By stamping a double-meaning on "Green", I believe there is a dilution of meaning. It is somehow to state that doing the right thing is somehow not good enough. That markets and economics must lend a blessing. Otherwise, the thinking goes, "green" efforts are doomed to fail. I, for one, believe that such double-meaning are not required. Green as environmental benefit can and should stand on its own.

Green As Guilt-Inducing Moniker
Another meaning of "Green" that rankles me is the one that focuses on end-of-the-world scenarios. Perhaps the end of the world is coming. (For me, it is not in a time-frame or form any of us can imagine.) To quote the Christian scripture, "you know not the hour or the day." I would add that you also do not know the year, the decade, or even the century.
The tendency for identifying "Bad Guys" who caused all these problems is a tempting one for many. Whether it be large corporations, news media, the fundamentalists, the liberals, or whoever. We are all in this together. Progress is not made by assigning blame. What is needed, instead, is a way forward that helps us all make progress- whatever our political persuasion.
I have a lot of trouble reading about large issues like climate change and global warming that predict catastrophe about which I can do nothing. What I prefer, instead, is a framework that lets me see how I can make a difference. Yes, there are big changes coming. To my way of thinking, it is good because we get to invent -- perhaps I should say "re-invent" -- what our society and culture are about and how we should live. Is that such a terrible thing? I think not. I, for one, am looking forward to finding ways to improve life, for me and for others. Yes, for future generations, but also for the current generations that are living now.

Obama's Message of Hope and Change
Whatever your poltical leanings, the clear message of "hope and change" that President Obama urged during the 2008 election is one that Americans needed to hear. If you look back on the past decade, there was a lot to make people less hopeful. Remember the Y2K Fears of Computers Crashing? Enough time and energy were applied to that problem so it became a non-issue. Then of course there was "the-date-that-shall-not-be-named". The thought of that time makes some people's blood pressure go up. New Yorkers continue to scan the skies every time an airplane flies by. The current recession also causes concern. Do we need hope? Do we need change? The questions are rhetorical, because few believe that we do not need both.

Green As The Light of Hope and Change
So maybe "green" is really the "go-ahead" signal -- like in a traffic light -- for hope and change. We hope for the future. To make that better future, we have to change. There are many things that we can do to improve the environment, both in our immediate surroundings and in the broader context of our city, country, and the world. These are things we give the "green light" to. We need to take the long-term view and realize that worthwhile things are both worth working for and are also worth waiting for. We give the green light to those things.

The Yellow and Red Light
Improvement is not an all-at-once kind of thing. It happens in fits and starts. As we learn more about how to improve our environment, we might decide to flag some thing in our life. Not everything, because that would be too overwhelming. The things you flag as "yellow" are the things you are concerned about and which you want to cut back in. This includes things like driving everywhere (but some driving may still be necessary), using your gas or electric clothes dryer (some items can be line-dried), and starting to recycle (or recyling more, if you have already started).
Moving forward, some things that were "yellow light" yesterday can become "red light." Maybe you switch jobs and can walk to work instead of driving. Perhaps your city offers a new recycling program, so you change what you throw away and recycle more. Or you used to print all your emails; then one day, you decide to "red-light" all that printing and read all on screen.
Of course, these are just examples. I cannot say what things in your life should be started, slowed, or stopped. But this is what I am trying to do in my life. I do now walk to work. I think twice before printing from my computer. And I have stopped using grocery store bags.

What Green Means To Me
To me, the label of "Green" is a commitment to make daily improvements in my environment. I have spent my whole life getting to where I am, with all my habits -- both good and bad. I can start to adopt more environmentally-friendly practices at a pace that works for me, in the areas of my life where I can. Not everywhere, not all at once. But, because I have hope that I - and others - can change, one thing in my life at a time.
One such change per week means 52 improvements in a year. Those fifty-two changes give me reason for hope and change.