There's a name for it: Green Guilt. "Green With Just a Touch of Blush," an article by Janet Kornblum, ran recently in USA Today. Normally, we're wary of anything that starts by referring to the environmentally conscious as "they"—but the article presents some revealing facts about how guilty we can feel.
Revelations include:
• 20% of us experience green guilt. Most of us feel like we should recycle more. This is according to a survey conducted by nonprofit Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp.
• Green icon Danny Seo doesn't believe in guilt as a motivator. (For those of us who grew up more or less Catholic, this is a big one.) A psychologist quoted in the article backs him up, noting that guilt is likely to make people less receptive to change.
• There's an entire website dedicated to taking green confessions (but hey, you heard that right here at AT:Green Home first.)
For another perspective on this issue, check out this blog.
Have you experienced green guilt? Have you hectored someone for not being green? How did you feel about it afterwards?
image by levi_sz via sxc.hu
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Maybe it's because of the religion I was raised in, but I feel guilty about a lot of it once I know different. I feel bad that my cup of coffee produces 23 lbs of waste, and that latte is far worse because it involves cows...But then I keep kicking myself for forgetting to bring my reusable mug from home to work.
Sometimes I feel lazy or the contents are beyond gross and I'll just chuck a jar or bottle instead of recycling it, and I always feel guilty doing that.
So yeah, I totally understand!
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No guilt! It's all about making the best tiny choices we can!
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