When I was told that the April issue of ALIVE was going green I naturally assumed the obvious. Once our readers finished perusing the magazine’s monthly standard of entertaining and informative articles, colorful ads and community news, they would then be able to recycle our topical issue. They could mulch it, smoke it or use it as a replacement for their Charmin.
The country’s obsession with “going green” sure makes the early green pioneers look ahead of their time. No one thinks the band name Green Day is lame anymore. The Green Giant Food Company’s Jolly Green Giant and Little Green Sprout are now the kings of the ACSA – Animated Commercial Spokesperson Association. The Broadway musical Wicked has audiences nationwide wanting to be green thanks to the lovable and misunderstood character, Elphaba. As a kid, I always thought superhero/crime fighter, the Green Hornet, was so cool. Finally, how about the Martians? Mars has apparently always been eco-friendly. So much so that the planet’s inhabitants have green pigmentation, which is evidence of every Martian who ever appeared on television or in the movies. Martians were at the party long before the ten foot blue Na’vis from the planet Pandora. It’s eco-interesting how Avatar is a movie based on saving the environment of a planet.
I recently tracked down a random sampling of our population to find out what “Going Green” actually means. It didn’t surprise me that there were reccurring themes such as recycling, water conservation and energy reduction. Many of the participants actually had practical suggestions to reduce our carbon footprint. Below are the actual responses I received from the subjects of my study.
“Everyone should pick-up garbage and when you leave a room, unplug things.” Regan B., 3rd grade.
“We need to cut back on gas and have more battery operated cars. It’s also important to save the polar bears and other endangered animals so I would pick up trash at the beach.” Nicole C., 5th grade.
“It’s important to save electricity and make our world a better place so we can be happy.” Lauren H., 3rd grade.
“People should help the environment by recycling bottles, paper and cans. Everybody can do it.” Santiago M., 3rd grade.
“I think people need to quit smoking and for everyone to start picking up their litter and throwing it in the garbage.” Gianna C., 5th grade.
“Pick up your trash and water your plants.” Michael M., 1st grade.
“We can help the Earth by recycling and planting trees. Trees make our neighborhoods more beautiful. Jules M., 4th grade
“Conserving water is a good idea. I’m not exactly sure why, but I know it’s important to the environment. We did a water conservation chart in school, but it didn’t work out so well.” Cecily K., 5th grade.
“I would be like Johnny Appleseed and go around planting plants everywhere. Hudson P., 3rd grade
We should all recycle, turn off lights and don’t litter.” Tyler G., 2nd grade.
“Everyone should turn down the heat in their homes and wear sweaters when they’re cold to save energy.” Claire C., 5th grade.
“I’m not going to tell you because you’re a stinky head.” Kylie K., 2nd grade.
I actually think the last response, while hurtful, may have been the most insightful. Young Miss Kylie may be on to something if by stinky she was actually referring to my breath or post workout funk smell. Perhaps, if people focused more attention on their personal hygiene there might be a greater sharing of information. Groups of people might actually come together in think tanks and share ideas or information they have previously been keeping to themselves. Wouldn’t it be incredible, if out of this collaborative effort, some breakthrough idea came? Perhaps some type of innovative solution to the global environmental problem that faces our generation? The possibilities are endless.
Looking back, I may have been doing this green thing for years and just never realized the relevance of my actions. When I was a youngster, Going Green used to be an expression my parents used to describe me after a ride on the Big Dipper Rollercoaster at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Mean Joe Greene was my favorite football player back in the 70’s. In college, my entire fraternity unwisely decided to Rock the Green (aka green body paint, everywhere) on St. Patrick’s Day 1984, before we all headed down to the Shamrock Bar in Van Nuys, California for a night of green beer chugging.
I’m green with envy whenever someone in my office closes a large sale or lease transaction. I wish my lawn would go green instead of brown like it usually does every summer. My wife has an aversion to green vegetables and green tea, but oddly loves Green Appletinis, green M&Ms and Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde. I may just send my kids to Green Valley School, move to Green Gables Court or read the book, Green Eggs and Ham.
This Going Green phenomenon make take some getting used to, but it is definitely the wave of the future. We all need to get on board or be run over …… by a Prius Hybrid.