Reality Check: Do We Just Like the Idea of Going Green?

Awhile back I remember reading an article on a new housing project in Portland. It was a building that was going to provide small rooms within a home that would rent individual rooms out at affordable prices. The development was close to all major transportation hubs as well so it was ideal for commuters. So what was the problem? Protesters complained that it decrease the availability of parking spaces.

What I find so interesting about this is that here is a city renown for their environmentally-friendly initiatives. Portland has an excellent public transportation system, to include plenty of bike lanes and sidewalks all promoting a decrease dependency on personal cars. And yet when something comes along to threaten the convenience of having a car, people resist.

It made me wonder: Do people like the idea of going green more than the actual practice of it?

Obviously it is a bit of a general question. There will always be factions that resist an idea even if most people are on board. 

But I think environmentalism is a particular subject where most agree that something needs to be done to improve the environment. However the actual process of improving things requires changes that may feel uncomfortable at first. 

Another example would be how we shop for food. I think grocery stores are fascinating because they truly are an example how the consumer holds the power. We dictate what the produce buyers are going to stock their stores with. After all, they don’t have the money to spend on things that will perish because they aren’t being bought.

We as consumers could choose for our stores to have only “in-season” produce. This would cut down on the carbon footprint of importing fruits from South America (that aren’t even fresh anyways) and help focus on boosting our local economies. But we like the convenience of having all our fruits year-long to the point that there is no such thing as ‘in-season’ any more.

I think if any positive change towards a more environmentally-conscious culture is going to happen we are going to need to accept the minor inconveniences that come with making those decisions. Because the bottom line is our culture’s level of resource consumption isn’t sustainable. The ticket to a cleaner planet isn’t going to come wrapped in a pretty bow either. It is sort of like wanting to get in shape but protesting the thought of working out and eating healthy, you can’t get results without making the effort. Same goes for building a more sustainable environment.