Remember When "Being Green" Referred to Kermit the Frog?

 Anonymous Artist, 1971

Back in the 70's when I was a kid, there was plenty of talk about "ecological awareness" and "conservation." My elementary school even had a tree-planting ceremony every year on Earth Day (or was it Arbor Day?). But compared to nowadays, these efforts seem quaint in hindsight. Towns didn't have recycling programs back then, and cars were worse gas guzzlers (though there were fewer of them on the road). People might've looked outward at how they could help "Save the World" but no one really looked at their own lives and tried to "Go Green" on a daily basis. It was all macro, not micro. The oil crisis and protesting hippies did manage to raise consciousness about the state of the environment but for most people, helping meant signing petitions or sending a yearly check to Greenpeace.

80's Extravagance

Then came the 80's: OUR decade, the one in which we came of age. We were bombarded with "greed is good," "conspicuous consumption," "bigger is better," neon, shoulder pads, and Aqua Net. Hardly earthy-crunchy stuff. Recycling was certainly something I was aware of, but American culture at the time did not applaud or reward conservation. It was pretty much BUY BUY BUY! MORE MORE MORE!

Now it's GREEN GREEN GREEN all the time. Don't get me wrong, I am all for saving Mother Earth. We recycle, I tote my water in a reusable bottle, bring my own bags to the grocery store, and we've held off purchasing a second car (my husband bikes to the train station). Also, I figure the fact that I lived for ten years in Manhattan--a Manhattanite's carbon footprint being 30% less than the average American--has earned me some green brownie points.

So what if I use disposable diapers, toxic RAID, and energy-sucking halogen bulbs? Kill me already. I feel guilty sometimes, especially when I'm around moms who use cloth diapers and drive hybrids, but I try not to beat myself up. I could be a lot worse. And Kermit said it best: "It's not easy being Green."