Thinking Green

The world is all abuzz with the idea of thinking green. What exactly does this mean? For some, it means living in a home made by hand of mud and straw from the earth. For others it means recycling and reusing. No matter what you do, the most important part is simply to act. Actions come from thoughts, so let’s explore how to think green.

It seems that some people automatically look around them, whether outside or indoors, and immediately assess where and how certain things can be altered to be more environmentally friendly. For example a neighbor who sees her vegetable waste as an opportunity to start a compost pile or her children’s empty shoeboxes as a great way to store all of those sewing supplies she uses.

Then, there are those, and we have all sadly seen them, who flick their cigarette butts out of their car windows onto the roads as if the world is their trash can. Where do we begin so that we can not only incorporate green thinking into our lives, but also into the lives of others?

First, for ourselves, the best place to start is to imagine that you wear green colored glasses when you are looking at the world around you. This visual image is quite powerful at coloring your thoughts to become more eco-friendly. Every time I leave the house for work, or to go for a walk or out shopping, I imagine I am wearing these green tinted glasses. This makes it much easier for me to start to think about the world from a more eco-friendly perspective. For example, as I drive to work I notice the smoggy Southern California air and the traffic. Then, I begin to think about ways to help improve the air quality and that is when I notice the hybrid and electric cars on the road, and then the metro train whizzing by parallel to the freeway. When I get home I research the costs of hybrid and electric cars, as well as a metro commuter pass. These are all actions I can can take now because I looked at my commute with green thinking.

Second, to help improve others’ level of green thinking, simple role modeling and education goes a long way. Every time we recycle and inform our neighbors about the town recycling program, or we send our children to school with reusable lunch containers rather than plastic bags, we are modeling the idea of thinking and acting green. It doesn’t take much as evidenced by the spread of the green movement to the present day point of electric cars and mass eco-friendly behavioral change.

So, get out there with your green tinted glasses, think green as often as you can, and see how many other people you can inspire to think green too!