Ho-Humm ... Are you feeling Green Fatigue?

I apologize for my blogging absence, I kind of lost track of time as I was enjoying the summer vacation with my family.  Anyway, I was at a class for a new green designation the other week and had a conversation with another agent, that I sat next to during our lunch break.  She expressed her frustration to me about how, on a daily basis, she witnesses dozens of environmental infractions and wondered if her environmental responsible actions were largely irrelevant, when set against the enormity of global climate change.  These are becoming an increasingly shared sentiment among the green massive ... it's defined as green fatigue.

I would compare it to the likes of the "compassion concerts" of the 80's & 90's.  Remember Live Aid and Band Aid - the mega charity concerts that enlisted music celebrities to fundraise to end world hunger?  Although it brought much needed aid to Africa and raised global awareness to world hunger, did we end world hunger?  Not even close.  But does that mean we stop doing our part as compassionate human beings to help others who stand in need? I say nay.  The organizers of Live Aid and Band Aid, through their pioneering spirit, spurred numerous other religious and business organizations to help in their cause ... and that my green friend is what we need today to combat against green fatigue.  We're not stupid.  We're all well aware global climate change, we hear it in the media, we watch the history channel.  We know the polar ice caps are melting and that the ozone layer is being depleted, species are endangered, on and on.  I think, as environmental enthusiasts, we fail our audience by focusing on these apocalyptic and complex scientific scenarios.   These complexities make us go into information overload and turns our brains to mush, then we go into denial about it.  In the book Creating a Climate for Change: Communicating Climate Change, Facilitating Social Change, author Dr. Susanne Moser says, "The antidote to environmental denial is a sense of progess, of things getting better.  But in the fight against climate change, progress is hard to come by."  Moser uses the analogy of a diet.  How long would you stay on a diet that demanded stringent effort over a prolonged period and promised only that your weight gain might slow down a wee bit?!  Let's be real, when faced with a problem, most of us will intrinsically gravitate to a more tightfisted solution that requires less behavioral change.  We know that new products or ideas are more likely to be adopted if they don't require us to alter our routines very much."  One key factor in keeping people enthused in the fight against climate change, she says, will be accomplished on a local, collective action level."

She has a great point.  if you think about it, why do people go to Alcoholics Anonymous, or to Weight Watchers? Because in a group of like-minded people they have the support, accountability, peer pressure and the shared experience of others to help make the change. They also have opportunities to come together, check on progress, and get support around setbacks. That's what we need for climate change – to recover from our fuel addiction.  Progress on a small and local scale – such as saving a beloved local shop, voting in a city councilor who will push green issues, or increasing local recycling rates – and even a desire to keep up with the Joneses ("if everybody's ditching the gas-guzzler, I'll do it, too") are far more effective motivators than media-inspired guilt and fears of an uncertain future.  That being said, we need to be cautious and honest about the scale of the changes that have to be made, and to counter green fatigue by diffusing the fight against climate change with an almost heroic spirit. Let's not sugar coat the challenges we face, we just need to ask people to rise to their real potential, and see that this is our moment for greatness. If we create a sustainable future for everyone, it will be an accomplishment as great as winning the Second World War.

Many environmentalists assume people won't do anything more than small steps, and hope those small steps will build the political will for more substantive changes. But history has shown a thousand times over that "regular" people are capable of extraordinary courage, dedication and ingenuity when asked to answer the call. It's time we put out that call and respond!  So as you ride your bike to the local grocery store to save fuel and minimize carbon emissions, and 10 large SUV's pass you by, just remember that one of them may see your actions and try to emulate it.  You are a pioneer in this great movement!