T H E B A C K PA G E
AM I GREEN? Sure, you reduce, reuse, and recycle at every opportunity— could you be any greener? Take our quiz to find out. 1. When you think about living off the grid, you: a. Dream of solar power, biking for errands and dining from your organic garden. b. Feel like shopping for eco-friendly gadgets such as Juice Bags and SOLEO iPod chargers. c. Surf eBay for a used wind turbine for your roof. 2. Your bike is: a. An extension of your body. It’s your primary means of transportation. b. Reserved for recreation only. c. A functional-in-theory-only sculpture displayed in your home.
3. Your idea of a great party is: a. A potluck picnic at the local park with your friends and family. b. A fundraiser in honor of Earth Day. c. Great food, an open bar with organic wines and a killer playlist streaming from speakers hooked up to your laptop.
4. You start work at a new company and find out that their recycling policy is “why bother?” You: a. Start small, asking the boss if you can start a can drive near the vending machine for a local children’s charity. b. Research companies that will save your boss money by collecting recyclables. c. Collect all the recyclables each week and take them to a recycling center yourself.
BARI NAN COHEN
5. You see a deer snacking away in your garden. You: a. Breathe a sigh of relief that it’s only the compost. b. Race for your camera and snap a photo. c. Run outside and yell, “Hey, go to that field next door and eat the free flowers, would you?”
The Ratings 1. a) 3 b) 1 c) 2 2. a) 3 b) 1 c) 2 3. a) 2 b) 3 c) 1 4. a) 2 b) 1 c) 3 5. a) 3 b) 2 c) 1
THE RESULTS 5-7 GREEN-BY-ASSOCIATION Early adopters like you tend to be green without even realizing it. For instance, you may have bought an MP3 player for the coolfactor of toting your tunes electronically, but in fact you’ve befriended the ecosystem at the same time. “The iPod is one of my favorite eco-gadgets,” says Jennifer Boulden, the Ennis, Montana-based cofounder of Idealbite.com, a website dedicated to green living. “You never have to figure out what to do with a CD jewel case again, you don’t have to use fuel to drive to the mall, and nothing has to be shipped,” she adds. Once you make the connection between cool and sustainable, you’ll think of your life as one big earth-friendly treasure hunt and seek out products that appeal to your inner gadget freak and promote renewable resources at the same time. 8-11 THRIFT SEEKER Your friends admire your resourcefulness and your retro-chic aesthetic. You love the thrill of the hunt—whether it’s eBay or local garage sales, you reduce your impact on the planet by buying stuff that doesn’t need to be manufactured just for you. And while going vintage can be a smart way to preserve resources, it’s possible that some of the “Hey-it-works-fine” manifesto is back-
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firing on the environment. Those eight-track era appliances? Sure, they’re a great conversation piece. But they’re probably less than efficient when it comes time to actually toasting your bread and blending your smoothies. Instead of stressing that you’re spending money to replace something that works, remember that you’ll notice the difference on your energy bill. 12-15 ENTHUSIASTIC ECOPHILE You compost with the best of them. You reduce, reuse, recycle and educate others at every opportunity. Without people like you, there’d be no point-of-origin for the trickle-down effect. But you don’t always have to be the envirocop. “I think a lot of people were turned off to the green lifestyle because of finger-shaking from the die-hards that made them think it was all-or-nothing,” says Boulden. It’s a lesson Boulden learned the hard way, schlepping duffel bags full of recyclables home—via subway—from her non-recycling Wall Street office. “I lost my footing on the steps and was laid up with a knee injury for months,” she says. Consider taking a more subtle approach when trying to spread the message. If you want people to understand the importance of preserving open space, for example, consider having a party in a public park, suggests Lisa Welch, director of philanthropy at Florida branch of the Trust for Public Land. ■
October/November 2005 www.plentymag.com