I don’t know why no one thought of it before, but what better icon for the Green Movement than Kermit. He’s kind of goofy, never makes much sense, and he is, after all, green.
OK. I’ve finally had it. I could go along with being ecologically friendly. I could even go along with sitting in a darkened theatre while Al Gore intoned on man’s quest to destroy the environment. But when D Magazine devoted an entire issue (and no telling how many trees to create the pulp required for the 112 pages of seven color glossy “green” tips), I finally crossed over. My conclusion followed my normal contrarian philosophical bent. Anything getting this much press, becoming this politically correct, requiring this much ink and other media attention must have a dark, or at least suspicious, underbelly.
So where did the notion of “green” come from anyways? And why “green” to connote concern for the environment, sustainable energy, recycled paper, carbon credits, organic low-t peach marmalade, virulent populism, anti-nuclear power, and often anti-Americanism?
The first popular reference I’ve been able to find is Rachael Carson’s cult classic The Silent Spring which was written in 1962 wherein she posited the notion that all of nature is subject to human intervention. Sounds like she would fit in well in today’s debate on human causation of global warming. The specific evil she surfaced through her research was DDT. Those of you in the know will know that Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethanne (DDT) was first synthesized by a German bio chemist in 1874 and was used to kill insects. Unfortunately, as with many other substances humans have unleashed on our unsuspecting world, it also killed birds, endangered human life according to some, and negatively effected the food chain and our environment….this after it had been used by the World Health Organization to substantially eleminate Malaria. Aha, we see again for every yin there is a yang, for every positive there is a negative, yahda, yahda, yahda.
I, however, propose that our first environmental do-gooders were not Rachael Carson and her enlightened fellow travelers, but were that odd group that we now refer to as Animists. Briefly, those who subscribe to the principles of Animism, see no distinction between spirit and physical matter. Further, they would suggest all flora and fauna (trees, birds, bees, humans, rocks, smoke) have souls and are equally important. This seems to me to be the essence of greenism. All things under the sun are all a part of a connected system, and the killing off of one element effects all other parts.
You’ll be relieved to know that there’s no more heavy lifting to follow. Merely some observations about the development of the Green movement into a political, marketing, and philosophical phenomenon….rapidly approaching absurdity. To give you an idea of the dimensions of this absurdity let me offer in evidence this statement from the Committee of Correspondence in 1984 who were divided over whether to characterize themselves as a 3rd party or a movement.
“Green politics interweaves ecological wisdom, decentralization of economic and political power wherever practical, personal and social responsibility, global security, and community self-determination within the context of respect for diversity and heritage and religion. It advocates non-violent action, cooperative world order, and self reliance.” Huh. Whud they say?
Ok. Now for the meat. The first green party was established in…..hold your breath……Tasmania in 1972 called the United Tasmanian Group. We also now have the Nijii do Hidori party otherwise known as the Rainbow and Green Party, and of course the succinctly named Les Verts, the Greens of French speaking Switzerland. I’ll bet the German speakers in Gstaad aren’t heavily envolved. But my favorite is the Mongolian Green Party. Just the idea of Mongolians having a “green” party seems humorous to me. It’s also worthwhile to note that the Left Green Movement of Iceland, in addition to trying to save baby seals, has taken a vocal and public position on their opposition to NATO and the US led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now we’re getting somewhere. If we could get more of the “greens” worried about stopping war than the annihilation of snail darters, we’d be making some progress. But the again the Animists wouldn’t be happy. But then again, all of you are familiar with the four pillars of the Green Movement:
…..ecological wisdom
…..social justice
…..grassroots democracy
…..non-violence
Hmmm. Guess that leaves Bush outside looking in on all four counts.
These four pillars get interpreted in various ways. The Green Party of the United States of America, for example, synthesizes these four green pillars into a party platform that among other things demands “justice for native Hawaiians”. Seems reasonable to me.
What doesn’t seem reasonable to me is being green washed and green mailed by green charlatans of all stripes; the most offensive of which are the marketers of global and local corporations who try to paint their entire product line “green” regardless of the facts. Oscar de la Renta and green fashion products, “green” Air Jordans to the street hip market, carbon credits for the industrial guilty polluters, recycled toilet paper which cost twice a much as normal wiping material by our paper products companies, “Natural” White Doritos by you know who, “green” cemetary plots by upscale aspiring land planners, and on, and on, and nauseatingly on. Frankly, the only truly green product I can get up much enthusiasm for is in the vaults of our banking institutions….at least I hope.
As I’m writing this, I’m confronted by a looming spray bottle of “Greening the Cleaning” which is untiringly boosted by the almost bimbo like wife of Don Imus….he of the floppy cowboy hat get up and “nappy headed…..” fame. The label proclaims, and I’m not making this up, that this product is used in leading hospitals, is environmentally friendly, is not-toxic alcohol free (whatever that means), but in the fine print cautions that it is an eye irritant, and must be kept out of reach of children. And, BTW, is made in Canada. I should also note that this otherwise pristine green product is packaged in an injection molded plastic bottle derived from non-renewable petroleum products with a half-life slightly greater than the age of the earth (according to christian fundamentalists).
As I said, “it not so easy being green”.
