Okay, first of all, this is not my implication but this comes from an article I just read from author Steve Martin (no, not THAT Steve Martin!)… but it’s very interesting in that it refers to research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology as tested by Vladas Griskevicius from the University of Minnesota along with Joshua Taylor and Bram Van den Bergh from the University of New Mexico and the Rotterdam School of Management.
It seems their research suggests that “making environmentally conscientious purchase decisions can be seen as altruistic and as a result publicly enhance people’s status”… hmmm?… kind of interesting…
It made me stand back for a second and evaluate myself. And this is what I discovered:
- Recycling – everyone has a blue recycling can in my neighborhood. Every “trash night” EVERYONE has the can at the curb. No one knows if it’s full or contains just a dozen items… or one.
- Water & energy – no one knows except me… although the Cleveland Division of Water seems to want to tell me I’m a “super consumer” and I have yet to be compared to the “Joneses”… but only I know I’m conservative.
- Appliances – all of our appliances are energy and water efficient, but I have never introduced anyone to my appliances with a “look at these ‘green’ things!” announcement.
- Car – admittedly, I drive an SUV. No, it’s not the greenest thing on the planet, but it’s what others “see”. I do my maintenance to keep it as efficient as possible and “it is what it is”. I’m not in a position or a mind set to replace it and it doesn’t have bumper stickers announcing my stance on anything.
- Products – I buy lots of eco-friendly stuff, from body products to detergents, but they don’t really seem to attract any attention!
- Food – again, no one knows except me, the clerk at the grocery store or the guy who fulfills our CSA order, but I know that I neither stand in line at the store, waving my purchase, yelling “this is organic!” nor do I mill around the CSA pick-up hoping someone will notice me.
- Clothing – I try to buy organic cotton as much as I can, but I do admittedly have a number of tee’s that announce my “greenness” too… hmmm… show-offy?
- Shopping in general – well, I never accept plastic bags and always (ALWAYS!) tote my own reusable bags (but not THIS one!), so I guess that’s a little indicator of my “greenness”.
Self-evaluation? I think I’m doing okay – green for all the right reasons, I’d say. Nothing “too flauty”, nothing “look-at-me”… okay, except the tees… and my bags… oops…. and this blog! 
So… how about you?
Disclosure Policy
THe author might not live with average nieghbors. They might not realise that she hides every package and parcel that she brings into her home. They may never see (hopefully) reuseable shopping bags. They might not see what she wears on a dayly basis. They may not notice the materials she tends to wear or the style it tends to be. They might not notice her (less than enviromentally friendly) SUV never breaks down or smokes undulely. And they the Jones or the Smiths may not realise that power and water bills are a matter of public record. Thier friends and nieghbors might not (while looking for a new places to live) call on a potential new adress to see how poorly the place heats or cools. Thse are posabilities.
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