Super Power Environmentalist

Recently I was out to tea with a friend of mine, telling him all about my new found environmental passion, when he threw a question my way that stumped me: "What can I do--me and only me--that will make a noticable difference?" Said friend is a long time environmentalist (recycling, buying local, donating to organizations, etc), but not being able to see active results from his efforts has gotten to be frustrating over the years. While he has no intention of stopping his eco ways, he said that if I could find something that one person could do to MAKE A VISABLE DIFFERENCE, he'd be thrilled.

As we age, we must come to terms with certain facts of life: the New Kids on the Block aren't cool, our parents did in fact have sex to have us, and there isn't a city of Fraggles living underground with a WICKED COOL THEME SONG. I, however, refuse to believe that the old addage "one person can make a difference" falls into that category. My friend wants an answer to the order of: if you (and only you) burn oak wood from precisely 3-3:15am during a full moon in February, it releases a powerful substance that actively patches the ozone so that the next day you can go down an SPF. Alas, such a solution doesn't exist (if it did, we'd have seen it on the Today Show), and if it does exist but has yet to be discovered, I would not be the one to discover it (said discovery would clearly be made by a Fin). So I began turning my brain on something a little more abstract.

What if as environmentalists, we defined it as part of our mission to turn as many people into environmetalists as possible? Thus, by definition, they would then be turning as many people into environmentalists as possible exponentially. Now, in my experience, one can generally break environmentalists down into two groups: the in-your-face-chip-on-her-shoulder-turn-you-off-by-her-brashness kind, and the I-don't-want-to-be-rude-so-I'll-recycle-my-bottle-and-hope-you-see kind. What if we merged the two to make a SUPER POWER ENVIRONMENTALIST--one who is persistant, yet polite? What if instead of telling people about our dogs, schooling, jobs, family, etc. when they ask about us, we told them about something that actually concerns them: the environment? What if instead of shoving our opinions down peoples' throats or being afraid of peoples' judgements we spoke passionately, knowledgeably, and sincerely about something we're passionate, knowledgeable, and sincere about?

That's some big-ass talk. I know. But we need some big-ass change.

Go Planet!