It ain't easy being green . . .

I'll admit that I am a latecomer to the green movement. Our first 'green' product was a household cleaner and a bathroom cleaner from our local HyVee. The two products totaled $10, about $8 more than I spend on those products combined! We thought we would do our part and hop on the bandwagon quickly realizing our budget didn't have enough green to be green . . . until Clorox rolled out its 'green works' line. Sold at Wal Mart and at a price we could live with, it was suddenly easier and cheaper to be green. Clorox and Wal Mart allowed me to both save money and do my part to save the environment- exciting.

As I Continue to read Walker’s Buying In, he makes an interesting assertion concerning the whole eco-friendly movement and whether or not branding green is working for companies or not. He cites data that reveals most consumers see themselves as being eco-friendly and wanting to purchase goods that minimize their environmental footprint. He also writes about many companies jumping on the bandwagon, whether it’s being more eco-friendly, more dedicated to social causes and global causes (volunteering in the community, working towards solving a health crisis like AIDS, minimizing the use of unjust labor practices, etc). What Walker really begins to get it at is how mixed at best consumers’ behavior really is on this. While Walker cites polls that 70% of Americans would choose a greener product if offered, and 65% would do so if it meant paying more, he also cites a Yale study with this conclusion: “the opportunity to appear altruistic by committing to a charitable act in a prior task serves as a license to subsequently make (the subjects) relatively more likely to choose a luxury item” (222). While most of us want to be more environmentally friendly, more conscientious of the decisions our purchases have on the environment and on other people, the reality is that many times our behavior at best is mixed and inconsistent, at least until the price comes down.

It is interesting that the same truth holds true in my own life as a follower of Jesus. I say that I want to be a better parent who shows more grace towards my boys and invest more time with them. I want to be a person who serves others, who learns to do right, who defends the poor and the orphaned and the under-resourced. I want to be a better husband who loves my wife unconditionally, who sacrifices for her best interest, who continues to pursue her. I want to be a part of a faith community who loves others people unconditionally, who gives time and money even when we have little to give, who partners with others in the community to balance the socio-economic scales. The problem with these ‘I want to be’ statements unfortunately is my behavior, because the price of these values won't become cheaper. When I measure my own life against these benchmarks, I realize the inconsistency and the hypocrisy. And yet, it serves as powerful motivation to keep going, to keep aligning my life with what I believe and making the tough choices to do that. The same holds true for our church- making the tough choices to align our actions with our values.