When I first joined Twitter, in the early beginning when I was invited by a friend, I really didn't know what to do. David, aka The Good Human, was one of the first green tweeters that I discovered, which really opened my world up to all sorts of information that included the ability to ask questions directly from others with the same interests, concerns, or goals. Below The Good Human was generous with his time to answer more questions with the opportunity to share his insight with our readers.
When did you start The Good Human blog? In addition, was it always a goal of yours to raise awareness, research, and promote green living, or a vocation that evolved over time?
I started the site in May of 2006, and not with any grand goals in mind. It was mainly to A. keep myself busy at my day job when I had free time and B. to explore my thoughts and such on the environment and progressive politics. I had no idea at that time that it was going to take me in the direction that it has, but I couldn't be happier about it.
If you were to look at your history of posting, what are the three things that you would most like to tell people?1. Learn as much as you can. Education is the key, and I believe that the more people learn about our planet, it's inhabitants, and the damage we are doing, the more apt they will be to take action.
2. Just try. This is the key to succeeding at anything in life, so why should it be different for those interested in "going green"? I figure trying is better than not doing anything at all!
How has Twitter effected the green movement? How do you use tweeting?
Twitter, I think, has increased the scope of the movement. A snippet of information can be passed around, through like-minded people, in a matter of seconds. Add in those people just getting started in "green", and Twitter can spread news, tips, stories, advice, etc to the masses in no time at all. I love and hate Twitter - it's a great medium that I find useful, but I also find it can suck up a lot of my free time if I am not careful.
Twitter, I think, has increased the scope of the movement. A snippet of information can be passed around, through like-minded people, in a matter of seconds. Add in those people just getting started in "green", and Twitter can spread news, tips, stories, advice, etc to the masses in no time at all. I love and hate Twitter - it's a great medium that I find useful, but I also find it can suck up a lot of my free time if I am not careful.
Why should we be hopeful?
This is a tough one for me, as I have daily battles with myself about being hopeful. While the environment is taking a bigger place on the world stage as of late, I do worry that those in charge are to invested in profit and greed to really allow any major changes to take place. That being said, I try to be hopeful that good will always triumph over evil, and that maybe it will just take a while before we see major changes in environmental policy and motives.
Do you feel that green washing has lessened in the marketplace over the past years? Do you sense that people are becoming more aware of consumer issues and are making better decisions?
Actually, I think it has increased lately. People are becoming more aware, but we need to constantly point out greenwashing so those not "in the know" will learn to recognize it. Companies want nothing more than to be considered environmentally-friendly, and that means they are willing to take chances to be seen that way. Buying cover from environmental groups in exchange for cash, using terms like "natural" which doesn't really mean anything, and painting their packaging green are all ways they try to "go green" without doing anything of the sort.
What are some traits that consumers can look for in recognizing a true earth and human friendly business.
This is a tough one, because what goes on behind the scenes isn't always public knowledge. Some are obvious, though. For example, most everyone knows about Wal-Mart's human rights abuses, sweatshop activities, environmental violations, and union busting. It's pretty obvious they are not an earth or human friendly business - so it's easy enough to know not to shop there. Then you have companies like Coke, who from the outside appear to care about the earth via plant-based bottles and recycling centers. But if you scratch a little beneath the surface, you can read about the theft of water from towns and human rights violations in South America. And then at the opposite end of the spectrum, you have big companies like Patagonia and Seventh Generation, both of which are open and upfront about their failures, successes, and what they are doing to change things. Patagonia supplies those interested with complete supply chain information while Seventh Generation tells you about what is in their cleaning products. They show their customers that they care - and that in turn gets them even more customers. If you are looking to try to buy from companies who are truly earth and human friendly, look for products labeled with Equal Exchange or Fair Trade certifications, complete openness about what goes on behind the scenes, and those brands that don't appear to have profit as their singular motive. We all buy stuff - but we should try to buy from those companies that most closely represent our own values, rather than from those who have the cheapest prices.
What is a key to a rapid change to alternative energy? what should eco citizens be focusing on collectively?
Oil spills, hopefully. Everyone is so busy blaming BP (I am too, of course) that they aren't even seeing the relationship between the oil spill and the gas in their car, the heat for their house, the miles their food travels, etc. Until we decide that catastrophes like this are no longer acceptable, and we are willing to make HUGE changes in energy use and harvesting, we will continue to have oil spills. It is BP's fault for not knowing how to stop a spill, and it's our fault for not wanting to make the changes necessary to wean ourselves off oil. That being said, in terms of on an individual basis, people should be making their homes more energy efficient, installing solar panels, driving & flying less, buying smaller cars, getting their food from local sources, and be willing to make sacrifices to reduce our need for oil. We cannot blame BP without blaming ourselves in any way. Once we decide that enough is enough, our energy sources will change rapidly - the key is making that decision.
This is a tough one, because what goes on behind the scenes isn't always public knowledge. Some are obvious, though. For example, most everyone knows about Wal-Mart's human rights abuses, sweatshop activities, environmental violations, and union busting. It's pretty obvious they are not an earth or human friendly business - so it's easy enough to know not to shop there. Then you have companies like Coke, who from the outside appear to care about the earth via plant-based bottles and recycling centers. But if you scratch a little beneath the surface, you can read about the theft of water from towns and human rights violations in South America. And then at the opposite end of the spectrum, you have big companies like Patagonia and Seventh Generation, both of which are open and upfront about their failures, successes, and what they are doing to change things. Patagonia supplies those interested with complete supply chain information while Seventh Generation tells you about what is in their cleaning products. They show their customers that they care - and that in turn gets them even more customers. If you are looking to try to buy from companies who are truly earth and human friendly, look for products labeled with Equal Exchange or Fair Trade certifications, complete openness about what goes on behind the scenes, and those brands that don't appear to have profit as their singular motive. We all buy stuff - but we should try to buy from those companies that most closely represent our own values, rather than from those who have the cheapest prices.
What is a key to a rapid change to alternative energy? what should eco citizens be focusing on collectively?
Oil spills, hopefully. Everyone is so busy blaming BP (I am too, of course) that they aren't even seeing the relationship between the oil spill and the gas in their car, the heat for their house, the miles their food travels, etc. Until we decide that catastrophes like this are no longer acceptable, and we are willing to make HUGE changes in energy use and harvesting, we will continue to have oil spills. It is BP's fault for not knowing how to stop a spill, and it's our fault for not wanting to make the changes necessary to wean ourselves off oil. That being said, in terms of on an individual basis, people should be making their homes more energy efficient, installing solar panels, driving & flying less, buying smaller cars, getting their food from local sources, and be willing to make sacrifices to reduce our need for oil. We cannot blame BP without blaming ourselves in any way. Once we decide that enough is enough, our energy sources will change rapidly - the key is making that decision.
Thank you David for sharing your thoughtful viewpoint and encouragement! -- Lee
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Great interview! I had actually never heard of this blog before, so I'm glad I found out about it--it has some really fabulous articles. I can tell it's gonna keep me busy reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your interview. I will be sure to read some of the recommended books when I go on vacation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that great interview. I just signed up for his very informative blog.
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