Greenphobia

by Alyssa Pandolfi, Second Nature Intern

Ever since I started trying to really incorporate sustainability into my lifestyle, I've been getting plenty of feedback from family and friends--not all of it reassuring.  Just ask my grandmother what she thinks about me boycotting her cooking (vegetarian + crazy italian grandma = occasional violence).  This is definitely an example I use a lot, but it is an important one.  When people hear about "going green" and all of the hype about sustainable lifestyles (freeganism, veganism, all those isms), it's often scary to them.  A lot of people fear these changes and think that it means that they need to sacrifice some aspect of their life or culture.  For me, it's easy to see that that idea is not true, but for others, it's harder to notice.

Because No Impact Week is a "trial" lifestyle of sorts, I am really excited to see the press and feedback that it gets.  This is a great opportunity for people who might be a little nervous to make changes to their lifestyle to try it and (hopefully) realize that a lot of these changes aren't that big of a deal.  Maybe, it will motivate them to try something even bigger, like sell their car and buy a bike to use instead.

As for me, I hope to break my shopping addiction.  It's a shame that our office is so close to H&M and Macy's...