EcoMonday: What is green?Seeing Change

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What is green?

Oh heck, here come the barrage of comments. Everyone has their own definition of green, and it relates to the passion the individual believes in. It can be very difficult to have a conversation with someone about a “green” topic, as there are two or more definitions being used. If we do not value the other persons definition of green, derogatory terms such as green washing are used to devalue the person or group.

There is a great, concise, working definition from Urban Referrals. It is directed towards the renovation community, but it applies to many other interactions.

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Green is:

1. A product or service that improves indoor air quality. This would include, duct cleaning, air cleaners, HVAC filters, mold remediation. According to the EPA 50% of all illness is aggravated or caused by polluted indoor air.
2. A service that lowers pressure on the environment through the use of renewable and sustainably harvested material. The average 2500 square foot wood framed house will use 2-3 acres of forest lumber.
3. A product or service that reduces the amount of water usage / consumption in the home. This can be as easy as fixing that leaky faucet, or installing a low flow toilet.
4. The use of recycled or recyclable materials, thus reducing the pressure on the waste stream. Reuse, Reclaim, Renew!
5. A product or service that reduces our carbon footprint, or energy consumption. Think spiral compact fluorescent lights, solar panels, geothermal hot water systems, and rain barrels.

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As you can see, “green” is a very broad term. But these five points cover everything we can believe in for environmental change. A person, product, or organization is green if it furthers goals that are listed above. “A service that lowers pressure on the environment” is directly connected to deforestation, habitat destruction, and climate change.

While we each have a slightly different shade of green, we can celebrate the fact that green is very important to the world, and our favorite color.

This is part of our series celebrating EcoMonday here at Seeing Change. A new week, a new future. Follow other EcoMonday topics on Twitter, #ecomonday and @ecomonday.