Eco-Champion or Eco-Dictator?

Posted on Jul 21, 2011

Posted by Rob, Tom’s of Maine Brand Manager, Citizen Engagement

I’m sure that on the spectrum of living an environmentally conscious life, there are plenty of people who are far more “green” than me. But at my house, I’m the King of Green. And to paraphrase a certain amphibian, it ain’t always easy bein’ green.

For me, the basic environmental activities – recycling and conserving, for example – are all second nature. Not so much for my wife. I spend a lot of time turning off the lights and TV after she’s left a room, and plucking her empty aluminum cans and magazines out of the trash. And a lot more time grumbling about it.

I’ve tried all the tactics I can think of to get my wife to adopt a more environmentally sensitive lifestyle. I’ve tried education (“do you know how much energy it takes to make a can out of virgin aluminum?”), guilt (“think about the world our son is going to inherit”), making it easy (“look at these great new recycling bins I got!”), and getting cranky. Truth be told, I’ve probably used that last one a little too frequently. Did I mention my wife’s nickname for me is the “eco-dictator”?

And while I might not have figured out the exact tactic, I know that being a dictator DEFINITELY isn’t going to work. My wife might not be quite as green as me, but she has come a long way since we’ve been married. And she volunteers, gives to charity, and does a lot of other things to make the world a better place. I won’t give up on trying to gently lead her to the green side. But in the meantime, maybe I need to view my environmental duties not as a chore, but as an opportunity. In my house, I’m a champion on an environmental quest – roaming in search of errant recyclables and miscreant electronic devices. After all, “eco-champion” is a heck of a lot better than “eco-dictator”.