IS GOING GREEN JUST ANOTHER POP TREND, OR THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ECO-ERA?

by Jedd Ferris

In the early part of this decade Al Gore was a joke, a societal outcast who retreated into bearded seclusion after surrendering the presidency. Now he is an Oscar-toting pop culture hero that is basking in popularity well beyond the president that stole his glory. He’s become the great enlightener-America’s educational liaison to a new awareness on the global climate crisis. He’s out in Hollywood hugging eco-friendly celebs like Leonardo DiCaprio, and on July 7 he’s hosting nine Live Earth concerts in different cities around the world that will feature virtually every popular music act on the planet.

How does a chubby washed-up politician from Tennessee become a hotter media catch than pre-prison Paris Hilton? His cultural renaissance says a lot about the current environmental conscience that’s grown in this country.

In March a Gallup Poll revealed that 60 percent of Americans believe the effects of global warming have already begun, up from 48 percent in 1997. In an even more recent survey by the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy only 17 percent of the country rated the state of the environment as excellent or good. No longer is caring for the earth reserved for radical left-wing hippies who drink wheatgrass and live in solar-powered yurts. Green awareness is at an all-time high. Good old-fashioned, middle-of-the-road spend-happy American consumers are adding shades of green to their everyday lives-seeking out eco-conscious alternatives for their weddings, vacations, and homes. In 2001 SUVs outsold cars for the first time in America; in 2007, gas guzzlers are getting left behind in dealer lots in favor of more fuel-efficient vehicles. Lowe’s now brags that compact fluorescent light bulbs are flying off the shelves. And traditional domestic companies are changing with the movement as well. Levi’s has a line of “Eco” jeans. General Electric is touting its Ecomagination campaign. Even Wal-Mart, the Darth Vader of big boxes, has created a long-term plan to become more sustainable that many environmental stalwarts are calling sincere.

As refreshing as all of this may seem, especially for those that were a part of the environmental movement’s birth back in the 1970s, we need to remember something: We’re a culture where cool comes first. And right now, green is cool.

Just check out any magazine rack. It’s the lead topic in everything from Sports Illustrated to Vanity Fair. The latter’s May cover pictured DiCaprio on the melting ice caps, decked out in a popper-collar trench coat and a pair of crampons with a Photoshopped polar bear cub looking up at him in despair-very eco-chic. I don’t mean to criticize the intention. DiCaprio, like many of his Hollywood contemporaries, is no poser. He championed environmental causes long before it became hip to do so. And it’s undeniable that figureheads like DiCaprio, Gore, and Oprah have helped spark the green riot in the masses.

But with the movement being adopted by the mainstream, it seems that we’re trivializing what green is actually about. We’ve turned being green into a popular-kids-are-doing-it flavor of the month. Pop cultural parlance has gone as far as to create catchy labels like eco-sexual. Trashy mall retailers are cashing in on the green gold rush that has developed as a result of rabid consumers playing keep up with the eco-friendly Joneses. The Gap is dressing up its gel-head models in faux-ragged organic cotton t-shirts. There is even a website out there selling green sex toys. Maybe I’m off the mark, but I have my doubts that someone is really interested in long-term planetary health if their only contribution to the earth is buying a recycled glass dildo or some PVC-free anal beads.

The marketing campaign and the media circus behind it is making it seem like we can just buy our way out of our planet’s problems. If this is the crux of the new green revolution, it’s going to die a fast death. Consumers are fickle, and trends come and go quickly. After all, we’re the same people that were convinced Z Cavariccis were stylish pants. We helped Vanilla Ice sell more than 20 million records. If we’re not careful, we could turn a healthy green evolution into just another outdated cliché.

Before our next trip to Bath and Body Works to buy some imported hemp hand cream, we need to stop and smell the soot billowing out of the coal-fired power plant in the neighboring county. We need to focus on the real mission.

Right here in the Blue Ridge, we have Appalachian Mountains being blown up for easier access to coal-primarily to feed our gluttonous appetite for energy and consumer products. As a recently diagnosed asthmatic, I’ve been warned against going outside on certain high ozone days-largely because of air pollution from these coal-fried power plants.

It’s not just the air we breathe. Our waterways are contaminated. I used to love tuna fish as a kid, but now it’s poisoned with mercury, forbidden by doctors to be eaten by pregnant women. And that’s not even our biggest problem when it comes to food. According to the CDC, over 75 million Americans report some kind of food borne illness every year. Republican presidential candidate Tommy Thompson-a former George W. Bush appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services-recently admitted that the under-funded Food and Drug Administration inspects less than one percent of the food that is imported into the U.S.

If healthy food, water, and air don’t remain at the forefront of the green movement, it’s hard to believe that our society’s vast eco awakening might not fizzle back into the fringe. Hopefully we will not treat our health-and the health of our region and our planet-with our usual trend-programmed mindset. Hopefully this trend will actually seep into our core values. Hopefully people will permanently switch to energy-efficient light bulbs. Hopefully people who are biking to work a couple days a week to personally reduce over 1,500 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year will still be riding when Earth Day comes around again next year. Hopefully the demand will steadily continue to rise for locally grown food and clothes made with earth-friendly fabrics in safe labor conditions. Hopefully in years to come, politicians like Gore will still be respected for fighting for global climate change.

Let’s not make this the green movement’s climax, but rather a giant leap in a gradual process toward a healthier planet-if for no other reason than so we can still be around in 50 years to buy more useless shit. •