What shade of green are you?

I was just reading Alex Steffen’s article that expounds on the different approaches to environmentalism.

Bright greens believe “sustainable innovation is the best path to lasting prosperity” and that prosperity and well-being must be part of the green solution. ”Innovation, design, urban revitalization and entrepreneurial zeal” are the tools of bright greens.  The Greener By Design conference that was recently held in San Francisco is a great example of bright greens.

Light greens believe that “lifestyle/behavioral/consumer change” are key.  Ideal Bite is a good example - trying to get people to make small steps to change thinking and behavior.  Steffan adds: “Light green environmentalism, as a call for individuals to change, has helped spread the idea that concern for sustainability is cool. On the other hand, it is the target of much of the “green fatigue” we’re now seeing.”

Dark greens believe in ”the need to pull back from consumerism (sometimes even from industrialization itself) and emphasize local solutions, short supply chains and direct connection to the land.” Steffen gives the example of Transition Communities and I would add Dick Strawbridge and the TV show It’s Not Easy Being Green. Dark greens “offer a lot of insight about bioregionalism, reinhabitation, and taking direct control over one’s life and surroundings” but, he adds, can also be “doomers.”

I can’t say I found that I really fit into one particular category, but I did find I could relate to all three and that my thinking could move around within these three categories.  Steffan also adds the category of Gray- basically those in denial of the need for any change to protect the environment.  “No, that’s definitely not me!” I thought, and that’s true for the most part, but then I started realizing that there are times in my life when I do deny the environmental impact of my actions.  Hmmm…

What about you?

Photo by iLoveButter.