I recognize the ever-growing importance of planet-protective pursuits, especially working in the energy industry.  Now, more than ever, the subjects of energy efficiency, renewables, conservation and pollution are all the buzz. I don’t want to harm our planet, and I applaud measures that are designed to protect it. But all of us greenies have been largely misguided, and it’s time for a reality check.

You’re Not as Green as You Think You Are

Don’t get me wrong, I expect this article applies to a lot of you who are reading it, but I count myself among this crowd as well. My car doesn’t run on flower petals and sunshine. It burns petroleum and spits out pollutants. And unless you drive an electric or otherwise alternately energized car, like a Prius, then so does yours. But even electric cars aren’t really all that green.

Have you ever thought about the machinery used to mine the material used in those gigantic batteries? Or the 3 or 4 airplanes (burning jet fuel) that moved it from the source to various factories and on to distributors or domestic facilities? Or the pollution, waste and byproducts that come from the manufacture of the batteries? Of course I could go on, but you get the idea.

It doesn’t stop there, either.  Think of the folks who take reusable cloth grocery bags to the store and walk out with bottled water, pre-packaged junk food and plastic trash bags. Or on the more extreme end, the people protesting deforestation with non-recycled poster-board taped to a wooden stake that probably came from the same forest they are picketing.

Three Simple Truths About Going Green

This could turn into an article outlining myriad examples of green hypocrisy, but I’m not here to browbeat the wannabes. Most people simply aren’t very well aware of (or seem to be ignoring) the realistic facts, the truths behind the ‘green’ movement. There’s three of them, in my opinion, that should garner 100% consensus.

Truth #1: All ‘green’ actions have the same goal, and it’s a good goal.

Truth #2: Nature is far more powerful and resilient than we are.

Truth #3: The concept of offsetting the ‘carbon footprint’ is an illusion

In summary, I think we all act with the best of intentions.  But in the grand scheme of things, our choices should be more on green-minded preservation for ourselves, as the planet will care for itself. And it’s just self-deception to think you can possibly calculate the balance between the amount you help vs. how much you harm our planet.  Are you really deriving satisfaction from an imaginary statistic about an imaginary ‘print’ left by an imaginary ‘foot’?

Green or Grey: One Question That Reveals Your True Motives

Before I explain how you can make a real, impactful and tangible difference in your green lifestyle, you need to answer one question. Comment with your answers below if you like. But if you ask this silently of yourself, you’ll really find out what your motives are for going green:

If you had a way to make a huge difference by ‘going green’ , but no one else would ever know …. would you still put up the extra effort (and possibly extra costs) to do it?

If you answered ‘yes’ , then either you’re in the biggest river in Egypt … or you’re ready to listen to my shameless plug.  We just launched a new section of our website called “Green Choice,” where you can compare and sign up for 100% Green Energy plans. It takes only a few minutes.  We’re also avidly busting the myth that renewable energy is overpriced and expensive. It is NOT!! It only costs about 3 or 4 extra bucks each month (about $396 less than a car payment on a Prius).

A Green Choice That Really Matters

Green Choice works as a streamlined green energy shopping guide for both residential and commercial electricity consumers. If we can rely less on fossil fuels, then the demand for those types of energy will decrease, thereby lowering prices and helping to stabilize our energy markets.  For business owners, purchasing green energy can go a long way toward building trust among your target demographic.

This is what I’m talking about in terms of real, tangible impacts.  Sure it helps our lovable huggable Earth by reducing harmful pollutants generated by dirty energy production …. but it has a people-friendly impact too. For this reason, green energy is doubly beneficial, and we get the bonus of enjoying long term relief on our energy markets and overall economy.