Say it loud, I'm green and I'm proud

We are all more likely to take action in support of the environment if we believe that we deserve to feel proud about those actions rather than if we are trying to avoid guilt.  

Pep Montserrat for The National
Powered by automated translation

When people find out I work in recycling, it usually sparks a conversation about what they can do to help the environment yet it's always interesting to hear what creative things people are already doing.
One woman told me about a composting project in her garden to teach her kids about the environment. They use the compost to grow flowers. There is a group of people in Dubai who pool their recycling together to make transporting it to a recycling depot easier. Instead of car pooling, they are waste pooling. A friend in Abu Dhabi championed the set-up of a recycling programme at her office, going so far as to bring a recycling company to the office, schedule meetings with senior management, and lobby her colleagues to take part in the scheme.
Lately, though, I find a lot of people are feeling "green guilt". Like other forms of guilt, green guilt is a feeling of internal conflict between actual behaviour and idealised conduct. That gap seems to be getting wider for people. Media coverage about the environment is growing and the message is clear: the situation is dire and each individual must take action to improve the environment. But with limited outlets for green action in the region, people feel they are not doing enough.
Because of my job, I am a lightning rod for people's feelings of green guilt. More often than not, when I chat with someone about the environment they spend considerable time and effort explaining what they do in support of green programmes. Conscious or not, in seeking approval they run through a list of their efforts and accomplishments as though presenting a green CV. Many apologise even when it is clear they are making a considerable effort by recycling, joining beach clean-ups and using reusable bags instead of plastic. These people are comparing their environmental performance against an ideal and finding themselves lacking.
Some people in the environment industry believe that green guilt is necessary to promote responsible behaviour, that it is a useful motivator. The idea is that if there is community shame associated with environmentally harmful acts people will be less inclined to commit them. This kind of negative reinforcement seeks to minimise environmental harm by establishing a baseline of socially acceptable conduct. The message to the community is that if you meet the threshold you will not be looked upon with shame. Simply meeting this target then becomes the environmental focus in the community.
The problem with guilt is that nobody likes it. It can be demoralising. If the feeling persists for too long, we begin to resent the source of our guilt, in this case environmental responsibility. And with resentment often comes rejection of the source of our guilt. Many people employ unproductive coping methods to avoid the negative feelings. In a survey conducted by Norwich Union in the UK, one in three Londoners lie regularly about how eco-friendly their lives are.
I prefer instead to find ways to promote positive reinforcement for environmentally beneficial acts. We must celebrate those acts and decisions, both big and small, that individuals and organisations take in support of the environment. In so doing we can elevate our overall conduct from compliance with an acceptable minimum to striving towards an ever-rising target of environmental improvement.
Since the early 20th century, educational psychologists have conducted innumerable studies into "stimulus response learning". The results of these scientific explorations by the likes of B F Skinner and Edward Thorndike form the foundation of modern behaviourism in education. Invariably these studies confirm that the use of positive reinforcement rather than the use of negativity and guilt lead to successful behaviour changes - especially among younger cohorts.
I propose that we fight to replace green guilt with "green pride", that we encourage everyone to feel and express satisfaction and dignity when they do something good for the environment rather than making them feel bad when they do not.
My most recent bout of green guilt came about when my wife and I decided to buy patio furniture. We thought this would be easy, living as we do in such a warm country. We imagined that the options would be endless and the prices reasonable.
We visited several agents and distributors of patio furniture over a two-week period. I asked sales clerks detailed questions about the furniture set's country of origin, the amount of recycled content in the materials, expectations of durability and longevity, and the recyclability of the various components at the end of their useful life. Unfortunately, there was very little such information for most of the products and the clerks were not trained to address environmental questions. I used the internet to supplement information I received from the showrooms.
What I found at the end of this period was that there were very few environmentally friendly options for patio furniture in the UAE. The most environmentally friendly options were imported from Spain. These were also the most expensive. The least-expensive options were those with no clear environmental credentials. There was no real middle ground between the two.
The decision came down to a choice, from an aesthetic perspective, between two very similar sets of furniture: one from Spain and one from China. The environmentally friendly Spanish set cost Dh34,000 while the Chinese set, lacking environmental transparency, cost Dh5,500. We bought the Chinese set; the Spanish set, at more than six times the price, was just not within our budget.
The minute the furniture was delivered I began feeling deep green guilt. I was embarrassed to have guests over. I refused to sit outside. I was constantly looking for flaws in the furniture hoping for a reason to return it. Eventually I got frustrated with this feeling of guilt.
My frustration led to resentment. My resentment was not targeted at the furniture we had purchased but rather the idea that I had to consider the environment when deciding on purchases. I didn't want to think about sustainability when buying goods anymore. It was exhausting to go through all of that research only to end up with guilt.
But I stopped, caught my breath and recognised the need to reject green guilt. I reminded myself that I had made an informed decision involving a number of factors, not just the environment, and, as such, I made a choice that fit within my lifestyle and budget.
Then I started to think about all of the environmentally responsible things I do every day. I embraced them as sources of pride. My commitment to the environment was as strong as ever and, in fact, was reinforced by my feeling of dignity, due to my positive acts.
I experienced green pride. I will take that feeling over green guilt any day. In fact, I now work harder to keep making environmentally positive decisions because it makes me feel good.
I propose we recognise that when we do something positive for the environment we should celebrate it. Let's make green pride part of our daily lives.
It is a very small but important change. If you turn off the tap while you brush your teeth or shave, you should feel good about yourself. If you and your colleagues carpool to work, you should all be proud. If you turn off the lights when you leave the room, pat yourself on the back. If you drive a fuel-efficient car, show it off. These acts of environmental responsibility are necessary and should be recognised.
You can't always act in the most environmentally responsible way. In these moments don't judge yourself too harshly: there will always be another opportunity to do something responsible and feel good about it.
Samer Kamal is managing director of Tactical Connections, which is dedicated to developing sustainable businesses. In 2007 he founded Bee'ah, the leading recycling company in the Middle East