It’s not easy being green. To say that it’s hard doesn’t quite do it justice either.
If nothing else it’s annoying. Remember to bring your water bottle every day and ceramic mug on Wednesdays for coffee. Remember to configure the settings on your print job to print double-sided even though it costs the same and you’re in the basement and the only printer that works is on the main floor. Walk across the building with a banana peel in your hand so you can use the proper bin in the Bistro even though there are handfuls of perfectly good garbage bins, some holding doors open, right there. The list goes on and the constant weight of having to correct your behavior, even if ever so slightly, can feel overwhelming.
At its worst it can be quite scary. Whether you scroll or flip through the news you are never far from catchy, apocalypse invoking headlines. I walk around with fresh water wars and dead oceans on my mind. I can talk to you about our planet’s threshold of danger for temperature rise and how much earlier than predicted we’re expected to meet it. Or we can keep things simple and just mull over peak oil and how the very systems that sustain our way of life are at risk of irreparable harm if we can’t think of a way to head it off. None of this is to say that any of this is certain. In fact, turning your mind to these issues and making the conscious decision to give a damn can be terrifying and depressing.
Despite the fact you’ve taken the red pill there are seemingly countless more fortunate sons and daughters who have opted for blue. Instead of coming to work or starting your day with hopes of meaningful change and action, you are confronted with those with unique priorities and agendas. Of course they are entitled to these, but when you view the world through a certain lens and see only the impending doom that those around you can’t or refuse to, things can get a little blue. And, this is only at the low end of the spectrum. While some are seemingly blissfully unaware of your concerns, others try to actively attack and discredit them. Be it through guilt or ignorance there are those who would have you fail, and when you truly believe you’re just trying to save lives by steering the bus away from the cliff, you become disheartened.
Of course this can all add up to a very lonely experience. You always feel as though you’re swimming upstream, or reverse commuting. You feel isolated in your stress and anxiety: alone in a bleak world that is of your own design. You’re angry and annoyed all the time, and you carry these emotions with you until they leak into and contaminate your very core or soul, and all that is left is a bitter and hopeless shell of your former self. How can you fix this? I mean, how can you bring people onto your side and get them involved, or get them to see the same doom that you see without exposing them to the same sickness? Fear, depression, and anxiety are tough selling points for any project, let alone one as seemingly thankless and lonely as this. At times you feel as though you would not wish this on your worst enemy – any of it. So, to spare them you walk the path alone, feeling righteous in your benevolence and martyrdom.
But I don’t know. Maybe you just caught me on a bad day.
Human ingenuity, compassion, and perseverance seem to rear their heads just as often as the four horsemen on the front page. Politicians today are known to campaign on at least semi-environmental platforms and are successful (you were ahead of your time, Mr. Dion), and many corporations and firms now pride themselves on having taken the red pill. Even the most vocal deniers and antagonists appear to be losing their platforms and credibility.
Then, there is you, Osgoode. Though there are times when I undervalue your accomplishments this year, there are others when I can simply only stand in awe. I look at the Bistro and what has transpired there in only six months: from the return of reusable mugs and utensils to the blossoming partnership with Aramark for future sustainability. I look at our professors, the men and women who continue to lead and inspire and who had long ago refused to be overcome by the same feelings of depression and futility that consume many. And then I look at you, my fellow colleagues and classmates. Despite best efforts to convince myself otherwise, you constantly remind me that I am not alone, and that there is still hope. Nothing that the Environmental Law Society or Sustainability Committee attempts to do is possible without your commitment and dedication to a better world; a hard work and sacrifice that elicits joy, not fear. That is equal parts sobering and humbling, and that is what gets you out of bed in the morning.
So, yeah, it’s not easy. But then, who wants easy? The ups and downs inherent with this path mirror those inherent with any cause or purpose worthy of human attention and commitment. They mirror life in general. As long as we don’t get too high or too low and, perhaps more importantly, as long as we keep going, there is value to be found in this endeavour. So, if you are green or considering it, don’t be discouraged and stay the course. I’m starting to believe you won’t regret it.