Sunday’s New York Times featured an environmental article (“Extreme Approaches Toward Living a Green Life”) with an interesting twist. After describing what many everyday Americans, such as fellow green bloggers Sharon Astyk (of Casaubon’s Book) and Colin Beavan (of No Impact Man), do in their daily lives to alleviate their negative impact on the environment – it quoted what some psychologists and psychiatrists have to say about certain behaviors.
Basically, it attempted to diagnose what exactly is wrong with the extreme treehugger.
According to psychologist Elizabeth Carll, as cited in the article, “If you can’t have something in your house that isn’t green or organic, if you can’t eat at a relative’s house because they don’t serve organic food, if you’re criticizing friends because they’re not living up to your standards of green, that’s a problem.”
Dr. Jack Hirschowitz, a psychiatrist, added that certain “carborexic” behaviors might raise a red flag. (By the way, “carborexic” is this Green Prophet’s favorite new word.)
So in the spirit of taking a closer look at the behavior of environmental activists, entrepreneurs, and people involved in all things green – let’s take a look at some Israeli individuals that have been featured on Green Prophet. Are they devoted? Are they nuts? You decide.
Knesset Member Dov Khenin: Dov Khenin, who is part of the Arab-Jewish Hadash party, announced his candidacy for mayor of Tel Aviv in August. His top priorities for the city include improving public transportation and levying a congestion charge on drivers of personal vehicles who want to enter the city during peak hours. In the Knesset, he has been extremely instrumental in helping pass a Clean Air Law, Environmental Enforcement Law, and “The Polluter Pays” mentality. Maverick, or madman?
Jared Goldfarb: Jared, who is a freelance educator, is also a licensed tour guide and works with small groups and families to create tailor-made eco tours of Israel. Thanks to him, many visitors get to see Israel’s greener side. Green hero or green weirdo?
Isaac Berzin: Berzin, who was featured recently on Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world, has developed a revolutionary technology that produces biofuels from algae.
Erez Steinberg: Steinberg, a designer turned businessman, is in the business of making businesses green. His business card – which consists of a stamp with his contact information imprinted on the back of a used railway ticket – says it all.
Check out the eco-insanity of the various Green Prophets as well
Jesse Fox
Karen Chernick, James Murray-White
Michael Green, Sophie Ohana
Hamutal Dotan
So what’s the verdict? Please share your views in the comments section below.
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Can we make “Carborexics for Dov Khenin” t-shirts?
all completely potty, if you ask me, Karen. But potty with a passion…and that’s sure healthier than being as dead as a dodo, methinks!
Ha. Love this post, Karen. The above are all green weirdos, your truly included! 🙂
Well, I can say that I used to be extreme in my green activism, to the point of alienation from the “non-green”. In a certain sense I was shooting my own foot, because I was making green life look like something ascetic and difficult that is not accessible to the average person.
An emotional breakdown put me on hold from activism, and now I’m easing my way back in. This time around my philosophy is not “all or nothing” but rather “do what you can” and I feel I am making much more of a change in people who were not affiliated with the green cause before.
I definitely think that my previous turn as a hardcore greenie was in part a platform for my mood disorders to thrive under the mask of serving a good cause. But I also think that greening up our lives is the way to do it, and if it is done with tolerance and moderation, we have a good chance of enlisting more people to come and join us.