Twitter Users Reveal “Secret Green Sins”

In an interesting social experiment, I asked Green Twitter users “What is your Secret Green Sin?”

For those of you not familiar with Twitter, it is a site where people can go to post short updates (up to 140 characters) on what they are doing, or to share information. Twitter has been in the headlines lately as a source for news such as the recent terrorist attacks in India.

Most of the people I “follow” on Twitter are either involved in Environmental Action, Writing or are interested in the topic. So when I asked the people following me “What is your Secret Green Sin?”, I didn’t expect a large number of replies. After all, it’s kind of like asking a Nutritionist “What’s your favorite junk food?”

Below are the result’s of the survey, and to be honest, they are not as bad as I thought they would be.

miecn @TwilightEarth lately its waiting for the shower water to get warm (its cold!)

amiecn @TwilightEarth leaving the water running.

kiwimeg @TwilightEarth I don’t recycle . . . I know, the mega green sin. We have no facilities in my town-curbside recycling ‘too expensive’ WTF?

Adam: it turns out that Kiwimeg lives in New Zealand and the area she lives in doesn’t even offer curbside recycling. This is amazing to me as New Zealand is supposed to be one of the Greenest countries in the world!

sheephoganess @TwilightEarth I secretly LIKE the plastic bags from stores because they make awesome garbage bags so there’s no need to purchase them!!

Adam: I have to admit that I try to keep a small supply of them also, to use as “dog waste bags” when out walking the dog. I think that in the future, I’ll try to get them from people who get them anyway. That way I’ll be taking one persons use of them out of the trash stream.

taosmesa @TwilightEarth 2 things I do that I feel are not green enough: sometimes buy cookies in plastic holders. Don’t buy unbleached paper products.

taosmesa @TwilightEarth I’m really bad. I like the pretty decorated towels.

Note: taosmesa is talking about the paper towels with the ink designs on them. They sure do look pretty sitting on the counter, dont they?

EsmaaSelf @TwilightEarth my secret green sin: 8+ min hot showers in the winter. Not sure if that beats wood heat, which we use on occasion.

Adam: Hot showers on a cold winter morning are a hard thing to give up. Luxury and comfort are the bane of green living. I mean, who doesn’t like to stand under the hot water? Who doesn’t like to crank up the thermostat when you wake up? And what’s wrong with starting your car and going back in the house to let it warm up? We all know the answer.

gogreentube @TwilightEarth My sin is the way I shop, CVS often will have razors (not refills) for free. So I just buy a new razor instead of the refill.

PeopleForEarth @TwilightEarth … buying products and food that comes from distant places, driving to fast on the motorway, rather driving than walking.

Adam: Buying “Local” can be challenging, especially during the winter months. But it’s always a good idea to check the label. While in the store the other day, I had a choice between strawberries from Mexico or strawberries  grown in the U.S. If I hadn’t checked, I would have gotten the ones from Mexico as they were on the right, and I’m right handed. (It’s the small things that make our decisions, yeah?)

PeopleForEarth @TwilightEarth Quite a few Taking more than 5 min hot water showers (because I’m always freezing in the winter)…

Adam: Seems to be a common one.

anodyne2art @TwilightEarth Diet Coke is my “green sin”

Adam: I tend to look at any soda as a “Green Sin” or maybe a “Sin against humanity” is a better way of putting it. Which is worse, Diet or Regular?

Joan_W @TwilightEarth My secret green sin is falling asleep with the light on. I should get a timer!

Joan_W @TwilightEarth One more secret green sin: I leave my heating pad and other things plugged in (drawing current when “off”).

Adam: I told my wife one time, that “I’m going to invent a power strip that has a remote control, so that when you go to bed, you can turn the power-strip off without having to climb behind the entertainment center.” Well it’s been invented already. Good for the environment, bad for me. We all know that TVs, VCRs, DVD Players, Cell Phone Chargers etc… continue to draw power even when turned off. But unplugging them or turning off the charger is such a pain!

teensygreen @TwilightEarth I almost always forget the many reusable bags I have for groceries. End up w more paper and plastic!

teensygreen @TwilightEarth I’m also trying to kick a mommy habit that’s SO not green – using juice boxes instead of reusable cups. W 2 kids, it adds up.

Adam: I think that forgetting to take your canvas tote or reusable bag with you to the grocery store is a very common problem. That’s why more and more stores are selling them right at the checkout lanes! I try to keep our in our car, but again, who wants to go back to the car after you’ve brought the last load of groceries in?

LaMamaNaturale @TwilightEarth Eco sin- forgetting to turn the sprinklers off- they’re not on a timer yet- doh!!!!

Adam: I don’t have a timer for mine either, but fortunately I live in a climate where lawns really don’t need more than an occasional hand-watering. (Unless your going for the over the top, lush, green, fertilized and manicured look)

It looks like most of the mistakes that even people who are involved in Environmentalism make, are mistakes of convenience, comfort or forgetfulness. I truly think that this is the case for the majority of the people the world over, except for those who have not been educated in it or who are vested in the waste and abuse of resources through money, power or position. (And there are far too many of those.)

So how do we change our wayward Green Sins?

You’ll notice that a lot of the ones above, may seem trivial to you if you are not involved in the movement. But things like waiting for your water to warm up, using unbleached paper towel, not unplugging things… are huge deals to us. Why? Because we are the ones asking you not do these things or buy these things!

• The first step on the road to recovery is acknowledgment. Hi, my name is Adam and I’m a Starbucks-a-holic. I have a hard time going till 10:00 a.m. without a Tall Triple Americano.

• The second step is the hardest. It’s convincing yourself that the negative aspect of your actions outweigh the positive ones. You wouldn’t jump into ice cold water because its, well, cold! But you may jump into ice cold water if someone was drowning and you knew that you could save them. It’s about priorities, and priorities are based on consequences.

Convince ourselves that the consequences of our actions are more important to us than the comfort of our actions, and we can be as Green as we wanna be!

Related posts:

1. What the Hashtag? Navigating the #Green World of Twitter
2. Twilight Earth Aquires Another Green Website – Eco Tech Daily
3. Dirty little secret’s of an Environmentalist