"Greenies" in social situations

Lucyboo25

What environmental topics come up casually in conversation and get you inexplicably fired up, thus resulting in the inevitable side-eye and shift-away from others? (Ex: at the bar, at a work party, on the bus with a random stranger...)

Lucyboo25

I'll start

1) Recycling. I LOVE talking about recycling.

2) Composting. It's so random that if and when it comes up, I get wicked excited and start rambling about worms and greens and browns.

I might be a bit of a buzzkill in social situations.

kelbrian

Living car-free.

Minimalism. 

JoNi2010

Recycling.  I am known as the "Recycling Nazi."  When people come over, I make sure beer bottles and soda cans go right into the recycling bin - or else they get an earful!

derky17

We're the weirdos that don't have "garbage bags" (in the traditional sense--we re-use whatever bags we have) and who don't use paper towels.  And yes, I make our guests recycle as well as compost when possible.  

I try not to get "fired up" because...well, I'm the kind of person that will just harp and dwell and lose sleep over things.  So, when a controversial topic comes up, I try to change the topic.

I tend to find environmental issues to be pretty one sided, in the fact that one may argue until out of words, site various resources, etc but you'll NEVER change someone who thinks the opposites' mind.   

sunshine_day_dreams

Carpooling

Recycling

Local/Organic foods

Monsanto

derky17

Yeah, IF Monsanto were to ever come up in the course of a regular conversation, I wouldn't be able to let that one lie.  However, I don't think most of my friends have ever heard of them before, much less would talk about it.

sunshine_day_dreams

Yeah, I grew up in the mid-west where farming is a big deal, so it comes up a bit.  I have to walk away or explode.  There's no in between.

grahamsm3

JoNi2010:

Recycling.  I am known as the "Recycling Nazi."  When people come over, I make sure beer bottles and soda cans go right into the recycling bin - or else they get an earful!

I can't wrap my head around living in a state where there is no bottle deposit and people would consider throwing a can in the trash.

SuperGreen

1.  Local food

2.  GMOs

3. Vegetable gardening

 

Any one of these gets me fired up.  I can't wrap my head around "oh the Farmer's Market is too early, and only once a week!" or "What's a GMO?" or "I don't have time to garden."

My responses? You're lazy, don't know what's in your food, and lazy.  Heh.

ThnkS3xy

Mine is definitely recycling. When at a friend's house, I always search for the recycling container when finishing a beer or something like that.  When I find out they don't recycle it's all I can do to not grab my soap box! lol

 btw, I don't want to be ignorant, can someone please explain Monsanto to me?

SuperGreen

ThnkS3xy:

 btw, I don't want to be ignorant, can someone please explain Monsanto to me?

I will try to be short, I promise!  Wikipedia is a good start. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto

The Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) is a U.S.-based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is the world's leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed as "Roundup". Monsanto is also the leading producer of genetically engineered (GE) seed; it provides the technology in 90% of the genetically engineered seeds used in the US market.^[2] It is headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri.^[3]

Agracetus, owned by Monsanto, exclusively produces Roundup Ready soybean seed for the commercial market. In 2005, it finalized purchase of Seminis Inc, making it the world's largest conventional seed company.

Monsanto's development and marketing of genetically engineered seed and bovine growth hormone, as well as its aggressive litigation, political lobbying practices, seed commercialization practices and "strong-arming" of the seed industry^[4] have made the company controversial around the world and a primary target of the alter-globalization movement and environmental activists. As a result of its business strategies and licensing agreements, Monsanto came under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department in 2009.^[4][5]

 

Here's the Table of Contents from the Wiki page, I have bolded the parts that are particularly heinous.  Just look at them!

 

1 History

1.1 Spin-offs and mergers

2 Sponsorships

3 Corporate governance

4 Environmental and health record

4.1 Genetically modified organisms

4.2 Terminator seed controversy

4.3 rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone)

4.4 Pollution in Anniston, Alabama

5 Ethics

6 Legal issues

6.1 As defendant

6.2 As plaintiff

6.3 Related legal actions

6.3.1 In USA

6.3.2 Monsanto vs Andhra Pradesh Government in India

6.3.3 In USA and Canada

6.4 Dumping of toxic waste in the UK

6.5 Indonesian bribing convictions

6.6 Fined in France for false advertising

7 Cooperation with BASF

8 Resistance in Europe

9 Soybean in Argentina

10 Criticism

10.1 In Germany

10.2 In Brazil

10.3 In China

10.4 In India

10.4.1 Child labor

10.4.2 Farmer suicides

10.5 In the United Kingdom

10.6 In the United States

10.6.1 Missouri

10.6.2 Illinois

10.6.3 Alabama

11 Political contributions

11.1 Lobbying

11.2 Public officials formerly employed by Monsanto

12 Representation in the media

12.1 Le Monde selon Monsanto

13 In popular culture

14 See also

15 References and notes

16 Bibliography

17 External links

 

brideofaussie

SuperGreen:

1.  Local food

2.  GMOs

3. Vegetable gardening

 

Any one of these gets me fired up.  I can't wrap my head around "oh the Farmer's Market is too early, and only once a week!" or "What's a GMO?" or "I don't have time to garden."

My responses? You're lazy, don't know what's in your food, and lazy.  Heh.

I get the first two, but I don't get getting upset about people not gardening.  Not everyone even has space in which to garden much less the interest or aptitute with which to do it.  Although, I do think the Farmer's market is incredibly inconvenient but that is why I belong to a CSA.  MUCH easier than having to get up at 6 am every Sat.  LOL

Mine (strangely enough) is washing the dishes before washing the dishes.  It doesn't come up often in conversation, but when it does I can't help but express my dismay.

VitaLuna

I'm a total lurker/newbie and I know this is an old thread, but I just had to add... diva cups. Two of the people I work with are both green like me and we often talk about gardening, organics, green parenting, non-GMOs, etc. We are ALL on the same page... but you better believe that I saw some jaws drop when I mentioned I got a diva cup. Apparently, that's a little too wild for them

I'm also a major recycler.... it's an obsession, and everybody knows it. I get super irritated if my husband tosses something he can recycle, and just yesterday our landlord put cut brush in the trash bin instead of the yard waste bin. Oh heck yes, you better believe I was out there digging it out of the trash in my work clothes to put it in the correct bin. I'm a little OCD... but I'm ok with that.

rdanielleu

JoNi2010:

Recycling.  I am known as the "Recycling Nazi."  When people come over, I make sure beer bottles and soda cans go right into the recycling bin - or else they get an earful!

 

this is basically our house! we have had enough get-togethers that our usual guests know exactly where the glass bin is and where the metal bin is... haha people love to make fun of us but they have to take out the trash waaayyyy more than we do! 

meangreengurl04

Definitely recycling! I know my boss thinks I'm a total liberal, but I get really upset when he throws away a ton of paper! Two of my coworkers are supporting me by reusing scratch sheets of paper, but I don't think the others care at all. My boss says he recycles at home, but it boggles my mind how he can throw out a plastic bottle at work! I can't be one-sided about recycling!! I have been known to get on my coworkers if they're about to throw out a recyclable item! I've saved countless old office electronics from the dumpster...my boss has tried to throw out printers, cameras, a camcorder...anything! I have gone out of my way to load them up in my car and take them to Best Buy for recycling. And the other day, I told my boss that I use Green Works products religiously, and he said, "Yeah, you WOULD." And our company (a very high-end department store) doesn't recycle at ALL...no bins for even paper! I do see several of the employees carrying home plastic, and I applaud them! At least now most of the people in my office will put the dead batteries in my drawer to take home!

Luckily, my husband is as passionate as I am about recycling...we always ask ourselves, "can this be recycled (or composted)?" before throwing it out. And our neighborhood doesn't even have curbside recycling, so when we visit his parents, we drop it all off at our old recycling center because they accept almost everything! I just don't understand when people choose not to recycle because it's probably the easiest way we can help the environment.

abbaby75

Antibiotic use in farming and growth hormones.  Seriously causing a huge problem especially in creating superbugs - which I had to fight for over 13 weeks.