We really should have got the message by now. The natural environment that supports life on earth is beginning to unravel due to the impact of human behavior. There are a stack of lifestyle choices that have an impact on the environment from macro-environmental issues of population growth and future energy needs, to the transport we use, the items we choose to put in our supermarket trolleys, and the things we buy that make our lives easier and more enjoyable.

The message of environmental awareness is certainly getting through about the impact global warming and associated climate change ius having on the planet. The environmental movement initially got the message across when it highlighted the impact of farming pesticides in the food chain, and now there is a plethora of information coming out, from food air miles and carbon footprints to a greater understanding of the value of natural systems.

Ordinary people have demonstrated they are prepared to make changes in their lives, even if for the most part, it’s only marginal sacrifices that are being made. It doesn’t really take that much to take your own bags to the shops or sort your rubbish in to different coloured bins for recycling. And, if everyone does this, (so the familiar refrain goes) it wil have a significant impact on waste reduction and plastic consumption.

While this way of thinking should be encouraged, one wonders how profound are the changes people are prepared to make in the name of environmental protection. Probably the biggest obstacle to this is the fact that people have to work hard to earn a living, in order to buy things that make life easier. In order to achieve progress and get ahead in their lives, humans constantly find ingenious ways to better their lot.

The challenge for the green movement lies in how effectively it is able to show people an alternative to lifestyles governed by consumption patterns that are damaging in terms of resource use and creation of waste.

There is a problem, however, lurking in the left of stage today: ‘green fatigue’. People believe they are making wise environmental choices in their lives but they’re being told it’s not enough. They are being hit with a guilt-trip by more strident members of the green movement. The danger is with this is that there might be back-lash by the very people who are doing the most to live a ‘greener’ lifestyle.

Reference Conservation: Green Fatigue