Environmiddlism (in-ˈvī-rə(n)-mi-dəl-i-zəm) noun, 2008
A half-assed approach to the advocacy of the preservation, restoration, or improvement of the natural environment. Used especially in relation to climate and pollution.
It’s not a word. I checked.
I think it should be.
Hey, not everyone is going to Live Like Ed, but we all can do our part. I am a proud environmiddlist. The one part of the “green” movement that I really don’t like is that it’s too preachy. It’s counterproductive sometimes. People have lives to live and things to do. We need to change the ways energy is produced, and the ways we consume it, but we don’t have to take 45 second cold “navy showers” or cook in a solar oven to achieve this goal. We all need to change, but take baby steps, people. Baby steps.
I recycle, I bike to work, I use CFLs in my house, and I turn them off when I’m not using them. I take my own bags to the grocery store, and I take all my batteries to Best Buy for recycling instead of tossing them in the trash. I use a Brita pitcher instead of bottled water, and I donate old clothes so they can be reused instead of filling up a dump somewhere.
I also have 2 computers (Macs, of course…), 4 LCD TVs, a PS2, a PS3, a Wii, a couple of DVD players, a wireless router, several external hard drives, and an Apple TV that run pretty much all the time. I like long, hot showers once in a while. I buy DVDs in plastic cases (usually on that trip to Best Buy to recycle batteries), I still read paper magazines and newspapers sometimes.
Nobody’s perfect. Many people (including myself) are environmiddlists. We try to do good for the planet and the climate, but we like our modern conveniences. I’m planning on rewiring my entertainment center to have a green switch, that will save some power. I’ve set up a schedule in my calendar to vacuum the coils on my refrigerator, to make it more efficient. It’s the little things, you know?
There’s nothing wrong with being an environmiddlist. If we each do a little, we can all do a lot.
Environmiddlism. Spread the word.
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