I have recently been thinking about the concept of being ‘green’ and asking myself is it a middle class thing? ” Green is the new black” scream headlines so yes it’s definitely trendy and generating lots of interest. I posted my question on a couple of forums to see what other people thought and had a number of very interesting replies. It’s more to do with motivation and is not a class thing at all suggested one person. Another thought that the suggestion that being green was middle class was just another stick to beat the middle classes with, and allow the tabloids to deride the ideology. I suppose I had been thinking in terms of spending power to buy for example white goods that are A rated for less energy consumption but guess what are much more expensive to buy. You can spend a fortune on solar powered heating, lighting, double glazing and assorted gizmo’s the list goes on but not everybody can afford the cost. So does that mean you can only care for the environment if you have the money to do so?

Not at all, despite the misconception that living sustainably requires independent wealth, there are plenty of things anyone can do to make a real difference that will cost next to nothing. Small changes are important. Recycling, composting, line drying, using cloth nappies switching off appliances when not in use, showering rather than bathing, car sharing to name but a few. All these options can actually help to save you money. Why is there not more publicity and education to help people make informed choices about the simple things we can all do, is it a bit too mundane, not newsworthy enough? Perhaps I’m being a bit cynical?

There have been countless articles written about Hollywood’s new fashion of flaunting it’s green credentials but special effects explosions, idling vehicles and diesel generators make film and television production second only to the oil industry in terms of polluting emissions. Yet studio executives insist changes are being made in response to growing public awareness about climate change. Environmentally conscious actors are reportedly spending fortunes on the latest energy saving technology and backing green causes but employing double standards such as flying hairdressers hundreds of miles and driving huge gas guzzling cars. I suppose it’s the grand gestures that make the news and in our present societies fascination with ‘Celebrity Culture’ celebrities endorsement of the green message can certainly only be helpful in helping to influence the choices people make.

Marks and Spencer have had a highly publicized campaign recently about recycling plastic bags and will charge 5p for their bags in future. But a new study by the Local Government Association has cast doubt on those green credentials. The report, published last week, found that a typical shopping trip generated an average of 714g of packaging – and M&S was second from the bottom of the pile just ahead of Lidl, with 807g, and a lower percentage of it recyclable than any other retailer. Plastic bags seem rather beside the point perhaps they had better look at their packaging. One person I spoke to recently said that she often removes unnecessary packing at the checkout and leaves it there!

Unfortunately my generation were brought up with the belief that the Earth’s bounty was inexhaustible, but our children have had to learn that it is not and needs to be guarded with care. Mother Earth will recover from whatever we choose to do to it. Look at what it has survived the past, The Ice age, earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunami. Mankind however cannot survive if we continue to dissipate our resources at the rate we have been.