Green or Jaded?

The comment box was too small for my opinion on this.

Q: Do I support Play Green?
A: I'm in the moderate zone and could be swayed either way quite frankly.

I am not crunchy. I enjoy meat and actually boycott veggies. I love my Jeep. HOWEVER, I am a support junkie. I am your loyal on- board person. I believe in those who believe. So seeing Patty (and others) so passionate about any ONE thing is awesome. We get so caught up on initiatives, we forget to finish what we start(we as in Play yes, but also the world) So, if this is something we as a whole can move forward on, I might trade in my plastic bags for some canvas ones. BUT we've got to be smart. To what extent are we green? Green enough to pay more for supplies? Green enough to monetarily reward those who practice the zen of greenness? Green enough to be hard on those who are not, internally and externally? Green enough to not take clients on because they are not as green as we are?

I need some fodder here. I am not green in my own right. Never even thought about it til I started here. But, I do see the value in it. It's like our internal discussion today about caring. I care about the environment, but I do not feel a call to action. Nope, too many others on my call list.

So how can we take people from care/interest to action/acceptance?
1) Make it easier, not harder. Taking away something (bottled water) without providing an easy substitute makes unwelcomed response. Maybe giving a choice is better. Set a pitcher of water and some citrus (woo Kelly) next to the bottles for a few months. Start a collection bin at your desk for used supplies and volunteer to donate them on behalf of Play to save teammates the time and energy. See what happens naturally. Then people are intrinsically motivated to do the "right" or "green" thing but not forced to. Positive vibes aboutnd.

2) Don't impose, inspire. People don't take respect,they earn it. I admire many people in this office. Do some green things and reep the warm fuzzies and maybe I'll adopt the same practice because I'm inspired.

3) Support others' inititatives. If you want to get people on baord, you've got to go the extra mile on what they believe in. Create a supportive environment. That's the cause part of Play right? Do we know the #1 cause of each person on this team? If everyone put a think card on their desk tomorrow with what they care about - St. Jude, Sustainability, the SPCA, their mom, Former Rockers at VCU unite, would we be surprised at who said what? What are we doing to nuture ALL of those causes and not just most vocal? Does the squeaky wheel get the grease on the cause front?


Okay, enough with my never ending rhetorical questions. That's just how I express it. I will support Play Green if:

it is for the right reasons (the majority of us prioritize that, not just 3 people in a given week)
we are given options for the level of green we want to be. Making the options easy and your own individual choice.
and lastly, if it will inspire others who believe in that cause to want to come to work even a hair more than they did the day before. For this reason and this reason alone, I will try my best to believe in you and what you believe in.


whew. go dukes. Comments welcome. Love to Patty.