i recently had someone at work ask me if i was a tree hugger. he asked me this right after i went on a tangent of how stupid it was for the managers to pass around pieces of paper to everyone on the work floor just to let us know we were having a meeting @ 1:30.
ironically the meeting was about the information sent around on different pieces of paper 2 days before that. and the "meeting" lasted only about 5 minutes. so of course, i in my righteous anger was annoyed that not only did they waste our time, but they wasted their time and several trees, just to be redundant.
just think- all that time, writing up notes in Microsoft Word, printing out 200 copies, cutting the sheets into 2's or 4's to "save resources", and passing out those sheets to each and every one of us probably took twice the time or more it would have just to say, "hey, everyone, team meeting when you're off the phones".
so apparently, because i noticed the stupidity of it all, i am officially a tree hugger. but my question is, why is that a bad thing?
grrrr.
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It's not a bad thing to believe in conserving resources and time. Hugging trees really isn't bad. I think most people who disparage tree huggers view them as people out of touch with reality--like if we all decided to live in the jungle and commune with the spirits the world's problems would be solved. However, what they fail to realize is that they are being STUPID by thinking that conserving instead of wasting is a useless idea. Many Midwesterners are afraid of environmentalists because their goals are often at odds with each other. Usually, they see their very livelihoods at stake in the debate. Still, I'm going to go with: 1) the boy is stupid and believes the world's finite resources are infinite, 2) he has no idea what he's actually asking you by implying that treehuggers are bad, or 3)what he meant to say was, "Chill out. I don't see why you think this is a big deal, and you're overreacting." Never forget: boys are generally stupid. Also, I think it's cool if you're a treehugger. I also concur that the time and energy needed to distribute multiple notes was a wasteful use of resources. They should've announced it and used the money they saved to hire you full-time with benefits. ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree. The majority of people hate to think of themselves as "tree Huggers" because it implies they have some type of weakness hidden deep within themselves. To actually "care" for something that stems beyond video games, guns, trucks and beer is considered to be a weak aspect of humanity, especially on the part of males.
ReplyDeleteBut there's also an aspect of laziness on their parts. "tree huggers" are people who actually care about the earth and want to do something to help keep it alive and kicking. So many people out there don't want anything to interupt their daily lives which they have become so used too for so many years. "Instead of throwing paper away, recycle it..."This is a change, as insignificant of a change it might be, in people daily routines. Recycling means you have to think about where these materials have to go. You have to be conscious about what you throw away and what you don't, people don't like having to care about these things...therefore they think they shouldn't have too.
Thanks you guys- I definately concur. The funny thing is, this is the 2nd time he's asked me if I was a tree hugger since he started sitting by me. The first time was when I was going off about the little trash cans on the work floor that are always full of empty pop cans and bottles. Not only do we have 2 huge recyling containers in the break room, but instead of just "not recycling" they are throwing something away they could actually get money for. And THAT, to me, is even more hard to understand. People are lazy and ignorant. Thats my conclusion. Also- maybe i should stay late after work and collect them- there's my 2nd income! haha
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! Yes, you should be the can lady! This whole collecting cans at work sure beats walking the highways. ;)
ReplyDeleteI am a tree hugger. And I am cool. So there is your answer. :)
ReplyDeleteNo, but in all reality, I think we are called to care for the world. For me that means people and creation...so I love the trees - but I still use them for firewood!
Its all about using and not wasting ;) I feel like I could do better in a lot of areas, so its funny to me when people think I'm a tree hugger, because I feel like I'm not good enough myself... oh the irony. I feel like I'm a "talk the talk" rather than "walk the walk" tree hugger, to throw some evangelical phraseology in there ;) So even though i was miffed about this conversation, I was more amused that someone thought that I was overreacting. Its like, man, I think I need to move to CA again, so I can be my true hippie tree-hugging self, and people will understand me. Actually, alot of people would probably criticize me for being a stupid wasteful American. Conclusion- I don't know where I would fit in ever...hmmm....haven't tried Europe yet....
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