On Tuesday I wore a green shirt. Not to say that I regretted doing so, but when I reached in my closet unaware of the color of shirt that I pulled out, I was in no way conscious enough to recognize that the day was Earth Day. I forgot, even though I had heard constant reminders, including a Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich commercial that probably could have made me turn green with disgust if I would have allowed myself to watch it in it’s entirety.
Needless to say, my green shirt was accompanied by many others who decided to show their pride for not only Earth Day, but a green planet that has essentially become the goal of true and poser environmentalists alike.
Shortly after turning sixteen, probably one of the first times I put gas in my gas, I was asked if I wanted to pay a dollar to support a cause and put on my name on a green ribbon on paper that would later be taped onto the glass of the store with the ribbons of others who had also donated.
And in case you’ve never noticed, the store clerk never tells you exactly what it is your donating. A few weeks ago, at a Valero a woman asked me if I wanted to donate my chain for “kids”. I said “yes”, and walked off with my change in my pocket, because after all I am someone’s kid.
However, that’s completely relevant to the green ribbon I bought. The green symbolized not a healthy environment, but rather a fund for farmers who were struggling. I obviously didn’t know this until I read it on the paper, but at the same time it wasn’t common knowledge for me to associate the color with striving for a better environment. And soon, the meaning will disappear again.
For 13 years in school, at the end of October, my classmates and I wore a red ribbon ignorant to what it really stood for. It’s a shame that I’m going to miss out on the Green Ribbon Week that will probably be implemented in the next couple of years. Of course, there is the high chance that this “green thing” will blow over by then after people realize how hard going green is, or that, to quote the originator of the idea, Kermit the Frog, “It’s not easy being green”.