Down with green guilt trips

by Jo-ann Hodgson in At home on 15.07.08

Hippies get a bad rep. Credit where it’s due: they were banging on about the state of the planet way before Coldplay got involved.

But it’s 2008. The world is now listening. And I think it’s time they laid off the guilt trips.

A couple of weeks ago, I dragged my Irish friend to a ’sustainable eco festival’.  My (self-confessed) hippy mate was working on the gate, and as I often try to follow in her carbon-free footsteps, it seemed a good way to spend a warm summer’s day.

Stalls of organic, locally sourced and everything-free food and drink were plentiful. The garlic stuffed olives were amazing, the local cider was strong. But the hippies weren’t half preachy.

One of the more radical environmentalists we bumped into was just back from picking leaves to make tea. She was not impressed by my friend’s choice of snack.

“It’s reallwy nice, wild boar ‘ausage rowll,” my friend enthused through a mouthful.

“Hmm, you eat meat,” came the response, accompanied by a withering look. “I actually had a go at that stall owner earlier as their meat just isn’t local enough.”  Granted, there were no wild boar roaming around the playing fields. We beat a hasty retreat.

After pottering around the clothes swapping stall, browsing the fair trade goodies and trying to convince Irish that ignorance is bliss as he hovered around the tarot card stand, we parked ourselves on the grass – for more preaching.

A hip hop outfit was replaced on the festival’s solar-powered stage by a middle-aged man who proceeded to tell us of all the world’s ills.

All monotone man needed was a comedy three-metre long scroll to read from and some tumbleweed for effect.

I’m sure everyone at the festival was well aware of the global threats to our environment, and of the food crisis affecting much of the developing world. But guilt trips, equivalent to parents’ reminders of starving children when you left your greens, offer no inspiration.

Much more successful were demonstrations of wind-powered home energy systems and a recycling trail, showing what happens to your waste once it leaves the house.

Education beats moaning every time.

IMAGE by Flick user Todd Huffman