Many of us are blessed with environmentally conscious parents (I’m looking at you both, mom and dad). And then, some of us have parents who toss cans in the garbage and refuse to buy reusable bags.

So, what’s a caring family member to do? Sneak environmentalism into your fam’s daily lives is what. You’d be surprised how simple it is to help your family become more conscious of the environment. (And why is summer the perfect season to do this? Because this time of year is filled with teaching opportunities. And let’s face it, whether you’re a college student, graduate, or full-fledged adult, everyone goes home during the summer.)

First off, you can start a conversation about how conservation is simple. The smallest of acts can make a difference. For example, if your dad doesn’t cut his sixer’s plastic rings, start grabbing them from the trash and cutting them in front of him whilst explaining how this simple act helps animals in the wild. Next, when your mom is baking a cake from a box, ask her if you can help next time and suggest a recipe that’s from scratch. Later, while you’re baking away, you can explain that baking from scratch is hella cheaper, and it also cuts down on packaging waste. This type of conversation starter also can work with air-conditioning issues (people changing the temperature all day), and wasteful watering habits (watering at the wrong time and watering too much). Remember: It’s all about the tone of the conversation. Talk to your family like you would your friends. Don’t preach, just converse.

Next, start sneaking things into your family’s space that promote environmentalism. At the store, suggest buying a water filter instead of buying bottled waters. And make sure you toss a handful of reusable bags into the cart, too. Other things to consider sneaking into the grocery cart are LED lightbulbs (money and energy saving), seed starts (for a small garden), and eco-friendly cleaning supplies.

And finally, help your family start something. Tell your mom you want to help her set up a compost bin. She’ll be amazed by how small the trash is, and how not stinky it gets, too. Tell your dad you’d love to help him build some raised beds for the garden. Offer to take the dogs for a walk and sneak some biodegradable poop bag holders on their leashes.

For more awesome, non-confrontational ideas about getting your family to become more conscious of the environment, check out Rookie‘s post on the subject.

While all the above stuff is totally simple and easy, every change listed really can influence previously un-environmental people to become conscious of the environment.

Have you ever tried to change your family’s wasteful habits? Have any of your changes actually helped your family become more conscious of the environment?

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 Image of woman gardening from Shutterstock

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The Chinese have a light environmental impact—and, paradoxically, a lot of green guilt.

The National Geographic Society and GlobeScan‘s Greendex report had some disheartening findings this year for Americans: We are the nation that is ranked last in the world for sustainable behavior, and yet we’re also the most optimistic about our individual actions having a positive impact on the environment. That is to say: Americans are colossally delusional when it comes to our own sustainable practices.

The Greendex is a massive survey that questions 17,000 consumers in over 17 countries on their housing, transportation and food choices. Among these countries, which include China, Brazil and India, the United States has the least environmentally conscious consumers on the planet. And the United States has ranked last on the survey every year since it was started, in 2008.

GlobeScan’s director of sustainability, Eric Whan, points a finger at our culture of consumption. “Greenwashing” gives many Americans the idea that they can buy their way into eco-consciousness, without taking into account the sheer volume of consumption. Americans are also the most likely to drive alone in a car or truck; the least likely to take public transportation, and the least likely to walk or ride a bike to their destination. Yet only 21 percent of Americans felt guilty about their impact on the environment.

On the plus side, Americans were most likely to buy used goods, and they’re relatively more likely to recycle—although Canadian, German, British and Australian consumers all recycle more. Moreover, the United States Department of Agriculture’s certification program makes it easier for Americans to find and purchase organic produce.

Consumers in India, China and Brazil have a much lighter environmental impact on the whole, even as they report greater feelings of guilt regarding their own sustainable practices. Whan speculates that in countries where the green guilt is higher, there’s a greater sense that environmental issues have real impacts on peoples’ health and quality of life.

Nicole Darnall, a researcher at the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University who was not involved in the survey, speculated that green guilt might be the least in those countries that are still debating whether climate change is an issue. In general, people were more inclined to report themselves as being more environmentally responsible than they already were. At the very least, knowing that there is a such a wide gap between our attitudes and our practices might give us all a little push to overcome it.

Curious about how you measure up? Calculate your own Greendex score here.

Image: johnmcga

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Chicago is getting its very first Chick-fil-A in April and people are pretty close to losing their minds as the fast food giant expands across the Midwest. Chicago has enough problems with its collective weight (thanks, pizza), and Chick-fil-A’s staunch stance against gay marriage makes me queasy. The company also has this creepy statement of purpose: “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”

That’s a heavy sandwich.

With apologies to my transplanted, salivating southern friends,  I know we’ve done you wrong with the weather and we sort of owe you one but we don’t need another fast food restaurant and we definitely don’t need to welcome a business that hides behind Christian values to fuel bigotry.

While I am a vegetarian, I’m not made of stone. The company’s Eat More Chikin campaign is super cute. And I get that people have fond, buttery childhood memories that include the popular sandwiches. But we’re not six, and fast food chicken sandwiches are terrible for both your body and the planet.

I’m not saying you have to shell out for Karyn’s Cooked every day, but there’s a Subway across the street from the new location, so if animal rights and environmentally conscious eating aren’t your things, please, think of your ass! We’re all smart enough to know that 920 calories for lunch (original sandwich, medium fries and medium sweet tea) is too many. Sure, you can order a salad, but you’re at Chick-fil-A. Who orders the salad?

Eating your politics isn’t for everyone and it’s easy to go overboard with the food thing (see the Portlandia episode featuring Colin, the chicken), but there are some companies with politics so against everything I believe in that I simply can’t give them my money. Remember back in the day when Domino’s founder Tom Monaghan started donating to Operation Rescue and a bunch of doctors who provided abortions were killed? Chick-fil-A is one of these companies for me.

The company is very open about their Christian roots, and I like religious freedom. It’s a private company with every right to be closed on Sundays and give people discounts for going to church or whatever. But Chick-fil-A’s charitable arm, the WinShape Foundation, loves to hate on gay marriage and has close ties to the National Organization for Marriage’s Ruth Institute and “ex-gay” activists Alan Chambers and David Blankenhorn.

The Ruth Institute and the National Organization for Marriage’s line is that same-sex marriage destroys the fabric of society, and they’ve worked hard to pass legislation banning gay marriage or taking existing marriage equality rights away from same-sex couples. Chambers, of Exodus International, is a proponent of ex-gay therapy, which perpetuates the idea that there is something wrong with being gay – and after a year of highly-publicized teen suicides linked to bullying and homophobia, can’t we all agree that telling people there’s something wrong with them is a bad idea?

But will denying yourself the joy of Chick-fil-A make the world better for gay people? Across the country, college kids say it will and in Florida, Indiana and New York,  students have rallied to get the franchises kicked off campus. Change.org has a series of stories worth taking a look at but it’s too soon to say what will happen in Chicago. The Windy City Times is the best local source for news about the issue and has raised some good points. If there are gay and lesbian Chick-fil-A employees, none have complained of discrimination but that could be because there aren’t any. As the paper points out, the corporation openly favors married people and most of its locations are in states that do not recognize gay marriage, so potential gay and lesbian employees would appear to be automatically out of the running. Because Chicago’s human rights ordinance includes sexual orientation and gender identity, that could also be a key factor as the community decides whether to organize a boycott.

I know many of my butter-bun loving pals can’t wait for April and the chance for a little southern comfort, but organized or not, I’ll personally be boycotting Chick-fil-A.

Image: iheartmacaroni

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There’s a lot to learn from the cool UK example of raising funds to share the wealth.

Take Oxfam, for instance, and their ethical and secondhand shops whose funds raise money for relief efforts around the globe. They do great work and offer us one-of-a-kind clothes and jewelry to die for.

Another group, most commonly known as TRAID (Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development) is a UK charity that actively works to divert clothing and shoes from landfills as well as to reduce world poverty by raising funds for development projects.

From TRAID has sprung TRAIDremade, an environmentally-conscious fashion label launched in 2002, giving new meaning to conscious shopping. They recently partnered with Timberland to create Bagsy, limited edition eco bags made from 100% recycled denim and leather (including reconditioned Timberland shirts and jackets).

Bagsy by TRAIDremade and Timberland

Timberland’s role in the partnership is equally impressive with its “Change Your Wardrobe, Change Their Lives” campaign where Timberland customers get 20% off new purchases by donating clothes they no longer need. TRAID then transforms the clothes into “funds to fight global poverty.”

If you live in London, shopping TRAID is a given. But the best resource for Stateside shoppers is to contact the site and see if you can claim your own Bagsy and have it shipped. (Man, but then there’s a carbon footprint to offset. Can’t anyone open a location here?)

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