Going Green

I don't often write about what I do for work and am not about to go into any great detail now. (I work for a non-profit historical society based in Boston. I have close friends reading this right now and realizing they cannot come up with the name. So there.) But there is a little something I would like to share with you this afternoon, and it does involve my place of employment.

Recently, the decision was made to offer one of our publications in an electronic, rather than printed, format. This is beneficial because it allows us to reduce costs and help the environment at the same time. We contacted our member base and urged them to help us go “green” and opt out of receiving printed copies of a journal they could already read online in PDF format. The initiative, thus far, has been wildly successful and immensely popular. The reaction has been almost 100% positive.

Almost 100%...but not quite.

A few members responded that they wished to continue receiving printed copies, which was absolutely fine. (Our goal was always to reduce print runs, not to cease printing altogether.) Some others indicated that they preferred a printed copy but were willing to try the online version if it meant saving money. A handful of others...well...they had their own unique responses.

One lady accused us of being so politically-correct that we were bordering on radicalism.

A gentleman responded angrily that he was helping us to save money and definitely not helping us to go green, so we should stop thanking him for that.

My personal favorite was the phone message left by one member who suggested that if we were having such trouble raising adequate funds that we should work a little harder to find ourselves “another sugar mama.” Yes, that is a direct quote.

These are the people that remind me how lucky I am to be a purple voter living in a blue state. Climate change is very real, and something needs to be done. We can argue about what and how and when, but reacting with anger anytime anyone mentions “going green” isn't going to get it done. What does it say about anyone who views helping the environment as an outright assault on their politics?

This is (red) America in the early 21^st century. Good thing Jesus will be there to save them in the end.