In this October post I wrote about businesses jumping on the carbon offset and green bandwagon as a vehicle in which to sell more stuff and promote themselves as conscious companies. My opinion is that being truly green means living a simple life and eschewing the trappings of over consumption. Tim Leffel of Tim’s Cheap Travel Guide also describes the mental gymnastics associated with being green in this excellent post. A thoughtful and budget conscious travel expert, he agrees that for certain business models it’s practically impossible to be “green.”

Here’s another one: Last week on the way home I listened to NPR’s “All Things Considered” interview NFL environmental director Jack Groh. Yes, the NFL has an environmental director. Groh flat out admits that the Superbowl is a giant waste of resources – power and transportation producing the highest numbers of carbon emissions. In his interview he outlines new concepts which balance out the carbon footprint of the Superbowl and their related events. Cool – so how can anyone have a problem with this? A few of his ideas are interesting, such as using wind and solar energy to power events at and leading up to the game (although he doesn’t say at what percentage.)  If a company IS trying to offset their energy use, am I being a curmudgeon by bitching about an organization planting some trees in their host city?

Something about it just doesn’t sit right. They aren’t driven by true environmental motives, only the guilt of thus far being unassociated with the green movement. Jack Groh is hired, speaks for, and is a shining “green” star for in an industry that has and never will have anything to do with environmentalism. In his defense he probably does a great job with what he has to work with. And I’m only singling out the Superbowl because of this interview. A U2 concert, cruise ship, and the Democratic Convention here in Denver are all wasteful as well, and they deserve their own respective scrutiny.

However the Superbowl and other examples are by their very nature ostentatious and excessive. It’s silly to try and pretend they’re not by using the lame tactics outlined by Groh. If it’s obvious that the “Home Depot NFL Experience mini theme park” with its trucked in rides, multiple food vendors, and enormous promotional displays is nothing more than a giant waste – then the real question is “should we scale it down, or even have it in the first place?” The answer we find is NO, because it gains massive revenue.” Investors and companies prefer their numbers black, not green, so to distract us from that real question they lay down some sod in hopes we’ll coo green and justify the mountains of garbage events like this create. Ideas and suggestions that are TRULY green, like bringing your own water bottles from home, simple won’t come to fruition because they don’t make money. Jack also describes the issue of how to recycle the great amounts of trash like promotional standees and giant foam fingers. Again, shouldn’t the real discussion be whether we should be producing all this throwaway crap in the first place? (I pondered this at Target over Christmas.)

Rounding out the feel good vibe Jack Groh says they’ll insist local staff and crew shop at minority and women owned business. What? That’s great that they want to support the local community, but why mandate THAT? Demographics of small business ownership in Phoenix is a completely separate issue than environmentalism. Why lump the two together? What if an old white shopkeeper just happens to have a better, cheaper, and GREENER widget? Or what if it’s an interracial couple that co-owns the store?

Back to the green: If you consume far more than you need does it really put your mind at ease knowing a company is planting a few stickly trees in the freeway median? Can anyone really take that seriously? It doesn’t sound like the NFL does either as I can’t fine ANY bit of info regarding this program on their site.

To me these types of green programs, with their eager acceptance and lack of criticism, have the potential to do more harm than good. It mocks the true meaning and roots of environmentalism by justifying the very thing environmentalists and earth conscious consumers attempt to avoid: extreme over consumption. Making ourselves feel good by doing tiny initiatives won’t curb our insane level of wants and materialistic demands. It will only WORSEN that drive – as we’re being told that it’s acceptable, because somewhere a person in the position of “environmental director” says “Trample on, it’s OK because we’re planting a tree and have a puny parking lot wind farm.”

If I may recycle one of my favorite photos… The concept is akin to the driver of this monstrosity telling me “Hey I’m earth friendly because I don’t use charcoal in my grill.” Big picture guys. Big picture.

“You can listen to Jack Groh’s complete interview at NPR, and decide for yourself this program is logical, or if I’m just an anti-capitalist jerk, or both.

James Van Dellen