Today I’m writing about a blog post. It seems a bit strange to blog about a blog but the classification it presents is very helpful and I’ve found many who don’t know about it. Alex Steffen’s classifications of people’s attitudes to environmental sustainability seeks to explain divides within the green community. So, what type of green are you?
Green And Grey
Let’s start with the easiest one. What if you aren’t green? Steffen describes these people as grays. There are a few distinct species of gray; from the ill-informed, through the overly set in their ways, onto the just plain dishonest. These aren’t really his focus.
What Type Of Green Are You?
Moving beyond the grays there are various species of green.
Light Greens are those who see personal responsibility as the key to being green. Recycle more, turn off the lights, and put on a sweater. I think of these as somewhere between Jimmy Carter and a media-friendly environmentalist like David Attenborough. These are the sort of people who get awards from governments for their TV shows and charity work. They are often nice people, genuinely trying to do positive things, but aren’t that threatening to anyone and probably wouldn’t upset anyone at a dinner party.
Dark Greens are a lot less socially acceptable. They often think that modernity is a mistake. If only we could till our own fields everything would be better. At their worst, they can be a bit miserable. They can think of themselves as part of only a select few who see how doomed we all are. It can be a bit cult-like but without the wealth accumulation. They may well be anti-capitalist which doesn’t tend to win them many honors from their governments. Dark Greens can make useful points about the need for collective action but, at worst, their attitudes can risk being dismissive of individual rights.
Bright Green Environmentalism
In some ways bright greens are the happiest of the greens. They can see a positive future where technological progress has helped to overcome environmental problems.
…bright green environmentalism is a belief that sustainable innovation is the best path to lasting prosperity, and that any vision of sustainability which does not offer prosperity and well-being will not succeed. In short, it’s the belief that for the future to be green, it must also be bright.
Steffen (2009)
Critics would say at its worst this veers into complacency. What is more Elon Musk would likely have been classified as a bright green when Steffen wrote his blog post which is hardly a recommendation for any group. Still, a bright green philosophy when combined with a genuine commitment to actually trying to improve the world can be a powerful thing. It also has the advantage of connecting with human nature. Their message is that we can make progress because we don’t need to choose between a healthy planet and having a cool car.
Picking A Side
You are likely thinking that you don’t fit entirely into the one group. For example, you might be optimistic about technology but still think we need to take some personal responsibility. That is reasonable.
Certainly one can believe simultaneously in the need for changes in systems, individuals and communities. I suspect that almost anyone who thinks seriously about the big planetary problems we face tends to pick and choose various ideas from all three schools of green thought and blend them together.
Steffen (2009)
Beyond accidentally referencing a New Model Army song, Green and Grey, Steffen’s approach is a useful if only to ask yourself: what type of green are you? How much do you think we as individuals can do to change the world? Can you envisage a world where environmental challenges have been tackled using new tech? Or do people who hope for innovation frighten you and you have a nagging belief that industrialization was a bad idea, adoption of radio was a mistake, and that there was nothing wrong with primitive toilets?
Combining the optimism of bright green people with the personal commitment of the light greens with a dash of the urgency of the dark greens (but not their Luddite tendencies) is appealing to me.
For more on progress and its discontents see here, here, here, here, and here
Read: Alex Steffen (2009) Bright Green, Light Green, Dark Green, Gray: The New Environmental Spectrum, Worldchanging, 27 Feb
