Going Green Got You Down? Five Ways to Overcome Feelings of Eco-Overwhelm

Last weekend I went to the Greenfair Silicon Valley at the San Jose Convention Center. As I walked past the more than 150 exhibitors my energy began to drop and I started to feel depressed. Every booth was filled with salespeople who were passionate about their product and helping the world. There were so many good causes, so many earth friendly products and so many ways to reduce my carbon footprint that it made me want to run to my air conditioned SUV for cover.

Still reeling from the information overload of the weekend, today I received an email from a friend with a link to a website which traces the life of some consumer products from extraction to disposal. Check out http://www.storyofstuff.com if want a good cry. It is better than The Titanic.

When stricken with a bout of eco-overwhelm, the following five steps can help you regain a balanced sense of perspective:

1. Pick one thing to focus on : One of the things that overwhelmed me at the Greenfair was the number of things the vendors were advising me to do.One vendor grabbed my hand and made me feel how lifelike artificial grass is and explained to me how much water it saves.Another stuck an elephant dung postcard in my face and said by buying his stationary I would be saving the elephants.Another good soul pulled me to the side to discuss building my own backyard compost.Just as I was getting ready to leave a rep from AAA stopped me in the aisle and enrolled me in a contest.I answered correctly and won a tire air pressure gauge because driving with full tires saves on fuel.I felt filled with hope.Making sure my tires are filled with air is something I can do.Elephants, composting, and artificial grass are too much right now.Tires I can handle.
2. Get a green buddy : I have a friend who has made it her mission to recycle ALL things whether they go to a facility to be recycled or she finds a home for them with someone else. She has chosen recycling as one of her primary areas of focus to help the world.She and a friend joined forces to network and support each other in their recycling efforts.Their motto is “Nothing in the landfill.”Just like you are more inclined to workout if you have a friend waiting for you at the gym, it is easier to meet your eco goals if you have a partner in the effort.
3. Just say no It is ok to say no : You can’t do everything.In order to say yes to your area of focus you must say no to all of the other causes trying to get your attention.I said “Yes” to focusing on full tires at the Greenfair and “No” to saving the elephants.The trick is not feeling guilty about the things you say no to. One way to work it out in your mind is that it is more effective to just have a few causes you focus on and really put some effort into rather than scattering yourself across a number of different green initiatives.
4. Do the math : When you know where you are and where you want to go it helps reduce feelings of overwhelm.There are a number of carbon footprint calculator web sites where you can get a base reading on your energy consumption. One of the best is the Personal Emissions Calculator offered by the EPA. The calculator tells you where you are currently and how you compare to the American average. As soon as I saw my numbers in comparison with US averages, my competitive nature kicked in and I could see where I needed to improve and what I needed to do to get there.Instead of being overwhelmed, I felt challenged.
5. Complete one task : Pick one thing on your eco to do list and do it.Fill up your tires with air.Clean out your closet.Go to paperless bill pay.It doesn’t matter how big or small it is.Just do something.It will make you feel better and get the momentum going.

Have you been struggling with eco-overwhelm? If so, how have you been dealing with it?