Proselytizing Green: October APLS Carnival

Growing up in the bible-belt I was taught that "witnessing" or spreading the word about my religion was part of being a good and faithful servant. These days I attempt to be the best steward of the environment that I can be, but I often wonder if simply changing my own ways is enough. Should I be out spreading the word about climate change and sustainability, striking up conversations on the street, "Have you heard the news?"

Curious as to what other environmental bloggers think about the subject, I decided to make "Proselytizing Green" the topic of the October APLS carnival. Here's what they had to share...

The Farmer's Daughter lets her actions act as a catalyst for conversation. In her post Louder Than Words she addresses some of the things she does that get people talking about sustainability.

Erin at the Green Phone Booth has put together a light hearted, yet seemingly spot on, Cosmo-esque quiz that will tell you exactly what type of green proselytizer you are. This is one you can't miss!

Heather at Heather's Homemaking is happy to get into a lively conversation about anything from food supply to consumerism, but she prefers to live a life that speaks for itself. Read more in her post I'm green, how about you?

Robbie at Going Green Mama lives by the words of St. Francis: "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." Find out how environmentalism and religion go hand in hand in her post Having faith in your actions.

CRSTN85 moves from "silent to all points bulletin" regarding her environmentalism. Learn how she even inspired a coworker to become vegetarian in her post Hello World, I live sustainably.

Green Mom in the Burbs makes an excellent point that sometimes "People only hear the answers to the questions they are asking." Luckily for us, she tells us how she gets people asking the green questions. You can read her post here.

Steph at Greening Families wonders Can Your Friends Make you Green? It's just like mom always said about "the friends you keep". Read more about how Steph believes friends influence each other.

So it seems that I'm not the only one who tries to let her actions speak loudly. Like many of the other contributors, I'm happy to talk about sustainability until I'm, ahem, green in the face but I've always been firmly against berating someone with my beliefs. "You attract more flies with honey..." my mom used to say.

Still, lately I can't seem to forget something that No Impact Man, Colin Beavan, said in an interview with Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish. He told her that just making all of these smallish changes in our own lives is not enough. That we must do something bigger in order to spark real change. For Beth, it was getting the Clorox Corporation to start recycling Brita water filters. That's big!

While I don't think I'm quite at that "getting major corporations to change their policy" level yet, there are some bigger things I'd like to start doing. Namely, I'm working with our elementary school to start recycling glue sticks and bottles. I guess that sounds a little goofy when I say it out loud but, considering that each classroom throws out several empty sticks and bottles each day, it really adds up. In addition to saving a little plastic from the landfill, there are also some good lessons and activities involved for the kids. They may not be Clorox, but I'm working my way up!

If you didn't get to participate in the Proselytizing Green discussion, but have something to say, share your comments below!