In defense of, well, THIS

The disclaimer: I've read the Times every day since high school. See? I still call it "the Times" not "The New York Times" and I probably always will. So I love the Times. It's like an old friend. That's probably why I'm so bugged by Sunday's article.

The article: Buying Into the Green Movement

The discussion (Apartment Therapy): Is Green Consumerism Diabolically Stupid?. (I'm a little disappointed in you, AT, for being kind of thumbs up on this article. Back when I lived in NY, you were one of my ideals of light green -- beautifully living with a small footprint without yelling too hard about it.)

The discussion (Treehugger): Buying into the Green Movement. Best quote: "If you want a movement you need a membership and you don't build that by mocking their first steps."

The rant: Are you ready?

First of all, it's a stunningly oblivious article. Yes, buying green is suddenly trendy. And a lot of people are making a lot of money with greenwashing. But the idea that eco friendly shoppers think they're saving the world by spending money? Ridiculous. I dare you to find a quote from someone who actually subscribes to this strange belief you've centered your article around, Alex Williams.

Bashing eco consumerism is like promoting abstinence in schools (and we know how well that's going.) It's unreasonable to expect normal people to buy nothing. So if you slip up and shop, isn't it better to do so responsibly? That's what eco friendly shopping is all about -- not wiping the slate clean or turning back the temperature, but making good choices when you're making purchases.

Being green isn't a religion, people. It doesn't matter what your reasons are for reducing your impact, as long as you do so. And that's what this blog is all about. Helping to make it easy for people to find clothing that fits into their lifestyle and is better for the world around us. It's one small step, and honestly, it's one of the few feasible steps for some of us. But I'm not going to be embarrassed out of taking it by any old guard environmentalists or oblivious NYT journalists.

Whew. Ok, off the soap box. Stay tuned for a little more light green shopping this afternoon -- yet another "why buy Anthropologie when you can buy _______."