Even if you won't hug a tree ...

By Dina DiRenzo

As I stood in line at the grocery store, canvas bag over a shoulder, I realized I was dangerously close to the line that separates the "ordinary concerned citizen doing her part" from the "tree-hugging crazy person." This alarmed me, because although I care about the environment and believe that a healthy Earth leads to healthy people, I never planned to be some sort of green freak.

It all started simply enough. I recycled. Plastics, glass, newspapers. No big deal. I wasn't even fanatical about it. I grew up recycling, so sorting my trash did not seem to be "environmental." It was simply the way to dispose of these sorts of garbage.

It wasn't long before I was recycling my plastic grocery bags. But most people I know do that, so I was still firmly in the "ordinary concerned citizen" category.

My recycling habits grew as I became aware of how much paper I throw away. Envelopes, junk mail, scrap paper. Before long, it all went into the recycle bin. Soon enough, I started keeping a pile of printer paper that had printing on only one side; I would print on the other side before recycling it. I started to get nervous about my near-compulsive paper-recycling habits until I realized that a lot of people do the same thing. I breathed a sigh of relief. Still "normal."

When I bought my Toyota Prius, a gas-electric hybrid that gets well over 40 miles per gallon, it seemed like a "radical" purchase. But now, with gas prices so high, it seems like a downright prudent choice. Besides, I can take comfort in the sheer numbers of Prius owners in our area. How could something so popular be outside of the mainstream?

My list of green activities continued to grow. As my regular lightbulbs burned out, I replaced them with the new twirly bulbs, the compact fluorescents. And when I renovated my bathroom, I was pleased to learn that my new light fixture used LED bulbs.

Last spring, I started taking a tote bag to the farmers' market, but only a few months ago did I realize I could do that at the grocery store as well. (And it took me a while more to remember to get the bags out of my trunk so that I could use them!) I felt a little weird about using my own bags, but then ShopRite starting selling tote bags and providing a 2-cent credit for every bag from home. If it's company policy at a regular supermarket, how crazy could it (I) be?

The purchase that put me over the ordinary-crazy line was a battery-powered lawn mower, the Neuton. I realize that this purchase alone could peg me as a green freak. But I used the mower for the first time and enjoyed the experience so much that I briefly entertained the idea of starting a lawn-cutting business. It's light, easy to use, and quieter than a gas-powered mower. I'll also admit to feeling a little smug as I watched my neighbor struggle with starting his mower while I simply pushed a button and took off. I'm pleased with my mower, but between that and my most recent purchase, I realize that I haven't just crossed the line, I'm firmly entrenched in the tree-hugging crazy person zone.

My most recent purchase is a composter. My town offered $80 compost bins for just $10. How could I resist a bargain like that? My gardening is currently limited to two raised beds the size of a postage stamp and several containers and pots, but I'm undaunted. It's a little embarrassing to admit how excited I am to start feeding my composter and reducing my trash and recycling piles even further, but it's true.

I can pretend the composter isn't a fringe-element purchase because, conceivably, I'm not the only one in Collingswood to take advantage of the compost-bin program. The mower and my enthusiasm about composting, however, are a bit harder to pass off as normal, so I've decided to not even try.

The small changes I've incorporated almost effortlessly into my life may make me seem a bit crazy to some, but I can't deny the benefits. Not when I look at the incredibly dwindling bag of trash I take to the curb each week, the gasoline money I don't spend, and the sense of satisfaction I get from doing something to make my part of the world a little cleaner and healthier.

Tuesday is Earth Day, and I hope people take a few more cautious steps down this green, slippery slope. If we're lucky, enough of us will slide into the tree-hugging crazy-person camp to make those who are stuck on the other side seem like the crazy ones.