Green is the "new Patriotism"

I guess if I was the mayor of and I'd challenged the Democratic Party to have the greenest political convention ever, I might say that too. (Never mind that in my life, sentences using that structure are normally fashion-related, as in 'green is the new black.' Which also seems to be true based on recent shopping experiences.)

I read with interest the Wall Street Journal article* explaining the great lengths necessary to make the convention green, sustainable, recycled, recyclable, AND pro-union, made-in-the-USA, organic and healthy. Wow. Not surprising that they've hired a Director of Greening to head up this task.

She's recruiting hundreds of volunteers to sort through bags of trash to separate it for reuse, recycling or composting. A Carbon Advisor is calculating the carbon footprint of the convention, including not only the impact of the event, but the travel of every person who attends. Caterers have been told fried foods are banned at the convention, all foods must be organic and locally grown, and each plate must include at least three colors. As a part-time foodie, I love it when food looks pretty, tastes great, and is healthy, too. But for the record, a bacon cheeseburger with fries does have three colors, more if you eat the tiny bit of lettuce and almost-ripe tomato. (Don't worry, you can't tell it's not ripe under all that mayo.)

Don't get me wrong, I think it's a pretty impressive effort and an admirable goal. To simply be aware of the environmental impact is a big step in the right direction. An event like this provides an opportunity to illustrate how small changes made by a lot of people can make a big difference. So, I guess I'll keep recycling and doing my part, and believe that every little bit helps.


* Article details: The Greenest Show on Earth: Democrats Gear Up for Denver appeared in the Wall Street Journal on June 25, 2008.