Blame it on the id. The egos self gratification part of everyone’s overall psyche is not particularly good for the environment. You don’t even have to ask Sigmund Freud about this one either, just let the Green Guy spell it out for you.

I have, on occasion, given a few seminars on being green. Believe it or not, a lot of people think it is incredibly expensive to do this, but that’s not the case at all. Things like keeping your tires inflated will give you a few more miles per gallon, buying local and organic helps the sustainable economy, or just take 3 minute showers to save water and a little off your electric bill. They all help, and none of that is going to change the world or anything, but it is just all of us doing our part in any way we can.

After the little talk I give, I get a chance to shake hands and meet all the women and men that had attended. Drink some tea or coffee, shoot the breeze, and just basically kibitz. Invariably, someone will come up to me at some point and tell me they traded in their gas guzzling SUV for a Honda hybrid or a Toyota Prius. Very commendable on the outside, to be sure, but then they’ll tell me the reason why.

It seems like weekend vacation time with the family is to go up north, get on the 4 wheelers, and blast around out in the woods! And, of course, not just any 4 wheelers, but the big dog hi-performance 2 cycle engined 4 wheelers to boot!

As I stand incredulously listening to this, the conversation goes on about how by buying a Prius, they are doing their part to save the environment, fossil fuels, etc. etc. etc. WHAT????

Of course I have to ask the next question. “How do you figure buying a hybrid is saving the environment when you are trashing it on weekends? Don’t you think hiking would be a little better than polluting the air, trashing the ground, and disrupting the flora and fauna in the area?”

The answer usually is something like this. “Well, we gotta have a little fun once in a while, don’t we?”

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They don’t get it. Saving the environment one moment to justify destroying it the next, is a paradox of the ego. Self gratification first, then guilt tripping the next, is the stuff Freudian psychology is made of!

A lot of people genuinely don’t understand this concept. Would I rather see them drive a hybrid than an SUV? Of course! But what’s the point if you go out and destroy the air and the land anyway!

So let’s all think about this. We all need to act responsibly in every way to help save and renew the planet. Half hearted measures might make you feel better, but are they really better? I mean let’s face it. In the scenario above, they should have kept the SUV, and gotten mountain bikes for their weekend getaways. Not only do mountain bikes not pollute, they are incredibly fun, and their benefits regarding exercise can hardly be beat. That satisfies both the ego, the id and the environment all at the same time. Now, wouldn’t Sigmund Freud have been proud?