Stereotypes and Rituals

There are stereotypes and rituals associated with the going green or the Eco-friendly movement.  Identifying what each mean to this movement could help boost it onto a platform to help educate others.  We all have rituals and stereotypes we associate with everyday life.  I will express my evaluation of each.

                Rituals are stereotypes and or icons performing actions.  Rituals are segments of our patterns of behavior which we have inherited and practice to pass on to the next generation.  A well-known ritual is Earth Day; many people participate in a variety of activities to help make the Earth greener.  On Earth Day, people will plant trees, pick up litter and introduce new greener products.  In many neighborhoods around the country, there is a truck that will come by and pick up any items which can be recycled, this is their recycling day.  I take my recycling into the local station every Sunday and most often see the same people.  This shows me, that not only my family has a ritual of recycling every week, but others in my town have the same ritual.

                Stereotypes concern people or people’s behavior.  I find there are stereotypes associated with being Eco-friendly.  Some people think just because a person is Eco-friendly or conscious of their footprint on the Earth that they are weird or different.  I have been stereotyped as a tree lover because of my concern for reducing my consumption waste.  They commented that I was weird and obsessed with the nonsense to be Eco-friendly, of which the media creates.  There are other stereotypes, such as, if someone is conscious of their effects on the Earth that they must be hippies or live off the land. 

 I feel as if the going green movement is one of the most important pop culture subjects to face our society today.  We need to make rituals within our own families to help support reducing our waste and become a greener country/world.  Also, if we all take part in the movement to go green, we can change the stereotypes some people have.  Instead of being weird for recycling, maybe one day it will become the norm and even be cool to recycle.