Is There a Trend Toward Eco-Consciousness, Or Is It Just My Imagination?

We’ve all had the experience of learning a new word or becoming familiar with a new model of car, and then starting to hear the word or see the car everywhere. I’m having the same experience with the concept of environmentalism. In the last few weeks, I’ve run into people in many different venues—grocery stores, libraries, schools, hiking trails, and restaurants—who do or say something, without any prompt from me, that indicates that they feel the need to be stewards of the environment. 

I actually don’t think this is one of those coincidences like those I described above; I believe there is a trend here, and a significant one at that.  Maybe we’ve even achieved a kind of critical mass, where the percentage of people who behave eco-responsibly cascades through our society, and leaves only a lunatic fringe who put their groceries in plastic bags, drive Hummers and eat shark-fin soup.  People who had never entertained the thought just a few years ago are realizing that they can either be a willing participant in ruining the planet, or they can be a force, at whatever level, in turning all this around. Choosing the latter has a growing appeal.