I think we can all agree that the old adage "everything in moderation" is a universally good rule to live by. If I want to eat two pieces of cake, instead of just one...if I want to buy two pairs of shoes instead of one...if want one more beer to follow-up the first 4 I just had....I try to think to myself "everything in moderation". Of course, I usually ignore that and go overboard anyway, but the thought does cross my mind.
What brings this topic to mind for me today is a situation going on in my office. A woman, we'll call her Sarah, in an attempt to do something good has lost sight of the importance of moderation. And it's this absence of moderation that has sparked an office war of ridiculous, and pretty funny, proportions.
It started last week at a staff meeting. It's the one time in the month where our full museum staff gets together. People you never see come out of the woodwork and bring their various thoughts, opinions and issues to the table. Sarah always has something to share, and last week it was this:
"Our organization isn't really eco-friendly. Frankly, I'm pretty pissed about it."
I admire anyone with a passion and the willingness to stand up and do something about it, and Sarah was on fire. Listening to her I was immediately reminded of my time working at a Patagonia store while I was in grad school. The store and its staff created the most eco-friendly scene imaginable - toilet paper was a prized commodity and I felt shamed and guilty for sneaking my plastic yogurt tubs and packets of Equal in every day. Behind my corduroy pants, long hair and clogs, I was an eco-fraud.
Sarah continued on a fairly long diatribe about the "pure evil" that are styrophome coffee cups and the "disgusting display of wasted energy" that is an empty conference room with fluorescent lights left on. I heard what she was saying and took note - we should all be more mindful of our behavior. We should pack up a coffee mug from home and stop using the styrophome cups, and when we leave a room we should turn the lights off. Heck, I'll even rinse out my Diet Coke can and put it in the recycling bin like a respectable person. No complaints from me.
No complaints until now. For the past week, Sarah has been on an eco-crazy mission. The evil styrophome cups? They're no longer a problem because Sarah has done away with them - burrowed them away somewhere - and there is simply no other option but to use your own damn mug. Forgot to bring your mug from home? No coffee for you, you bum. And the problem of wasted energy? She has started going on "walk-throughs" of our building, several times a day, turning off the lights in any space that is without an occupant for more than a few minutes.
Including the bathroom. Our public bathrooms are now pitch black upon entry. And I don't know about you, but I like to see what's going on in the bathroom before I enter. And she sends out multiple emails to the entire staff reminding us to turn the bathroom lights off after we leave, to turn the hallway lights off, and my personal favorite: to limit our use of paper towels when drying our hands in the bathroom...one is enough. It's gone from a valid suggestion to be more mindful of these issues to a wacky obsession. I'm fully prepared for Sarah to snap one day soon and slash all of our tires, forcing us to ride our bikes to work, like her. Of course, there are people that have acted in an equally childish manner in reponse to Sarah's eco-crusade. People so pissed that they're now going behind her and turning the lights back on and it has quickly turned into a real battle. Yesterday there was a sign posted on the bathroom door that read, "Please be considerate to guests who visit our office - leave the lights ON." This morning there was a new stack of styrophome cups standing defiantly on the office kitchen counter, placed there by a mystery eco-hater. Sounds like war to me.
As for me, I'm doing my best to stay out of the battle. I mean, I love the planet - and I love a well-lit bathroom. But I think I love moderation more.
What brings this topic to mind for me today is a situation going on in my office. A woman, we'll call her Sarah, in an attempt to do something good has lost sight of the importance of moderation. And it's this absence of moderation that has sparked an office war of ridiculous, and pretty funny, proportions.
It started last week at a staff meeting. It's the one time in the month where our full museum staff gets together. People you never see come out of the woodwork and bring their various thoughts, opinions and issues to the table. Sarah always has something to share, and last week it was this:
"Our organization isn't really eco-friendly. Frankly, I'm pretty pissed about it."
I admire anyone with a passion and the willingness to stand up and do something about it, and Sarah was on fire. Listening to her I was immediately reminded of my time working at a Patagonia store while I was in grad school. The store and its staff created the most eco-friendly scene imaginable - toilet paper was a prized commodity and I felt shamed and guilty for sneaking my plastic yogurt tubs and packets of Equal in every day. Behind my corduroy pants, long hair and clogs, I was an eco-fraud.
Sarah continued on a fairly long diatribe about the "pure evil" that are styrophome coffee cups and the "disgusting display of wasted energy" that is an empty conference room with fluorescent lights left on. I heard what she was saying and took note - we should all be more mindful of our behavior. We should pack up a coffee mug from home and stop using the styrophome cups, and when we leave a room we should turn the lights off. Heck, I'll even rinse out my Diet Coke can and put it in the recycling bin like a respectable person. No complaints from me.
No complaints until now. For the past week, Sarah has been on an eco-crazy mission. The evil styrophome cups? They're no longer a problem because Sarah has done away with them - burrowed them away somewhere - and there is simply no other option but to use your own damn mug. Forgot to bring your mug from home? No coffee for you, you bum. And the problem of wasted energy? She has started going on "walk-throughs" of our building, several times a day, turning off the lights in any space that is without an occupant for more than a few minutes.
Including the bathroom. Our public bathrooms are now pitch black upon entry. And I don't know about you, but I like to see what's going on in the bathroom before I enter. And she sends out multiple emails to the entire staff reminding us to turn the bathroom lights off after we leave, to turn the hallway lights off, and my personal favorite: to limit our use of paper towels when drying our hands in the bathroom...one is enough. It's gone from a valid suggestion to be more mindful of these issues to a wacky obsession. I'm fully prepared for Sarah to snap one day soon and slash all of our tires, forcing us to ride our bikes to work, like her. Of course, there are people that have acted in an equally childish manner in reponse to Sarah's eco-crusade. People so pissed that they're now going behind her and turning the lights back on and it has quickly turned into a real battle. Yesterday there was a sign posted on the bathroom door that read, "Please be considerate to guests who visit our office - leave the lights ON." This morning there was a new stack of styrophome cups standing defiantly on the office kitchen counter, placed there by a mystery eco-hater. Sounds like war to me.
As for me, I'm doing my best to stay out of the battle. I mean, I love the planet - and I love a well-lit bathroom. But I think I love moderation more.
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