ABSTRACT
Even for the more or less committed, ‘staying green’ is a demanding moral practice. If you are an urban consumer it means resisting the seductive appeal of television advertising to consume more and to care less, and a willingness to change your habits in relation to energy use, transport, and waste disposal-at a not insignificant cost in time, energy and convenience. If you are a business person it means an ongoing commitment to invest in ‘socially useful’ and environmentally non-destructive products. If you are ‘just’ a concerned citizen it implies a persistence in participatory activism in environmental politics, with the hard slog of understanding complex issues, remaining attentive to the spotty records of government, business and unions on conservation issues, and supporting campaigns on diverse environmental issues, ranging from the protection of local wetlands, to matters of national and international policy, such
as conventions on biodiversity and climate change. All this for the long haul, and not just whilst being green is fashionable.
