Do you consciously buy fewer products and, of those products you buy, do you look for used ones or ones that will last longer?
Do you treasure experiences over things?
Do you donate to charity? Time, money or goods?
Do you eat local food? Make your own bread, yogurt, or even your own dinner?
Do you garden? Bike? Hang your clothes out to dry? Compost?
Do you think about your own impact on the environment and what you can do to help our planet?
Do you care about what happens to your neighbor? Your children's classmates? The people manufacturing your children's toys in China?
Do you live a fuller, more meaningful life?
The London Telegraph and the San Francisco Chronicle has dubbed such people the YAWNs (Young and Wealthy but Normal). True to her nickname, however, Arduous considered YAWNs too dull a nickname for us eco-movers and shakers. She challenged those of us inhabiting the blogosphere to come up with a better acronym and guess who won? My own Mr. Green Bean for his proposal of APLS (Apples) - Affluent People Living Sustainably. (If you balk at the affluent part of the acronym, visit this site, thanks to Arduous, to see how your paycheck stacks up to the rest of the world.)
Don't let the mainstream media label us YAWNs, insinuate that our movement is tedious or humdrum. Instead, announce your APLS-dom to the world. Let folks know that more APLS per day will keep climate change at bay. Grab this totally not boring APLS sidebar button for your blog or site and shout out that you are the apple of the world's eye.
<img src= "http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dguKzLoD1Os/SCtohmuQFRI/
AAAAAAAAAsw/d2w0tlCOCa4/s320/APLS6.jpg"/></a>
UPDATE: I messed up the button. It should have said PERSONS instead of PEOPLE. A corrected version and code have been posted. If you have the original version posted, sorry about that.
* Green Apple photo from Sufi Nawaz.
30 comments:
Got it!
Thanks GB for making up the icon! And thanks to Mr GB for coming up with such a cool acronym!
Hey Bean, The widget is up on my blog. Looks great, who is the graphic design whiz? :o)
I love it, even though I am not feeling very apple-y today. There are days when learning to be green is hard!! Though, make myself feel better I just made a batch of your oatmeal cookies! YUM!
Great idea. Though at the moment I'm missing the A (our finances are going in the wrong direction because of the move)... I'll just be an aspiring member of the APLS.
-Melinda, who is slowing coming back to the blog world!
I like it!
I love it. So much better than YAWN. I was doing so well today until I forgot to take my recycled cotton bags into the store. There I was at the checkout with all my organic and mostly local items, and my earth-friendly bags were still in my car. I'll do better next time.
EBM: Those cookies will always make you feel better! And tomorrow, you'll likely feel more appley. :)
Melinda: I miss you!! I'm so glad that you have blogged throughout this move and will keep blogging. And don't forget to check the site about affluence. You guys are still loaded compared to most of the world.
Jab: It takes a long time to form a habit! Don't beat yourself up. :)
Hey all, just fixed the widget - it had people instead of persons and a strange white thing at the top. Sorry - I didn't even notice the persons thing at first.
Love the banner! I put it up as well and linked to the global rich list website. And congrats to Mr. Green Bean.
Yes, yes, yes ... I kept replying yes! I linked to this post in my blog; it just resonated with me. Thanks!
I like the logo! I am a little uncomfortable with the word affluent. Though compared to most parts of the world, many of us are indeed quite affluent. Nonetheless, there is just a little tinge of embarrassment for me. Weird.
I am!!!!
Ohhh darn, can't play today but I really like the widget.
We keep spending on setting up the suburban homestead. I hope the things we are buying will help us live more sustainably.
The "Affluent" leaves out the the majority of the greenest "people living sustainably." I guess everyone needs a little shot of elitism now and then just to feel ahead in their own games.
Yeah, I like the idea of All People Living Sustainably, even the top 1%, as a goal.
(I also like American People Living Sustainably - instead of the slumbering sheeple who we hope to wake.)
We could certainly change the A to American (which would leave out folks from other countries) or All. I think we hit on Affluent for two reasons: (1) it was keyed off of the original YAWN acronym and (2) if you look at the site I link to in reference to Affluent, you'll see you are loaded - no matter how little you think you make. An annual income of $20k puts you in the top 11% of the world. That, to me, is rich. Admittedly, there is a connotation here in the US but I think compared to the rest of the world it works. Thoughts?
For those worried about the Affluence reference, check out Rural Aspiration's thoughtful post - Simple Living: A Privilege of the Wealthy?
GB, sorry for second guessing the A word :) I looked at my post today and saw all the stuff that I was trying to get rid of. There is no way I can argue that I am not affluent. It's just embarrassing to admit it...
Cindy, The A word does have certain connations that may make it uncomfortable for some people. I think we hear that word and, here in the developed world, we shout "but I'm not rich, I'm not Bill Gates, I don't have the giant house or the private jet." Obviously, when we compare ourselves to the rest of the world ($2/day is considered middle class), we ARE rich.
Further, don't we want to get away from the idea that stuff is what makes us rich? I am affluent because I watched three squirrels scamper across the lawn this morning, I made dinner with fava beans and potatoes grown in my own yard, I watched a fuzzy black bee, greedily bury itself in a trumpet flower out front. Isn't that the idea behind "living richly"?
When I first encountered the no defunct YAWN term I was a bit taken aback. I didn't think I was affluent or even wealthy. In fact I remember being annoyed at the Boomers who decided to downsize from their 5 bedroom 3 garage, speedboat lifestyle. I was so indignant: how dare they pretend to care for the planet after ruining it with their lifestyle (yes I am very shortsighted)?
But since I commented on that post above I thought about what it meant to be affluent. Reading about the food crisis has helped me evaluate my definition of affluent. So I might not have a nice cushy portfolio or a 6 figure income...but I have a comfortable home and more than enough food than I know what to do with. So yes I am affluent.
Hmm...I thought we were SCUM - Socially Conscious, Upperwardly Mobile!
Hi
Nice to meet you - I've enjoyed having a read of your blog.
I laughed at being called a yawn.
Love Leanne NZ
Beany: It is funny what a kneejerk reaction most of us have to being called affluent. None of us go to bed hungry at night, most of us sleep in a comfortable, secure home, we have clothes to wear and a way to get around. Compared to the rest of the world . . . RICH!
Lynn: Love it! Too bad you didn't compete in Arduous' contest.
Leanne: Me too. I was happy to be talked about.
Great idea, and great icon. My family are more APLS, not YAWNs ;-)
Yikes! I just looked at that Rich List program, and entered my income. And you know that little dude right at the end to the right - the richest dude of all?
Yep, that's me.
Now what? Do I give everything away? Or do I feel guilty? Or do I just continue on my path, living as sustainably as I can and saving every cent we can - which is what we're already doing?
It's food for thought. Or lack of food for thought, in the case of the little dude on the extreme left.
I love it and will add the banner to my site! Though I often feel overwhelmed about money since we are a single income family, I know how RICH our lives are compared to others in this country and many other parts of the world! Thanks for such great inspiration!
I am late to the party but would like to be included in the list of APLS. Thanks for giving us a way to find each other.
Destabee
Though I'm joining in a little late, I think that's a really cool acronym. Hope this trend picks up momentum.
Great acronym! I don't feel affluent, but as I realize how secure my job is (relatively safe, in today's world) I do feel rather wealthy. I can put food on the table and buy the seeds for my garden. Life is good.
hey guys, just use LOHAS - it is spreading and the "brand" isn't "owned" by anyone - a Japanese guy tried to buy the global rights and got so badly flamed that he has made it's use open-source.
LOHAS is "Lifestyles Of Health And Sustainability"
It is gaining in popularity and if everyone unites behind one common description or "brand name" for people like us, who CARE, then there it is much more powerful....
Thought I'd throw that out there - love the work you are all doing, keep it up!!!
Adam, Singapore
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