Down with SUV's.

I recently went home to Brantford for a couple nights to hang out with the fam. We always have a good time together, and this visit was no exception. There was only one problem. My mother told me that my father was contemplating replacing their Toyota Matrix with an SUV.

I was utterly horrified. I tried everything in my power to convince her to convince him otherwise. I can’t think of anything more frivolous. What on earth does a 55 year old male with a grown up family and no pressing career, really need an enormous gas guzzling SUV for? Hauling mulch? Flagstones? I’m not trying to undermine my beloved father, or any retired lifestyle. He’s 55. He should be able to do whatever the hell he wants. But there is one thing I can’t deny. To exist is to be an activist. We make choices on a daily basis that support or deject environmentally friendly initiatives, directly or indirectly, and we do it with every item we buy. Our decisions affect other people and the greater world whether we know it or not.

What comes to mind when we hear activist? A raving protestor, drunk on passion for a cause? A persistent douche bag who scrutinizes your every piece of garbage? People who cause detours on roads because of protest rallies?

The negative stereotype around activists exists because no one makes it easy for the public to be environmentally friendly. Our governments and our food manufacturers take path of least resistance – it’s cheaper and easier to buy food from No Frills as opposed to grow your own, organic food and renewable energy are both more expensive and hard to come across than conventional food / energy. We often have to hunt to find information on animal testing and nutrients. As a result, we allow ourselves to be poisoned. We are unhealthy and uninformed. (Revlon Moondrops lipstick, Lysol All Purpose cleaner contain mystery phthalates – substances added to plastics to retain their flexibility and durability - that act as neurotoxins and reproductive toxins ... two in a long list of products.)

We have to go against the grain to achieve a healthy, green lifestyle. Since when should it be so unconventional to eat real food, trust a doctor, or have the desire to bring my children into a risk free world? Since when does living green have to mean anarchy?

My parents were obviously irritated by my hassling to make them turn off the lights and the TV when they left the room. My badgering in the electricity department made my disproval in the SUV department all the more expected.

“But we’re so not SUV people” I pleaded to my mother. Being a woman of aesthetic, (a hairdresser) I tried to persuade her against the idea in terms of the surface qualities.

"It's not me, it's your father who wants it!" she said. Perhaps her intentions were good, (and I don’t doubt my fathers are good, too) but his decision will still effect her, and me, and every other earth dwelling creature. It is everyone`s problem, everyone`s responsibility. We`ve all heard how harmful SUV`s are, and what a state the earth is in. People turn their ears off when someone starts ranting. My parents love that I am passionate about the environment, but sometimes I think that's really all they see – a raving kid who wants the world to be a better place.