I recently came across the idea of Dark Green versus Bright Green (and Lite Green) environmentalism. Dark Green environmentalism is the hard core kind, where everyone converts to strict veganism, wears recycled burlap sacks and walks or bikes everywhere, even ten miles up the hill in the snow. Okay, so that definition is a little harsh, but I think that is how mainstream America perceives of a lot of the Green Movement – they think that greenies are just too radical, too willing to give up luxuries and advancements in technology, design and agriculture. Only in a serious disaster situation, would mainstream America would convert to living the Dark Green lifestyle.

And then there is the Bright Green Environmental movement. This is where folks look to technology and design to find solutions to environmental problems. Bright Green folks try to find things that we are already doing right and capitalize on them, moving civilization forward rather than backwards. And, as ELLE said of Danny Seo, the Bright Green Environmental movement aims to “save the world without sacrificing style” or technological advancements. The danger with being Bright Green is that sometimes it is perilously close to being Lite Green. Lite Green environmentalism is the result of green washing and following trends without any real substance. For example, it may be healthier for you to drink an organic sports drink in a plastic bottle, but it is not any better for the planet than a Gatorade.

Both the Dark Green & Bright Green environmental movements acknowledge that we need to cut back on the consumption of natural resources; however, the Dark Green movement suggests that we learn how to live with less, which is often perceived as an ascetic lifestyle. I propose that the Bright Green movement presents us with the opportunity to not live a life of want, but to instead enrich our lives through sharing and or mooching, thus reducing the need for every home and individual to personally own goods that might otherwise be shared.

As material goods, books are suited for sharing; but, at the same time, books are not generally perceived as being a waste of resources. Like many things in our daily lives we tend to over look the resources that go into the manufacture of new books and how we might reduce this waste. Books represent freedom of thought and provide a tangible connection to our past, but do we really need to own and maintain personal libraries? And, Americans insist on buying and owning their very own books for a variety of reasons.

Some folks simply like to own books for sentimental reasons. Others like to read slowly or several books at a time, and thus can’t adhere to the 2 or 3 week check-out period enforced by most libraries. Books are relatively inexpensive to buy and unlike shopaholics, bibliophiles tend to be revered. Consequently, many people just prefer to buy their own shiny new books as they see fit. We also have “book release” dates, such as those for Harry Potter, which encourages millions of people to buy their very own copy to be read at the very same time. However, at the rate of growth and development currently in progress on planet earth it is simply not practical or sustainable for every Joe and Jane to maintain his or her personal library.

Enter BookMooch. Started by a bibliophile and community lover in Berkley, CA BookMooch is an online book sharing group. Members maintain an inventory list (books they are ready to pass on) and a wish list (books they would like to read). Credit is received on either end of a mooch and the only cost is the postage it takes to mail your books to whomever has mooched them. BookMooch is the ultimate pay-it-forward system. Back in the day of our grandparents and great-grandparents, although mooching was looked down upon, sharing was quite common. And, ownership of certain goods, such as farm equipment, was often communal.

Along these lines, I started using BookMooch. As books for the most part are single use items, they are suited to borrowing, sharing and or mooching. This is especially true for children’s books, which are created for the various developmental stages of a child’s life. I also discovered that a good number of my son’s newly printed board books were printed in China and Mexico. No, no, you say? That’s not right. Books are still printed right here in the USA, but you are wrong, wrong, wrong! Now, I am not against other countries printing books, in fact, I would hope that all countries have some sort of publishing house, but for books to be distributed in THAT country. But I digress…

Rather than buying new books for our son, we’ve decided to do his book “shopping” through BookMooch. We recently received a handful of children’s books, several of them I specifically requested, but the others were sent as “bonus books.” Moving books along and receiving books from other Moochers creates a sense of community and opens up opportunities for discussion and finding common ground. The huge success of BookMooch in its first few years of life is a testament to what our society could do with many other single use or occasional use items.

If you grock this post, please take some time today to think about what other items (i.e. strollers, cars, tools, fancy china, etc.) might be ideal for exchanging through a BookMooch or other communal sharing system. Please note that I have focused on BookMooch, not Craigslist or Freecycle, because BookMooch operates on a two way street. And, although some people to do both give (or sell) and receive (or buy) through Craigslist and Freecycle — they can be one way systems, with people either always giving or always taking. Please share your ideas below and together we can start a mooching movement!