Gather around the recycled hardwood log fire, o’ greenies. I have a secret to tell. Lean in. Closer. Come on, I’m wearing my organic deodorant, its okay. Alright, are you ready? I have a dark admission to make. Not “raccoon road kill left on the side of the road” dark, or “psycho killer on the loose with a chain saw dark.” But scary, none the less.

Sometimes, I get utterly sick of living green.

I know, I KNOW! But green fatigue can be a powerful thing. It usually kicks in for me about the time I see a person toss the 8,287th cigarette onto the sidewalk, knowing it will end up in the Pacific Ocean. Or when I see a Yukon, not transporting an army, cutting me off in traffic. Or when I read reports like one from a 2004 survey of newborn babies, done by the Red Cross with the Environmental Working Group. “The researchers detected a total of 287 chemicals in the babies cord blood, including 180 chemicals that cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 that are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 that cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal studies.” (From “Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry by Stacy Malkan.)

Most of all, green fatigue comes when people straight up deny a need to even care about the environment. Did you know that more Americans believe in haunted houses than global warming? Yeah. Some people think it’s a political issue, and that hell will freeze over before they will agree with, as Rep. Gregg Harper of Mississippi referred to greenies, “liberal, tree-hugging Democrats.”  To which I ask, is he aware of the group Republicans for Environmental Protection?

And then there is the recent study showing that the number of Americans who believe there is solid evidence for global warming is at its lowest point in three years. This poll of 1,500 adults was conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. According to Andrew Kohut, the director of the research center, "The priority that people give to pollution and environmental concerns and a whole host of other issues is down because of the economy and because of the focus on other things.”

Alrighty then. Frankly, it’s enough to exhaust even the most committed greenies on the planet.

So what to do? It would seem that some just have a psychological aversion to going green. Literally. Recently, the American Psychological Association revealed the six psychological barriers to going green. As Ecosalon reports, “Examining decades of psychological research and practice specifically applied and tested in the arena of climate change, the task force report has determined that there are six predominant psychological barriers getting in the way of progress.”

And what are these six barriers to going green? We start with uncertainty, or “the continual argument in the scientific and political community over whether climate change is “fact or fiction” reduces the likelihood of green behavior.” This is to explain how people can deny there is climate change, even when polar bears are riding around on tiny pieces of ice. They’ve always ridden around on tiny pieces of ice! What’s to worry about?

Then there is mistrust, or “evidence shows that mostly people don’t trust the messengers and therefore, don’t trust the message.” See comment above about “liberal, tree-hugging Democrats.” Why would we believe anything science has to say? It’s just SCIENCE, people.

Then there is denial. Various polls show there is still a substantial minority of people who believe in neither in the reality of climate change nor the idea that human activity is responsible. Again, referring to said polar bear riding around on a shard of ice.

Undervaluing risk is next. This is basically: “sure, there might be a problem. But in the end, we still have plenty of time to turn things around.” Temperatures have been going up and down for centuries. We’ve have tons of time before the oceans swallow us whole! It’s not like tsunamis and category 5 hurricanes aren’t completely common.  And anyone who says otherwise doesn’t know what he/she/they are talking about.

Lack of control follows. In other words, what can one person really do to save the earth? So why bother? This is where the polar bears start to cry…

And finally, habit is the final barrier to going green. “Ingrained behaviors are the most difficult obstacle to creating change of any type.” Darn it, I’ve never had to recycle before, why should I start now? To be said by a crusty old salt who then kicks a tin can into the ocean, which is immediately swallowed by a pelican. You get the picture.

So maybe this gives us a better understanding as to why some people just cannot accept that being green isn’t just about politics, or science, or “you said and I said” kind of thinking.

But in the meantime, how to keep up the good green fight?

Check out these good, green statistics to strengthen your resolve. A recent article in Dealscope spouting these encouraging facts.

**82 percent of Americans say they are still buying green products and services today, which sometimes cost more, according to a 2009 study commissioned by Green Seal and EnviroMedia Social Marketing.

**More than six in 10 (or 66 million) U.S. homes currently use eco-friendly household products (Focalist, 2008).

**U.S. consumers are looking at using more green products in everyday life, with more than one-third of adults regularly buying green products (Mintel Research, 2008).

**18-34 year olds are twice as likely to buy green (EnviroMedia, 2009); 40 million baby boomers currently buy green (AARP, 2008).

And remember – despite people littering before your very eyes, mocking your attempts to live the organic life, or refusing to believe that we’re not going anything less than caring about the earth – we ARE making a difference. And then feel free to toss a burning cigarette back in their faces. Or not. Just sayin’.