What is the eco-monocle?
The eco-monocle is the green lens I put on to look at the world.It's a monocle because I want to keep one eye on the world from my regular perspective in order to give balance to my environmental view; it helps to avoid green-washing (which might result if I used green-tinted spectacles).
It's a mid-syllable Spoonerism of economical (transposing the 'm' and the 'n' gives eco-monical, and from that eco-monocle) that occurred to me one day. The hyphen is there to aid readability, particularly for scan reading.
The eco-monocle is a reference to the economics of being green, to the financial side of environmentalism; the need to balance dark-green environmental aspirations with first-world lifestyles.
The eco-monocle is a pin to prick the pomposity of phrases like "pragmatic environmentalism". All those syllables, what a mouthful! And it sounds so serious; surely there's a need for a snappier, more pithy term. After all, these matters are too important to be taken seriously. Monocles are funny.
Monocles are used for a quick aid for people who need them; they're task-based, convenient. My eco-monocle is always at hand, and can be slipped on to give a green perspective to the matter at hand, a perspective that can be examined, considered, weighed.
Looking through the eco-monocle reveals hidden clutter, shows where something useful has become something ornamental.
Browse all articles written looking through the eco-monocle.
