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The Daily Green’s Stingy Dad Guide to Father's Day- Nice.

May 30, 2008

Posted by Courtney Hamilton in Living Sustainably

Tags:

ecolifetips, fathersday, sustainableliving

This morning, as I was compiling a daily report of NRDC’s media hits, I came across the aforementioned feature on The Daily Green. I smiled. I laughed. I thought of my father. The piece entitled: “The Stingy Dad Guide to Father’s Day; Dad Was Right (and Green) When He Told You To…” contains numerous Father’s Day gift tips that far surpass what I had come up with so far (.. ahem… nothing…) and runs the gamut from well-justified-gifts-of-nothing, to beer, car tune ups, and other things dads like.

The article begins:

Remember all those little nuggets of wisdom Dad doled out over the years? ("Turn off the lights!" "Stop driving like a maniac!" "Go outside and play!" etc., etc., etc.)

Ah, the advice you hated to hear... Have you noticed that these are the same sage tips recommended by the architects of the new green movement? Gasoline at $4 a gallon and a world turned upside down by global warming have made Dad's attention to every watt of energy seem smart, even (gasp!) trendy.

Impress Dad this year by saving all that energy you might otherwise spend driving to the mall. Dads are notoriously hard to shop for, and notoriously stingy. This Father's Day, celebrate Dad's wisdom by recognizing just how green he really is (even if he doesn't know it).

So skip the gift and tell Dad he was right. Tell him he's always been right. Tell him he keeps getting more right all the time. (Just do it. Father's Day is only one day a year.)
 

I like the way they think.

I’m tempted to add a few things to their tips: i.e. Don’t stop with organic beer, throw some love to the locals and give dad organic beer from your home town---and then follow the suds with stats on the fuel and money wasted on importing foods from fancy-schmancy places (like France, Fiji, and…Canadia?). But instead, I think I’ll embrace the truth: it’s probably time for this tip-writing-blogger to bow to The Daily Green and give props.

Oh yea, and props to my Dad too: Dad, you were right, eating all my brussel sprouts (from the garden), growing our own vegetables, and walking to my friend’s houses instead of getting a car ride is better. Thanks dad. You’re the best.

 

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