Okay, a little break from the somber tone of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. I want to do my bit to promote the Green Garment Campaign, which was conceived by "Tophat" over at the blog "It's All About the Hat." The campaign is encouraging environmentally minded Latter-day Saints to send messages to the feedback link at Church Distribution (feedback@store.lds.org)proposing that the church expand the range of garment fabrics to include "green" options like wool or a cotton/hemp blend.
In a more literal sense, "green" garments are already available, i.e., in the color green, for LDS folks in the armed services. So, let's see... What are the odds that the church will be as solicitous toward members with environmental concerns as it has been to the needs of its members in the military?
That was a snarky question—and I will sincerely repent for that, in a spirit of humbled thanksgiving, if events prove that my snarkiness was unfair. But speaking seriously, it's hard to predict how church leadership might react to this campaign, assuming it gets off the ground enough to attract their notice. On the one hand, now that "going green" has become a respectable part of the corporate culture from which church administration often takes its cues, the church recently developed a "green"-certified model for meetinghouses. On the other hand, given the predominance of conservative Republicans in Mormonism and therefore in church administration, I really do suspect the campaign will tend to elicit within the bureaucracy a kneejerk reaction of, "Silly tree-huggers." Of course, even if there's sympathy for the proposal, the corporate machinery could decide it's not cost-effective, too little demand, etc.
Still, despite my natural pessimism, it's heartening to see folks anxiously engaged in a good cause, so I wish the Green Garment Campaign well. "O Lord, give them success" (Alma 31:32).
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