The older neighborhoods in my hometown of Austin Texas are seeing quite a bit of redevelopment and infill these days as the area grows like a weed. As would be expected, the developers are here building/remodeling and selling. Speculative homes apparently need a manicured yard before they are put on the market – presumably because a nice yard adds to the bottom line even though landscaping is expensive. Before the yard is literally unrolled and the plants are planted, I’ve noticed that developers begin by spreading out a layer of sticky red dirt.

I’ve not seen this type of dirt used in any other application and for good reason. Referred to jokingly around these parts as “red death,” the dirt is a type of sandy loam taken from deep within the sand and gravel pits near the Colorado River. Red death is essentially a waste product from the pit or, in other words, the cheapest dirt you can get.

To be fair, red death is completely non-toxic, but it has no organic material and little biological activity: things plants need to grow. Developers use it for a variety of reasons. A common reason is that construction makes the surrounding lot uneven and chunky with rocks and debris. Red death covers all that up.

So there you have it. The Earth’s own pancake make-up.

Yards can grow despite the use of red death by tapping into the nutrients below. However, sometimes a heavy topcoat of fertilizer is needed. These topcoats can pollute nearby streams and contaminate water supplies.

In the end, red death is a corner cut that can create environmental degradation. Wouldn’t it be almost as easy to just smooth out the existing topsoil and add organic compost to it?

According to an article from the Austin Business Journal, Southwestern University, a small liberal arts institution and the oldest university in Texas (and my alma mater), has gone “green” by signing the Talloires Declaration. The declaration includes practicing institutional ecology and increasing awareness of environmentally sustainable development.

Okay, so the declaration is 17 years old, but SU is only the second university in the state of Texas to sign it. . . Hopefully others will follow. Nice move Southwestern. Now, if they’ll only bring the “Crispy Dippers Bar” back to the cafeteria (think of every vegetable imaginable deep fried and offered next to a vat of ranch dressing) and I’ll be one completely happy alumnus.

What does it mean to be green? The word has a range of meaning. To me, what green means at its core is clear: something that’s green takes into consideration that people and the environment are tied together. Green is the assumption that taking care of our host planet is the same as taking care of ourselves.

But green is growing to mean much more. In his article The Power of Green written for New York Times Magazine, Thomas L. Friedman does a fantastic job of explaining the widespread importance of the “green movement.” One conclusion he draws is, that for the sake of our children’s health and choices, American must see “green” as a way of life - nothing less. And while Mr. Friedman conveys some powerful points, he is taking the term green in a new direction.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Mr. Friedman says that green has sometimes come to mean “liberal,” “tree-hugging,” “sissy,” “girlie-man,” “unpatriotic,” “vaguely French.” This life long Texan can vouch for that. Also, I received a letter from an office furniture store. In it, from “green” with envy to the “green” of dollars, their definition of green is all over the place.

The confusion continues: a “green” queen-size, mattress can cost $5,000 dollars or more. Is being green, being about able to afford the green choice? Is being green being rich?

The green movement is upon us and it is huge. Even Wal-Mart has gone green (or at least made a stab at it depending on one’s definition.) So, it’s natural that there are going to be varying definitions of the word green. Will green coalesce into a solid movement towards a sustainable era, or will its meaningfulness be lost as a victim of its own success? Time will tell. What does green mean to you?

Hi there.

My name is Ryan Britton and I am an environmentalist.

I have been subscribing to Car and Driver magazine since 1986 (when I was 14). I hate camping and tend to prefer my house over trudging through the great outdoors—it’s the air-conditioning. Honestly, I like to buy things. I like to eat steak at restaurants. I enjoy traveling and flying on jet airplanes. I love music and vinyl records . . . the more wax in my house the better. I like modern design and architecture and my Macbook Pro.

But I also like my veggies, and I like to walk to work. I like the idea that every city should have its own version of Washington D.C.’s Metrorail subway. I recycle, and whenever I get an hour to spare I like to go riding around the city on my cyclocross bike.

But much more than any of the above, I love my family and I want clean air and water. I want to see to it that the kids of the today (every last one of them) have the opportunities to grow and flourish as I have had. Therefore, I embrace change and taking steps forward towards a sustainable future. My lifestyle is changing and continues to change–however it continues to be rich and varied and hopeful.

Like I said, I’m an environmentalist.