RECENTLY, I had a conference call with some green bloggers and the subject of incrementalism came up. OK, we didn't actually call it "incrementalism," but that's what we were talking about. You know, should you laud a company for taking baby steps to improve the eco-friendliness of a product that's essentially not that eco-friendly at its essence. For example: Do you praise a company for improving packaging or materials used or manufacturing processes or distribution channels ... for a disposable razor? Sure, they're lowering the impact, but isn't the whole idea of the disposable razor the antithesis of green?

This reminds me very much of the vegetarian vs. vegan or animal welfare vs. animal rights arguments. It goes something like this: Making conditions more humane for animals destined to be slaughtered just lets people feel all warm and fuzzy about something that is still, essentially, inhumane. It may, in fact, deter real, lasting, permanent change for the better because it makes us feel like taking those incremental steps is "good enough."

If you've been reading this column for any length of time, you probably already know where I stand: Baby steps are better than no steps. Sure, lots of steps, full-on big, huge steps are better than baby steps, but when you find the person who actually achieves perfection, the person who is taking every step there is to take to be humane, ethical, green, etc., when that person emerges to prove it can be done, then I might start raising my standards higher.

But as long as passionate green bloggers are still, inexplicably, meat-eaters—despite all the evidence that not eating meat (and dairy and eggs) is one of the most powerful individual steps we all can control to be more eco-friendly—I will continue to be grateful for the good work they do. And I look forward to the day they do more. (And to the day when I do more, too, no doubt about it.)

Whether you call it pragmatic or defeatist, I don't think people or companies will change overnight. So I see tremendous value in reducing our respective footprints, our negative impact. Whether you call it pragmatic or defeatist, I don't think we will eliminate, be it practices, products or services, until we reduce.

That's why, even though I went first vegetarian, and then vegan, overnight in each case, I'm all for incrementalism.

What about you?

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