So it was one of those days in June, I was in Florence, Italy. Summer was at its peak and the sun was scorching. A beautiful Saturday and I was bored beyond relief since school was on break and most of my friends had gone back to their various countries.

American tourists everywhere and I felt more like I was in the US than in Italy as most people spoke English and pidgin Italian. I could not but wonder what everyone loved in this city I was tired of. (Just to mention, I am a very contemporary person and I would rather live in New York or London than Florence or Venice). I hate history

If I was this bored by 9:am, then it’s going to be a very long day. Scrolling through my phone, I remembered it one of my friends was still around and would be leaving in a couple of days. Without wasting time, I picked up my phone and rang her up.

Me: Ciao Juan, how are you
Juan: Fine thanks and you?
Me: I am great, Grazie
Me: Are you free today? I was hoping we could hang out, visit some places or do some shopping (I hated shopping, but I knew all girls loved shopping)
Juan: Yes, I was actually thinking of doing some final shopping, before going home, would you come with me to Ighili (A shopping mall in Florence)
Me: that would be great; I have never been there. Moreover I was actually thinking of doing some shopping for my girlfriend, maybe you could be of help
Juan: Great, let me get ready then. I would talk to my housemate too; she might be interested in coming
Me: Perfecto. See you in at the station in 45 minutes; let me get some food before then.
Juan: Alright, Ciao

It seems the day might not be that boring after all, I was going to hangout with a girl or two who knows.

Hi Segs, Meet my friend Jane (not real name). She would be joining us for shopping. Hi Jane, it’s good to meet you. I was really glad to meet Jane. She was the white version of my girlfriend in physical attribute. She’s not so tall, blue eyes, sexy shape and beautiful. She was simply dressed, gorgeous smiles and was wearing a light perfume and thanks to the good gracious Lord, she speaks English. Yeah, I have a girlfriend, but that doesn’t stop me from making friends… moreover she just told me I need to make new friends asides apart from my computer.

Good to meet you too, Jane said as she jolted me back to reality. She was my kind of girl. I just needed to have a 10 minutes conversation with her and I would know if we could be “good” friends. Just to mention I am SAPIOSEXUAL.

While I hoped for 10 minutes, little did I know that that was a tithe of the time I would spend with her alone. Anyways, who wouldn’t like to spend quality time with this raw beauty, but the question is discussing what?

We had some very random chats in the bus trying to get acquainted. On getting to the mall, the ladies were very helpful in helping me make choices for my mum and my girlfriend. Maybe shopping wasn’t a bad activity after all… The girls picked a thing or two as well and we proceeded to some home store.

I didn’t mention earlier that we were all interior design (maybe decoration) students and Juan was actually going to get tome materials she intend to use on some prospective project when she gets back home. She has just graduated and was more than happy to practice that which she had learnt.

Juan picked up some carton framed wall painting and said, guys I love this. It’s absolutely beautiful, cheap and eco-friendly. I love your choice said Jane, try and introduce green materials into all your designs and change the way things are in your Country. It was beautiful and cheap actually, but talking about eco-friendly, who really cares?

I always learnt to pick my battles, but little did I know that you can also lose your own battles. I knew so much about going green and it was time to play the “devils advocate”. I did a "not-so-realistic" MSc dissertation on green office, my girlfriend was a sucker for renewable energy and I loved reading about nature.

As if Juan could read my mind, she excused us as she continued shopping on her own… Jane and I walked behind her at a distance and the following conversation ensured between us

Me: Why are you so bothered about going green? Statically, evident has proven that the (financial) cost of going green can be so ridiculous especially when compared to the return derived.
Jane: You do not like greens *face changes* - you definitely do not want to see the other side of some beautiful girls, its so not beautiful
Me: Not like I hate greens, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to go green. Nobody appreciates it
Jane: You can’t say that, I do
Me: Ehmmmm
Jane: Everyday, the ozone layer is being depleted causing global warming and nobody seems to care
Me: I know, but there is actually little we can do. Imagine I keep on going green and nobody else is doing it, I am going to get frustrated and stop
Jane: That’s the point; you don’t have to get frustrated. You cannot know how many people you are inspiring
Me: Yes agreed, but also looking at it from an economical perspective, If It would cost me more to go green and nobody is going to appreciate it, I would rather use normal materials than decide to go green. As a business…”cuts me short”
Jane: That’s the problem with the world. We are only concerned about profits and what we would make without thinking about others.

Me: But every business should actually focus on profits otherwise they would go out of market
Jane: No… Not at the expense of other peoples life. If the world were to be ideal Coca-Cola and other companies like cigarette-manufacturing companies should be shut down.
Me: Are you kidding me? Coca-Cola? I am not a big fan of cigarette, but what has Coca-Cola done?
Jane: Just so they can make profit, they keep putting elements that make people addicted into their products
Me: You can’t say that, there is no empirical research to support that
Jane: Its all over the Internet, just Google it
Me: I believe most drinkers of Coca-Cola actually know that overconsumption is not good, but they still drink it. We are liable for whatever harm we bring to ourselves.
Jane: Do you think they do not want to stop, its because they are addicted and they cannot stop
Me: I believe, life is filled with choices and we cannot set out to blame other people for our own misfortune. It’s like banning cars because people do have accident
Jane: Don’t get me wrong Segs, cars were not created to cause accidents, but cigarettes were created to make people addicted so that the tobacco companies can make more money. Same goes for coke with all the addictive elements inside the drink
Me: I would not agree with you on that, do you realize that Coca-Cola was actually a syrup for cough and when people loved the taste, it was converted to a commercial drink. I believe every business should have its commercial arm, which is in charge of increasing revenues, while they also have environmentalist, and psychologist who are in charge of ensuring sustainability.
Jane: It’s more than that. The chain effect of not going green is so enormous, so smokers smoke and are liable to die young
Me: “interrupts” but they are warned, so it’s their choice
Jane: They really do not have a choice; they are addicted so they cannot stop. I am not a smoker, but I inhale fumes from cigarette, which is more dangerous than active smokers, so I am also liable to die young. Why should I bear the result of someone else action all because the some guys there are trying to make money. The ozone layer is also getting depleted all because of this

… "Damn **thinking**, how can I change this topic, time to blame the higher authority”….

Me: I think I understand your point, but I do not agree with you that these companies should cease to exist. People should be enlightened about the harms involved and allowed to make their decisions. Also, I believe, the government should place regulations that allow these organizations use environmentally friendly materials like recycled products, self-decomposing materials and others.
Jane: Yes, but the change has to start from you. Those rules are already in place, but the process or recycling is also harmful to the environment. These goods have to be transported which would consume energy and also release toxic gas into the environment. They also have to be processed.
Jane: Imagine every time you go shopping, you go with your backpack and do not collect the carrier bags, in 5 years, how many carrier bags would you have saved. If the three of us does that, how many would we have saved? That’s quite a number. Other people can also see us and try to emulate us.
Me: But the stuffs we are buying are also inside these bags, which are not decomposable. We would still generate waste, which is more than whatever we are saving. One thing still remains sure, as a business oriented fellow, I wouldn’t spend 3 times more just because I want to go green when it is possible to get for me to get a similar product with the same functionality at a third of the price
Jane: You seem, to be all about profit and care less about the world.
Me: I am no super man, I care about the world to the same extent the world cares about me. Why should I overkill over something that is not working. Also, the high cost of going green is not encouraging for now. I definitely do encourage a green world, but not at my own expense.
Jane: The change you are looking for starts from within. If you listen to me today, I would have converted one person and you would convert another. It’s a web and before you know it the world is green.
Me: Yes Ma’am, but I still love me some Coca-Cola and I would never support the ban of Coca-Cola I said as I laughed.

Somehow the conversation changed from going green towards child labor in developing nations, profit oriented organization, animal cruelty, business ethics etc. all with a reference to going green. While we agreed on some things, we disagreed on others.

I realized that while Jane’s Ideal environment do not exist and can never exist, I also figured out that I had to play my part in making the world green. The change I was looking for starts from within.

It was time to eat and as we went to the restaurant I ordered for chicken and chips… I didn’t see Jane on my till. A quick calculation and I needed no one to tell me that she is vegetarian. She came and joined us on the table with a bowl of salad. I smiled to myself.

On getting home, I went to the grocery bag to get some stuff. This time I went with my backpack and I felt proud of myself. I was becoming the change I wanted. While Jane was beautiful and was my kind of lady, she was too green for me (lol). I didn’t collect her number. I definitely would see her around some other times and probably have a better conversation to test my attraction. For some reasons, she was too intelligent on greens.

Source: http://pencil-imaginations..it/2014/07/beautiful-sexy-intelligent-and-green.html