Is It Time for a Ms. Green?

Illustration by Loris Lora

By Jessian Choy
October 29, 2019

Hey Mr. Green,

Would you consider renaming your column? Surely you rely on female ingenuity sometimes. I suspect that such an evolution in the magazine would go over very well with women organizers and activists.

—Terry in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Funny you should ask!

As many readers know, "Mr. Green" (a.k.a. Bob Schildgen) has answered your questions big and small for 15 years. I know I've learned so much from reading his column. As Sierra editors were planning for this special issue, they thought that maybe it was time to go in a different direction. "Ask Mr. Green" is now officially "Ask Ms. Green." Thanks to Bob, I have big, hemp, fair-trade shoes to fill.

By day, I cocreate laws and contracts and comanage SF Approved, a website I helped create for the San Francisco Department of the Environment that lists green products and services. By night, I get my hands dirty greening homes, events, and organizations and give talks on affordable housing and transportation. Late at night, I petition dictionary publishers to be less sexist. And I answer your questions. 

While all good things must come to an end, that makes room for new good things to be created. I am honored to be your Ms. Green—an Asian woman searching for unicorn solutions that can help us build a truly equitable, green world.

Talk nerdy to me at sc.org/ask-ms-green.

This article appeared in the November/December 2019 edition with the headline "Hey Mr. Green! Do You Think It's Time for a Ms. Green?"

Read a farewell message from the venerable "Mr. Green," Bob Schildgen: sc.org/schildgen.

 

For 15 years, Jessian Choy, aka "Ms. Green,"  (“she” not “guys” or “girl”), co-created laws and contracts and co-managed SF Approved, a site of green products she helped create at the San Francisco Department of Environment. Now, by day, she serves on the board of Food Empowerment Project and Earth Island. By night, she creates fun and draconian tricks for a happy, equitable, green world and fun and utopian “trips” to be happy, equitable, green or vegan through hypnotherapy, reiki energy work, and sound therapy.You can ask Ms. Green a question by clicking here or talk nerdy to her at @realMsGreen.
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