How far will your company go to go green? Would you berate employees who don’t share the corporate philosophy?

Getting everybody on the same page makes sense when there’s an obvious economic or established PR benefit, such as touting an investment in more efficient lighting systems to cut your company’s power bill, which also cuts greenhouse gas (GHG) and other air pollutants relating to coal-fired electricity.

But what about other parts of the green culture war, such as car pooling, driving economy cars or riding a bike to work … in the rain? Can you be green if you enjoy a Big Mac or veal chops instead of adopting a vegan lifestyle?

Might be best to avoid these issues in a business setting. Otherwise you’re asking for trouble — the kind of trouble that takes years of therapy to resolve.

Turns out the battle of the green culture wars is creating new problems on the home front, according to the New York Times. Marriage and family therapists tell the paper they’re seeing an increase in arguments over who’s greener than who as one member of a household gets more committed to saving the planet than other family members.

For example, the NYTimes interviewed a Santa Barbara, CA, couple who both think of themselves as environmentalists. Husband bikes 12 miles or more to work instead of commuting by car, recycles and takes reusable bags to the grocery store to avoid the “paper or plastic” dilemma at checkout counter.

But that’s not good enough for the wife. She finds it depressing that her husband uses too much water to shave and shower and doesn’t share her passion for sushi.

Have you noticed any rise of environmental tensions between employees at your company? Let us know in the comments box below.

Tags: commuting, energy efficiency, lighting, paper or plastic, reusable grocery bags