Individual behaviors are necessary to prevent ecological damage, but the public shows a striking lack of action. Decades of persuasive environmental appeals have fallen short of generating the necessary behaviors. One problem is that many conservation behaviors have come to symbolize environmentalism. Most individuals are not environmentalists, and they may avoid behaviors that signal to others an environmental identity. Three survey studies with community members consistently revealed that environmental identity moderated the relationship between social visibility and pro-environmental behaviors. Non-environmentalists performed fewer behaviors that they considered visible (e.g., public recycling) compared to private (e.g., taking shorter showers). Identity and reputation are important to understand not only environmental engagement but also environmental disengagement. These findings highlight a potential danger of environmental messages that tie an environmental identity to target actions: individuals may publicly reject those behaviors to avoid the unwanted identity.