Remember when everything went "Blue" a couple years ago? Stores, restaurants, sales promotions, credit cards, toys, fashion, etc. seemed to follow blindly (and typically without ONE good reason) to naming conventions based on the new "it" color.
Well, the landscape is changing (literally) and I'm prepared to go out on a limb and pronounce that Green is the new Blue.
Myriad articles have been written about the environment since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast and oil prices peaked upwards of $75 a barrel but none have caught my attention like the COVER story of Newsweek entitled Going Green. It appears as though America might finally get it. Could two of my larger environmental pet peeves be on their way out?
First, an immediate, knee-jerk reaction to run for the hills whenever someone mentions doing something to preserve the environment. The word "recycle" makes people cringe or plead ignorance to avoid the extra 30 seconds a day involved in making a difference. Giving up an SUV that has never seen a drop of rain let alone an inch of snow or mud is like asking the owner to give up a lung. The notion of preserving green space is tantamount to taking food off of people's plates and these reactions run ad naseum across any and all environmental issues.
Too quickly do people dismiss environmental initiatives and the people behind them as "tree hugging hippies". Granted, the actual tree hugging hippies didn't do our generation any favors and have created some unfortunate stereotypes but Going Green reports that these perceptions might finally be changing.
Second, the largest barrier to becoming "greener" as a nation, company, household has always been the almighty dollar.
Homeowner: Sorry, I can't change my house over to more efficient lightbulbs because it would take 7 years to pay off and I'm not sure I'll have the house that long. I don't care that if my entire neighborhood switched to more efficient lighting and appliances that we would conserve enough energy to save an entire forest from destruction.
Business Owner: My apologies but I simply cannot switch from plastic packing peanuts to bio-degradeable packing materials because it's costs three cents more per package. Forget the fact that my kids will someday have to play in fields of packing peanuts instead of grass.
President: I must respectfully decline to reduce carbon emissions and oil consumption while decreasing the country's dependence on foreign resources because there will be expenses involved that will hurt the economy. No one cares that this could actually lead to a more prosperous economy in the long run that moves the United States away from foreign dependencies and towards being more self-sufficient.
For the longest time, Americans were waiting for technology to make environmentalism less expensive than standard consumerism. Going Green gives me hope that America (one of the most prosperous countries in the world) is finally willing to pay MORE to be environmentally conscious. I can see this trend sparking commerce and eventually leading to a marketplace where eco-friendly alternatives are comparable if not less expensive than standard items.
People are starting to see the big picture. They're starting to take responsibility for their own affect on the world around them from an environmental perspective. This is truly refreshing news if it is really indicative of a population-wide awakening.
Yeah, Im not necessarily the greenest person you will ever meet, BUT I do believe in minimizing damage to the environment, and minimizing waste. I hope more businesses try to do more for the environment. I know I am considering trying to ger separate paper recycling bins for at work because Emmaus doesnt recycle. We sure use a lot of paper.
As far as big sport utes go, too many people are driving them who truly dont ever use them as they were intended. They are getting better on gas than they once were, but really, everyone thinks they need a 4 wheel drive sport ute. In reality, many of these people shouldnt be driving in snow and ice because they cant control the vehicle anyway, and then what about the rest of the year?
I do use my truck fairly often for taking people places, vacationing, hauling, hell, Ive even towed my own car with it :-) However, whenever possible, I take my bike to work and on errands because why waste all that gas when its only me going some place with minimal belongings? Too bad the soccer moms don't seem to grasp that as more and more switch from mini vans to sport utes.
Posted by: Jon at July 20, 2006 04:29 PM