Not to knock the It's Not Easy Being Green Group but I found a great article today in response to earth day, called Green Shopping Won't Save the Planet....
http://www.newsweek.com/id/236722/page/1
This article is a comment on something I never had even considered.
Going Green is becoming a fad. Consumers are now more concerned with buying green and although that helps growing consumerism and waste is what got us here in the first place! Even though these products are made with less plastic, less harmful chemicals, they still are processed in a factory that use electricity and factories that pollute. The article highlights that the only real way that change has been acquired in the steps of legislation and very few people lobby for legislation because they are changing their lightbulbs and recyling and "going green".
The article has a key quote that says...
"The problem with the emphasis on changing individual behavior is this: it makes too many of us believe we have done our part."
To me this is the complete truth. I recycle my bottles, plastic bags, all types of things. I use fluorescent lightbulbs and I believe that this project, and going green in general is a GREAT thing. But I have never planned to, or even thought about lobbying for change in the environment. He talks about humans and how we reach "virtuous" quota. If we "green shop" then we are doing our part. Heather Rogers has even wrote a book entitled Green Gone Wrong: How Our Economy is Undermining the Environmental Revolution.
As It's Not Easy Being Green and other groups, including my own continuing on this blog I challenge you all to really think about what it really means. Are we really going green? As I said before, I recycle and consider myself to be a fairly green individual. Yet I am writing this blog on my laptop, with the light on, the fan running, and my roommate is watching TV. I ate a lunchable for dinner and although I recycled the cardboard it came in I still had at least 4 pieces of trash that were used to individually wrap the things.
So I guess what this article has left me with is a sense of wonderment. Where do we go from here?
"It's easy being green, but hard being effective."
- Janice
This is an interesting concept that only the people with influence are changing how we act because they are forcing people to become more green. If more people voluntarily changed their actions and would speak up like this article says, maybe more change can be made for the better.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like more celebrities are going green as well, or at least they say they are. Either way, it is a great way to get more people to go green because so many people are obsessed with celebrities and want to be just like them. As time goes on, being "green" is getting cooler.
ReplyDeletewes