is making people turn…well, green.
They are sick of it to the point of hatred and disgust.
Some “green” antagonists say:
“It’s just an uber-trendy catch phrase.”
“What does it really mean?”
“I wish people would just stop throwing it around.”
Not that these opponents are down on the premise – they just hate the phrase.
It’s the proponents of anti-global warming verbiage
They are sick of it to the point of hatred and disgust.
Some “green” antagonists say:
“It’s just an uber-trendy catch phrase.”
“What does it really mean?”
“I wish people would just stop throwing it around.”
Not that these opponents are down on the premise – they just hate the phrase.
It’s the proponents of anti-global warming verbiage
who are actually attacking the cause itself.
“It’s a hoax!”
“It doesn’t matter!”
"So what? What are we supposed to do about it?"
I recently read the best rebuttal to this argument in the book “Hot, Flat, and Crowded” by Thomas Friedman. It compared living eco-smart to training for an Olympic triathlon.
“If you make it to the Olympics, you have a much better chance of winning, because you’ve developed every muscle. If you don’t make it to the Olympics, you’re still healthier, stronger, fitter, and more likely to live longer and win every other race in life. And as with the triathlon, you don’t just improve one muscle or skill, but many, which become mutually reinforcing and improve the health of your whole system.”
The point: If this whole thing is a hoax,
“It’s a hoax!”
“It doesn’t matter!”
"So what? What are we supposed to do about it?"
I recently read the best rebuttal to this argument in the book “Hot, Flat, and Crowded” by Thomas Friedman. It compared living eco-smart to training for an Olympic triathlon.
“If you make it to the Olympics, you have a much better chance of winning, because you’ve developed every muscle. If you don’t make it to the Olympics, you’re still healthier, stronger, fitter, and more likely to live longer and win every other race in life. And as with the triathlon, you don’t just improve one muscle or skill, but many, which become mutually reinforcing and improve the health of your whole system.”
The point: If this whole thing is a hoax,
“what is the worst that will happen?”
“Our country will have cleaner air and water, more efficient products, more workers educated in the next great global industry, higher energy prices but lower bills, greater productivity, healthier people…we’ll have to fight fewer wars over natural resources.”
Being 'green' is NOT a bad thing!
• We are using reusable grocery bags instead of plastic. (If we forget the bags, we ask for paper sacks at the store.)
• No more bottle waters – we are refilling the ones that we have over and over, but we’re primarily only using faux Nalgene bottles.
• Since we don’t have energy-efficient appliances, we are only doing four loads of laundry a week.
“Our country will have cleaner air and water, more efficient products, more workers educated in the next great global industry, higher energy prices but lower bills, greater productivity, healthier people…we’ll have to fight fewer wars over natural resources.”
Being 'green' is NOT a bad thing!
I could care less what the hell you call it – purple, yellow, sunset orange – but it’s time for each of us to do our part. It’s time to check our egos at the door – stop being lazy – and do the little things that can make a huge difference in OUR world.
Earlier this week I blogged about saving energy – specifically how I’m bribing my wife to turn off the lights. I wanted to share some other initiatives that Tanya are doing to be more “green” (Not to mention helping us save a little money in the process):
• By utilizing our compost bin and recycling, we are only producing two bags of trash every three weeks. (That’s NOT a Hefty double-ply lawn sack, either. It’s just your run of the mill kitchen garbage bag.)
• By utilizing our compost bin and recycling, we are only producing two bags of trash every three weeks. (That’s NOT a Hefty double-ply lawn sack, either. It’s just your run of the mill kitchen garbage bag.)
• We are using reusable grocery bags instead of plastic. (If we forget the bags, we ask for paper sacks at the store.)
• No more bottle waters – we are refilling the ones that we have over and over, but we’re primarily only using faux Nalgene bottles.
• Since we don’t have energy-efficient appliances, we are only doing four loads of laundry a week.
• As mentioned before, we are in the process of changing all of our light bulbs to the energy-efficient variety.
• Whenever possible we are taking Tanya’s car (Honda Accord) instead of my pickup.
• We are turning off the water when we soap up in the shower and then turning it back on to rinse off. (Totally kidding, but there are some people who think in order to be eco-conscious you have to be extreme. YOU DON’T!)
• Whenever possible we are taking Tanya’s car (Honda Accord) instead of my pickup.
• We are turning off the water when we soap up in the shower and then turning it back on to rinse off. (Totally kidding, but there are some people who think in order to be eco-conscious you have to be extreme. YOU DON’T!)
Some future endeavors:
• Have an energy audit done on our house.
• Have an energy audit done on our house.
• Replace our heating and cooling system with an energy-efficient model. (Purchasing a digital thermostat will come first, though.)
• Replace all the windows in our house.
Reminder: You don’t have to read by candlelight, leave the toilet unflushed, or unplug everything before you go to bed to be eco-conscious.
Just be aware!
Just be aware!
(You would be amazed how big a difference that will make.)
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