But, still I wonder.
Is it just me or has it suddenly become a lot tougher to want to be "green", to reduce your carbon footprint, to care about big picture environmental issues, to recycle & reuse, when each of our lifetimes personal environmental saving effort is devoured in less than a second by BP's oil spills?
Am I the only one who feels like a sap, especially now when its time to redouble our efforts?
Toad
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17 comments:
In the end, I fear that all of our green-oriented efforts are in vain.
I'm convinced that the earth is doomed - far too many selfish humans around. However, being one, I continue my green efforts because they are largely frugal. I do what I can and I don't sweat the rest.
I think one should do what they can and not worry about the others. You can go to sleep at night without a worry for you did your best.
Like pollution, acid rain and that ozone problem the only cure will be massive government intervention. Except that this is a global problem so it's going to take a massive multi-government intervention. Oh yeah, and there's also the problem that big government is now considered evil. For now you are helping to build critical mass which is not nothing.
The way I see it is that humans have evolved to be exceptionally good at solving problems that are right in front of our noses and exceptionally good at ignoring most everything else. It worked for a long, long time.
I'm with Martha and Shelley. Just do the best you can.
big government is only bad when it sticks it's nose in something that is deemed private enterprise. unless, of course, that private enterprise has something so awful as to affect everyone, and the private enterprise is too inept to fix the mess they created. and only when our collective will urges the government to do something, should the government step in. unless the rest of the country doesn't seem to care, then the government should take the initiative. but only if we tell it to.
i'm sorry, what was the question....?
I suppose I really don't believe that I as one person can make a difference in this issue. it takes everyone, but then this tragedy occurs!
Karena
Art by Karena
I'm with Martha. Like all things I think you have try to do the best thing. Just, you know, so you can live with yourself. If you want to rant against something you can start with the "news" organization that told my mother-in-law that this oil spill is the equivalent of a drop of oil in a glass of water.
What is the Boy Scout motto?
"On my honor I will do my best..."
That's all WE can do.
As for big business and government?
I KNOW I can sleep at night.
You are not alone in these thoughts...
Your new header made me smile. Very nice.
I don't feel different about such things. BP externalizes (puts on all of us) the cost of their pollution as much as they can. Maybe our society will one day determine that BP can internalize more of these costs; sort of like how we've decided that we have to drive cars with engines that produce less pollution (that cost us more to purchase, maintain, etc.).
You're nothing like a sap. But it just makes me want to keep doing what I have decided I am willing to do.
I know, it can feel like it's all for not. The BP catastrophe is more than I can take. But, I still feel like I should do all that I can and pass along that mindset to my kids. Perhaps one of my kids will go on to impact the environment in an extraordinarilly positive way. You never know.
Big government isn't the answer to anything. Personal responsibility and integrity is what we have lost. Government can't (and shouldn't try) to become these "for the people". The people need to quit whinning, get up off their asses and take charge of their own lives and surroundings. Only then will true change occur.
Tonight is "put out the trash night" in my neighborhood. I put out my small bag and stood there looking up and down the street at the mountains of trash in front of some of the houses. Regretfully, we don't have mandatory recycling in our little town. I guess some of my neighbors are just too lazy. . . It makes me sad.
Late as usual. I think this issue probably requires both individual and governmental responsibility. Human beings are really good at ignoring certain problems unless they are given incentives (or coerced) to face and deal with them.
Sooner or later they will - I hope - find a way to sort out this latest tragedy and clean things up. It is a terrible, acute, problem. The thing with taking care of the environment long term, however, is that many problems are chronic. A giant oil spill is a catastrophic event that is very visible and real, but the over-reliance on oil long term (which we can't see in the same way) is even more damaging globally.
I think the same can be said of other environmental problems. The giant trash vortex in the North Pacific (the size of Texas) is another bloody awful human-created misery that is very visible and seems unsolvable but, if we all relied less on plastics, it would not continue to grow.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that each of us may be - or feel - insignificant in the face of acute catastrophes but if we all do our bit, we can prevent future ones and we can slowly reverse the chronic ailments we have inflicted on the planet. Water-Powered Car, Toad?
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