Young singles in hope of finding a partner flock to an "Eco" event in rural Japan and take up chain saws to bring down trees in hope of finding an eco conscious mate. Bogus eco! They could have been planting trees in Tokyo. What did they do in the evening, sit around a bonfire and sing "We are the world"?
But, in fairness, isn't this whole grassroots efforts to save the planet doomed to failure without a complete restructuring of the materialistic value system of the advanced world? Since you are reading this on a computer it is safe to say that in a nearby room their is a large electric box keeping your food from spoiling. In another room another smaller box that brings you pictures, entertainment and advertising telling you that you need more of their products. It is equally safe to say that nearby there is a petrol powered vehicle waiting to take you wherever you want to go. Comfortable climate controlled rooms allow you to sleep and work without breaking a sweat. Not that you should feel guilty about any of these modern conveniences; I don't.
Now that we've established our starting point. Which one of you wants to go tell 1 billion Chinese and soon 1 billion Indians that they can't get in on this gravy train?
China and India have just as much right to comfortable lifestyle as we do. There's the problem. Where are all the resources going to come from to fill all this demand? All the above mentioned products require massive amounts of resources to produce and maintain, not to mention disposal/recycle.
Now if you have recently adopted a frugal, environmentally friendly, lifestyle-as the owner of the above pictured bicycle has-don't let me dissuade you. But, in my view, too little too late. Time magazine warned the world about the explosion of the population bomb back in the '60s. Over population and dwindling resources makes this trendy "Eco" movement almost laughable. How about turning off that light when you leave the room.
what you've written is unfortunately very true. but, i guess one of the things about human nature is capacity for hope. by choosing a lower impact life (and let's face it, no one is going to give up a fridge!) it gives hope for the future... And if all of us take the nihilistic attitude that's it's too late to make a difference, well, that's just too sad.... necessity + hope = innovation?
ReplyDeleteNice site BTW.