Why Now?
A couple of weeks ago, a journalist asked me why I thought so many people are undertaking green-simplicity projects right now. I told her that, for me, and maybe for other people, it's coming out of a generalized political dread that required me to do something - anything - to feel a little more active and headed towards change. Around the world, there are messes getting more hideous by the minute - many of them in America's name - and I think personal environmental efforts make people feel a little less out of control.
Thomas L. Friedman's piece in the NYT Magazine this weekend takes this idea a lot further, positing that going "Geo-Green" is the US's biggest, best, and perhaps only, chance to maintain/regain world leadership and promote democracy. His argument is most compelling in the first two sections of the article, in which he identifies the "petroauthoritarians" and makes the case that energy innovations made in the military may provide some of the technology and momentum needed to improve energy efficiency back in the US. So I guess he might say that little homemaker Greens are tapping into this idea, spreading the word, and gathering support for the (hopefully!) coming global push for eco-efficiency.
Clearly being green is trendy this year: you can buy a bunch of green stuff and watch a tv series about it! But why now? People around the world have been doing eco-friendly things for a long time. There have been 37 Earth Days since 1970, and I'm reading books that are decades old, prescribing the things Mr. Friedman talks about in his article. I think a lot of people might argue that the science got more clear and the message to more people, thanks to An Inconvenient Truth, or that people are now realizing that "time is running out." What do you think? What's different now and will this one pass by like previous green trends before large-scale change comes?
Spend $5K on a report about developing and marketing green products!
Megan Metcalf
2 Comments
Reader Comments (2)
I think it is becoming "popular" to go/be green because people are starting to realize they can't continue to live the way they have maintain their sanity, health, relationships and everything else we hold dear. I admit that is my reason for changing my way of life. I was doing lots of things, but not really doing anything meaningful and felt as if my family and personal had fallen by the wayside. Now, I'd rather spend an hour pulling weeds or sitting on the front porch with my wife then hanging out on myspace or watching television.
You ask good questions, meaning I've been wondering about these things, myself.
I'm fairly certain that I raised my three kids to at least be conscious of our impact on the world. We recycled before communities offered curb pickup ... and got paid for our trash. The kids sent the money earned to support environmental causes. 2 out of 3 are (to this day) conscious of their impact, I think.
The 3rd one is visiting me this week and I'm PRETTY sure that her lack of interest isn't responsible for my increased interest in the subject, but do we ever REALLY know? Guess we'll see.