Defined: “In our becoming more and more cognizant to the effect we (human race) and our lifespaces are having on the planet, adaptation of new behaviors are learned for the preservation of life.” It’s selfish. The key phrase above, “preservation of life” (that’s human life). To this day, my favorite dissertation of “green” was by George Carlin. ‘Cliff note’ version in so many ways, Carlin explained…
“We’re so self-important. So self-important. Everybody’s going to save something now. Save the trees, save the bees, save the whales, save those snails. And the greatest arrogance of all: save the planet. What? Are these %*@# people kidding me? Save the planet, we don’t even know how to take care of ourselves yet. We haven’t learned how to care for one another, we’re gonna save the %*@# planet? I’m getting tired of that $#!^. Tired of that $#!^. I’m tired of %*@# Earth Day, I’m tired of these self-righteous environmentalists, these white, bourgeois liberals who think the only thing wrong with this country is there aren’t enough bicycle paths. People trying to make the world save for their Volvos. Besides, environmentalists don’t give a $#!^about the planet. They don’t care about the planet. Not in the abstract they don’t. Not in the abstract they don’t. You know what they’re interested in? A clean place to live. Their own habitat. They’re worried that some day in the future, they might be personally inconvenienced. Narrow, unenlightened self-interest doesn’t impress me.
The planet has been through a lot worse than us… Been through earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drift, solar flares, sun spots, magnetic storms, the magnetic reversal of the poles…hundreds of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids and meteors, worlwide floods, tidal waves, worldwide fires, erosion, cosmic rays, recurring ice ages…And we think some plastic bags, and some aluminum cans are going to make a difference? The planet…the planet…the planet isn’t going anywhere. WE ARE!
The planet’ll be here and we’ll be long gone. Just another failed mutation. Just another closed-end biological mistake. An evolutionary cul-de-sac. The planet’ll shake us off like a bad case of fleas. A surface nuisance.
The planet has been here four and a half billion years. We’ve been here, what, a hundred thousand? Maybe two hundred thousand? And we’ve only been engaged in heavy industry for a little over two hundred years. Two hundred years versus four and a half billion… The planet will be here for a long, long, LONG time after we’re gone, and it will heal itself, it will cleanse itself, ’cause that’s what it does. It’s a self-correcting system. The air and the water will recover, the earth will be renewed. The PEOPLE are &^%$. We’re going away. And we won’t leave much of a trace, either. Thank God for that.”
If we’re serious about saving us (the human race) not the planet; then, we should quit charging one another for “know how” to do it. It’s in our self interest for us all to act in a more responsible way.
The nation as a whole, and individual states have set goals to drop their carbon outputs by certain percentages. States like Utah, and others, have set into effect four day work weeks. These four day work weeks have statistically increased productivity, lowered “cost of production”, and increased employee moral. Going green sure sounds like it not only has a positive effect on the environment, but also a positive effect on the human way of life. A little food for thought!!!
While I agree in the idea of conservation I’m not completely sold on all the green hype. Due in some part to my initial experience with trying to “go green”. Three years ago we made the switch to compact fluorescent bulbs. Long story short they do use a lot less power but last a fraction of the time they claim. Most of the “8 year” bulbs I purchased lasted 2.5 years. I have 2 still working as a constant reminder that newer isn’t always better.
I don’t buy into the four day work week. Making sure I understand… we arrive at 8AM, work for 5 hours; take lunch break; then work another 5 hours. Where does the efficiency come in? I understand moral – you get a three day weekend.
This may work if your Comcast running multiple shifts and weekend crews. It may work if you’re a large manufacturer with usused production capacity. May work if you’re WalMart with multiple shift changes. How about the smaller companies? From the smaller company’s perspective > how do you address a customer’s need that arises on one of the three days when you’re not working? I also think that telling a customer that they must sacrifice an entire morning or afternoon to wait around for a service technician is not the right answer either.
The carbon footprint savings argument is made largely in part by the fact that you won’t drive to work that 5th day. But, I’ll bet you drive somewhere on that 5th day. And if the carbon footprint to which you are so concerned is you issue, then carpool or take the bus.
There are so many other ways to address our carbon footprint. Take responsibility in your proposed action versus assigning the responsibility to others.
Shouldn’t it be a collaberative approach? I see both Benjammin & SmallBiz perspectives. I guess if we’re going to best address these issues we’ll have to do it together. Open to ideas, open to new approaches, open to bringing about ‘change’ that makes sense. We’re talking about it. That’s a start. ~ f
Excellent post. Can’t wait to see the next article.