green fatigue
To be honest, I think a different approach is needed when promoting ideas on carbon footprints and sustainability, lest one come off sounding sanctimonious -- a problem I think a lot of environmentalists have when appealing to the hoi polloi. Personally, I feel I'm uniquely conscionable when it comes to matters of environmental/economical natures, yet even I find myself feeling bogged down at the sometimes preachy green hype on this forum and elsewhere, and I wonder if its the most effective way to get such a vital message across.
One trap to avoid is overstating the impact of one poison over another just because it doesn't figure into our lives personally; even for the most dogmatic, there remains a litany of less overt but equally or more negative detriments to the environment than an incandescent bulb or a two stroke engine. If you purchase Chinese made CFLs, (or any other product from mainland China), you are not only contributing to human rights violations and our own massive trade deficit, but also to our carbon emission load, thanks to the barges used in their transport; if you consume beef you are contributing in a very real way to global warming according to a UN report released in '06 which cited the raising of animals for food as one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide and the single largest source of both methane and nitrous oxide emissions -- surpassing the carbon footprint of all the cars and planes combined. That goes for the purchase of hides and leather goods, too (excepting horsehide). I also see almost zero dialogue on the detriments of overpopulation. Cranking out a few less juniors a year surely couldn't hurt the environment, even if it is unorthodox to even suggest such a thing as family planning or contraception.
I think the most we can push for is perhaps more judiciousness when it comes to choosing one's poisons, or at the very least, better moderation of poisons. Now you just have to figure out a way to make it sexy and affordable. Guilt and altruism are failed marketing strategies and ones that I fear may lead to a public bog down.
Finch, as always
A pleasure to read your comments.
One of the reasons I started this thread was to gain insight into how others make changes etc. Its easy to preach giving up your car - unless you commute 2 hours to work. I figured that a person by person account would sound less preachy. Lord knows - I work in the Peoples Republic of Cambridge - mention that you disagree with climate change and the folks here will drag you into the street and take turns driving over you with their Priuses.
We've long known that information alone doesnt do much to change minds; incentives are needed. Things like plastic bags being less available at a supermarket - or better yet, charging for them. Charging a .05 surcharge for your ATM receipt, or a .25 charge for your 'to go' cup at the cafe. etc.
Oh but I love the People's REpublic of Cambridge (US)
One of my favorite ways to waste a day...hanging in Harvard Square, kickin' it old school at the chess tables by Au Bon Pain and getting the most awesome fish tacos on the planet at the Border Cafe'... I do take the train to get there so it can't be all bad! I miss some of the old spots tho, from before it got all gussied up. Remember that hot dog joint that used to be by Out of Town news? I think there's a bank there now...or Aberdumbo and Fitch. And then there's the Garment Disctrict down by MIT...best thrift store ever created!
I think your best...
I think your best incentive is to be found in a slightly different shade of green, and that's the one we find at the bottom line; the really effective approach would be to find a way to make it lucrative for more big business to go green, (and I mean truly green), since it's really the businesses and municipalities that are the worst offenders. You could double up on sweaters and let yellow mellow from year one of your life, and you'd still never have the net impact on the environment that you would if you were able to convince the local Prius sales center not to keep a perpetual zillion watt halo going over their inventory.
In the meantime, a less salient approach is needed if you're going to appeal to the undecided or uninformed, or risk a backlash -- because nobody likes to sense (falsely or not) that they're being chided or asked to sacrifice. Not even during a war. Just look at how well Carter went over for making plain sense. But I wonder if it would have been the same way if it were JFK? This goes back to what I was saying about presentation in my last post. What sells and what, unfortunately, doesn't.
for my part
I think I was born with a naturally conservative nature, though I am by no means as militant as some. For my part, I do not run the AC or heat unless the climate is absolutely encroaching on me or mine, I do not watch television, I use very little lighting, (mostly an LED mood light from Phillips), I have owned the same car for 14 years (this really freaks people out), I go to great lengths and expense to buy American, I use a 25 watt amp for my hi fi, I do not get swept up in gadget craze, I wear old clothes and I buy and care for lots of old stuff that nobody besides me and maybe five other fanatics care about.
Somethings you could horsewhip my shins for: said car has a V8 engine, I do not use CFLs and will not, I am really bad about drinking coffee in to-go cups and I spend too much time in the shower.
Keeping up with the Joneses is something I've never really experienced, because the Joneses are never into the same subjects that compel me. If I feel competitive, I feel competitive with the designer or creator of whatever appliance or car the neighbor might be enjoying. Intellectual jealousy!
Why no CFL's, Finch?
You seem adamant on that point, so please let us know why...I'm curious. If it's the mercury thing...that's is SUCH a tired saw. Incandescents have mercury too and their increased power usage send even more of it into the environment. It's not a defensible argument. So assuming it's not that, cuz you seem too informed to fall for that one, what is it?
I've noticed that there are several similarities that we all seem to mention about ourselves here on DA when speaking about eco-awareness. Many of us feel we have always been conservation-minded and cite no TV, older vehicles, generally low lighting in our homes, vintage clothes and of course furniture. Does this mean that a DA-er is a natural born eco-warrior?
Stephen, my cats are more likely to be consumed by said wildlife than consumers of it. The local coyotes are fond of feline.
Even if any of us are...
Even if any of us are natural born eco-warriors, Olive, many of us down to the last letter are fated to re-learning things the hard way, if we ever learn indeed. We are often finally, even at our most effected, creatures of habit and false hope, commercial sheep to the commercial slaughter. And in almost every hat the magic rabbit. How many of us, for one not so good example, have known someone treated for lung cancer who smoked in remission, someone who knew better? This is largely - no metaphor intended - a world made of want over need: the most human of conditions.
On a slightly related and...
On a slightly related and more positive note, the documentary, Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, aired on PBS last night. Don't know if anyone here saw it or if/when it will show again, but if/when it does, it's worth watching, I think, if you have a TV.
Olive -- Nah, I agree that...
Olive -- Nah, I agree that mercury poisoning is generally overstated and misunderstood. Kinda like asbestos. That said, while I agree the end user has less to worry about when it comes to mercury poisoning from a broken CFL, this overlooks the factory workers in China manufacturing the CFLs. There's no OSHA in China, and as we well know, China is not known for safeguarding their workers or the environment from hazards like chemical spills or neurotoxic vapors. So, to be fair, Mercury may not merely be the tempest in a teacup it seems -- unless we're only concerned with the Western front. There's also the UV issue, but I won't touch on that here.
I confess, my main beef is that they are not aesthetic -- which is maybe an appropriate beef to have considering the forum. Even with the newer generation CFLs, I still find the light blanched and mealy looking -- think suntan line. Speaking of which, there is also a documented bleaching effect on rugs and furniture and even paintings, thanks to the aforementioned UV issue. Whatsmore, they're just not practical for my unique situation -- enclosed fixtures or unique shaped housings and lots of dimmer switches. I use mostly halogen and LED, but I do not crumple with guilt when I turn on an incandescent light bulb. I prefer them to CFLs. Then again, I also use electronic equipment with vacuum power tubes. What can I say?
I'm holding out for more efficient LED designs, and the much less discussed but much needed development in green laser technology. This from the Wall Street Journal:
UNDATED - What's missing from the three things needed to make high resolution film projection is a low-cost green laser to complete the red-blue-green trifecta - the basis for most video displays and cool, "natural" room light. So important are green lasers that many physicists and material scientists talk about them in holy-grail terms.
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