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Being Green

The news media and marketers have overwhelmingly turned environmentalism into fashion thus distracting the population from the serious issues of environmental degradation and global warming. With environmentalism being high profile, in part due to the success of Al Gore’s 2006 “Inconvenient Truth” documentary, the mainstream green for the most part say that buying products promoting eco-friendly is a good first step. How ridiculous is it to tell people to consume more in order to reduce impact? By buying something green (or not) with the assumption that we are solving global environmental problems is a complete misconception, the most significant part to the problem is consumption. The genuine solution is to reduce ones consumption of goods and resources. Reports show that many products marketed as green pump more carbon into the atmosphere, not to mention other effluent and environmental stress, than choosing something more modest or simply nothing at all. The consumer has embraced green living, and for a great part the mainstream green movement has embraced green consumerism. We must question the notion that we can avert global warming by purchasing so called earth friendly products while the overall cumulative effect of our consumption remains enormous and hazardous.

“There is a very common mind-set right now which holds that all that we’re going to need to do to avert the large-scale planetary catastrophes upon us is make slightly different shopping decisions,” Alex Steffen“

To many people believe we can buy our way to heaven, so to speak, along with the overwhelming assumption that there is an easy way out.

Less will accomplish more and informed choices must become the mainstay within our daily lives, along with common sense which is far from common these days.

What is up with people and “Clean Air Day”? Another feeble attempt to clear their conscience of their despicable lifestyles. Lets make it a “Clean Air Lifestyle“ incorporating daily alternatives and real (not virtual) healthy living. Everyone who owns more than one vehicle per family put up your hands. There is absolutely no well founded reason for a family to require 2 vehicles. If a reason is mulling around in your head just apply the word “choice” as an antithesis to your train of thought. Together a difference can be accomplished, however to make a change what we choose is the key factor in truly affecting change. Awareness is not Action We live in a small town (lets disregard the bloated egos of our City Counsel declaring Kimberley a city, all 7000 of us including the deer!) where in far to many instances it is not necessary to drive a vehicle to get around. Far to often I observe people driving all of one or two blocks to go to the store, run an errand or visit a friend. Get off your fat asses and bike, walk, run or what have you, just don’t jump in the car and drive. We have become a society of whimpy, snivelling and whiny characters that are afraid of the great outdoors, soon we may have good reason to be afraid of the great outdoors when our gluttony will have changed it into a harsh wasteland.