Do you think more people would be more "green" if they saw the financial benefit to them?
I'm buying bamboo flooring for my house, not because they're the most eco-friendly flooring, but because they're inexpensive and they look nice. I don't drive an SUV, not because I think they're ending the world, but because I can't afford to put gas in one.
I use fluorescent bulbs, not because I want to be green, but because I want to save money and change my bulbs less.
SO - maybe I'm the only one who feels this way, but wouldn't it be a much better political tool to point out the financial gain of doing things that are environmentally friendly, versus alienating everyone who doesn't jump on the bandwagon?? I think most people are reasonable, they just don't like to be insulted
Answer:
Yes, you speak well and clearly.
Yes, with the deplorable education we generally have, it is easy to get votes through politics and poor science and indoctrination of the kids in classes with biased materials. Goes on a lot.
And yes, carrots are much more effective than sticks. Oldtimers knew that, but modern philosophers emphasize bandwagons. And making everybody equal, which means pulling down the top to the bottom level, which is fatal. Especially when parts of the top are exempted!
I like the idea of helping the willing undeveloped nations to rise and learn to utilize their resources, rather than bulldozing them and putting their citizens in camps so a monster world-wide firm gets more carbon credits from Mr. Gore.
But I do not see any public outcry to save the jungles, or to help the people advance. In fact I have seen evidence of holding the under-developed back so they will not compete with us. Guess China got away!! And so we have poisoned pet food!!
But yeah, why should we have all the power we can use and abuse, and African hospitals going without power, or having to choose between lights to work under and saving perishable medicines, while we forbid them to use their resources to get needed energy.
I'll bet some of those hospitals would have loved to have the energy in one of the big concerts on saving energy and saving the world! A small village hospital could go for months saving lives, maybe years, on the electricity of one major concert.
Sad, isn't it? How many people died in the small African town hospitals while the concert burned up kilowatt-hours of electricity every minute for such a long time. How many needed an ambulance to a bigger facility but the fuel tank was dry, while Mr. Gore was flying and driving to another speech-making time to promote himself?
Have we ever considered a nice law that public figures all have to live on what a poor African villager has to live on, and send all the rest of their income to help such villages? Or I'd settle for no politician can make more than the average of his constituency, and send the rest to the people in the small undeveloped countries.
Might change things in a BIG hurry.
Yes. My mother is now very happy with her energy-saving light bulbs simply because they lowered her electric bill. Many people buy Hybrid cars simply because they don't want to spend too much money on gas. Many eco-friendly acts help you save money, and THAT is why most people who do them, do them.
Unfortunetly they would. Although that should be the very last reason that a person should make a green choice. But most people who don't buy green, do it because they are uninformed at do not care to put forth the effort to change.
I think I agree with you to a degree. I do think that the Global Warming theory has been blown out of proportion to gain votes. But like any other theory, it is based on some facts. True, adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere raises the temperature. True, carbon dioxide levels seem to correspond to rising temperatures in the geologic past. Some scientists actually say that it is in response to rising temperatures rather than the main cause. They also site that man's introduction of co to the atmosphere only amounts to less than 10%. The other 90% is naturally made. However, we are still cutting our trees (the Earth's fail-safe) by an alarming amount and the increase of co emissions is escallating. So, we don't know at what point our planet's system will fail.
This is probably old news to you, but my point is there is a lot that we don't know. I think we need to pay attention to the facts and be aware of what may unfold. There is no denying that higher emmission vehicles and more vehicles, as well as coal burning and the like do pollute the air. So, we should all be more Earth concious and be a bit greener anyway.
I think when it comes down to it, most people know that. This is true no matter what your beliefs in the Global Warming theory. No one really wants to live in a sespool. However, it then comes down to a combination of laziness and money. When you are barely making things meet and your car is running fine after 25 years, you don't go out and by a brand new car. Now if you gave that person the money to do so, they would probably consider buying something a bit more environmentally friendly. I know tons of people that have changed their lightbulbs simply because they could buy them on sale for super cheap or they were free.
The main factor for people buying more efficient furnaces is not because of pollution. I bet that is the last thing on their minds, if it is on their minds at all. They are thinking 'we have to replace it before it dies' and/or 'if we buy this one it will pay for itself in x number of years because it will save on our heating bill'.
I only mention laziness, because I sat at a park the other day and watched this. Someone left their trash at a picnic table because they didn't want to walk 10 feet to the trash can. Another person through their empty cup at the trash can and missed, but was too lazy to actually get out of the car and put it in the trash. But I bet if I gave the person a five dollar bill, they would've gotten out of the car and put it in the trash.
I hate that fact, but it is so true.
Your carbon footprint is still way too big.
Even if you:
Never use air travel.
Only drive 10k miles per year in a hybrid.
And walk to work.
You will still be "polluting" too much "evil" CO2.
If you want to be green (i.e. reduce CO2 emissions by 80% worldwide), you need to:
NEVER use air conditioning or heat.
NEVER use hot water.
NEVER drive a "evil" fossil fuel burning vehicle.
I'm totally with you. I conserve and recycle because it's more a way of life, my parents and grandparents having risen from the Depression with very little.
I also have always enjoyed the outdoors, where I spend my free time. I don't have a problem giving back to the environment when I've taken so much.
I'll have to look into bamboo - I like the way it looks, but had almost made up my mind to go with cork. I guess I figured bamboo was more expensive.
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