I’m terribly guilty right now; I’m killing the planet. Every day I drive around 45 miles (round trip) to get to my job. In penance, it’s time for some thoughts on going green. I’ve also attached some green links, en masse.
Thanks to Exposay friend, Kim, for sending me this article. It explores the idea that ‘going green’, or using energy efficient processes beneficial to the environment, can also benefit our economy by creating jobs. In a clever way, the post describes these jobs as “green collar”, a term that makes me smile. This idea flies in the face of the anti-environmentalist rhetoric that more efficient industrial processes will increase costs for companies that will be passed on to the consumer. What this talking point fails to consider is the creation of an entire industry built around efficiency, and the limitless benefits to helping our planet.
Interestingly enough, on yesterday’s Buzz Out Loud, Molly Wood commented about going green, in an all too relevant way:
There’s the altruistic element to going green and there’s the financial incentive, and without the financial incentive, the masses will not go green.
Where our nation stands right now, with its corrupt media and society that throws caution to the wind, this vantage point is sad, but true. And while some individuals and companies are trying to create economic incentives for going green, others (including myself) are propagating moral incentives. A notable figure with this aim is Former Vice President of the United States, and personal hero, Al Gore.
If you haven’t yet, see An Inconvenient Truth, which is a brilliant cinematic gem. If you’ve heard that it’s just a boring PowerPoint presentation, that’s a misnomer. It’s complete opposite, in fact. It’s highly engaging, and Gore uses Apple’s Keynote, not PowerPoint. In the interest of full disclosure, it’s worth knowing that Gore is a member of Apple’s board of directors. A good thing too, because Apple has recently bowed to criticism that their computers and component are environmentally unfriendly. This has been a long-time issue I’ve taken with the company, and I’m glad they’re starting to take steps towards remedying their misdeeds.
Furthermore, Gore’s book, The Assault on Reason, has a portion dedicated to the idea that the climate crisis is the greatest problem humanity has been forced to reckon with. (Sidenote: I loved the book, I’m considering writing up a post on it.)
And as promised, here are some more green links: A green fountain, the green party, chlorophyll, and greenpeace. I’m very happy right now that the link color on my blog is green. My favorite color. 
hey ricky http://joox.net/cat/44/id/1174924
watch that video its about global warming, but maybe not what you expect it to be
I watched the first five minutes of that video, and obviously, like everything else, it has an agenda. I was going to play along and watch it, take in the opposing sides, but the notion that the hype is manufactured by scientists to stay relevant is completely absurd to me. I choose to believe in the majority of the scientific community. Furthermore, if the entire issue was a conspiracy, I don’t see the harm that occurs from it. Remaining environmentally conscious is not only morally right, but pragmatic.
There’s too much to lose. Watch or read Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth.