2008 Woodie Awards
Neo Environmentalism
Vesh Tivzenda
Issue date: 8/31/07 Section: Opinion
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In the world today most people believe the inconvenient truth to, in fact, be truth: The ozone is being depleted and the earth's climate is becoming unnaturally warm. Everywhere you look, people are suggesting ways to buy green; people who never cared about the environment apparently do. My name is Vershima Tivzenda and I am coming out of the closet: I am admitting to the world that I, too, care about the environment. From this point on, I will say nothing too revolutionary:
At heart, everyone enjoys the assurance of clean and healthy air, food and water, equal rights, and a comfortable physical climate. The public at large has only recently become aware of the connection between routine practices and the quality of life on this planet. After a few mild winters and some shrinking polar icecap reserves, conversations about the rate of global warming have become rather commonplace. We have become aware of the need to actively ensure the healthy future of our environs. And so the neo-environmentalism movement ensues: Soccer moms in affluent neighborhoods and heads of multi-million dollar corporations are joining the club. We consult experts and their websites on green products and sustainable practices. Success is on the horizon.
The problem with this movement is that we live in the era of massive conspicuous consumption: Americans like to buy and have stuff-a lot of stuff. Buying a lot more green stuff may not exactly be helping the situation. How quickly we forget our third grade lessons about the three Rs: the first R stands for reduce. Reducing consumption is a simple way to reduce your carbon footprint. Many students around the country, excited about school starting up, eagerly purchase school supplies. How many, like I, could go through their dwelling and find tens of unused notebooks and loose leaf paper bundles? When will we truly enter the digital age and lead meaningful lives in paperless environments? I'm not sure. But until then, the second R stands for reuse. It is sad to admit, but my four roommates and I only started recycling a couple of weeks ago. But don't worry, we feel great about ourselves.
At heart, everyone enjoys the assurance of clean and healthy air, food and water, equal rights, and a comfortable physical climate. The public at large has only recently become aware of the connection between routine practices and the quality of life on this planet. After a few mild winters and some shrinking polar icecap reserves, conversations about the rate of global warming have become rather commonplace. We have become aware of the need to actively ensure the healthy future of our environs. And so the neo-environmentalism movement ensues: Soccer moms in affluent neighborhoods and heads of multi-million dollar corporations are joining the club. We consult experts and their websites on green products and sustainable practices. Success is on the horizon.
The problem with this movement is that we live in the era of massive conspicuous consumption: Americans like to buy and have stuff-a lot of stuff. Buying a lot more green stuff may not exactly be helping the situation. How quickly we forget our third grade lessons about the three Rs: the first R stands for reduce. Reducing consumption is a simple way to reduce your carbon footprint. Many students around the country, excited about school starting up, eagerly purchase school supplies. How many, like I, could go through their dwelling and find tens of unused notebooks and loose leaf paper bundles? When will we truly enter the digital age and lead meaningful lives in paperless environments? I'm not sure. But until then, the second R stands for reuse. It is sad to admit, but my four roommates and I only started recycling a couple of weeks ago. But don't worry, we feel great about ourselves.