Let it be said that I am an environmentalist. I do not doubt that the industrial revolution has had some effect upon the Earth, and that study is needed. I also accept that this may take hundreds of years, given that we are only a century or so into the industrial revolution, and that there isn't enough data to say one thing or another.

That being said - I believe that the current "green" movement is only a fad. This is incredibly depressing to me, as I think that conservation should be pursued seriously. People should use less of everything - electricity, food, water, everything. We North Americans have taken a great deal for granted, surely. And the anti-nuclear power movement's success is even more disturbing.

The fact that businesses are cashing in on the "green" trend pisses me off on a profound level. The same plastic shit is being marketed as something good for the environment. Plastic bags are being banned, only for grocery stores and malls to sell their own branded re-usable bags for a price. Every "green" initiative of late is merely thinly veiled capitalism preying on public sentiment.

Worse yet are the conservatives who are vocally and aggressively in favour of proving conservationists wrong, the people who advocate driving larger and larger automobiles, who will boast of leaving their lights on all day and night, of using as much power as they can because they can. Fuck those people.

I have no answers, not being a scientist or sociologist, but I do think that something needs to change.

Thoughts?

I agree that it seems to be a trend, which bothers me. I mean it's great if any impact is being made by so many people doing little things like learning to shut their lights off, but it won't last.

I'm tired and not really coherent enough to type up the whole big ranting mess I have going on in my head right now, but I will say something about people who waste just because they can. In my Environmental Science class there's a man who sits near me who says that he won't bother with cloth or even paper instead of plastic shopping bags because he thinks it's "perpetuating the myth of global warming." He even says that he doesn't bother bringing cans and bottles back for their deposits (there's a 5 cent deposit on carbonated things only in CT) because he doesn't think it's worth the time and trouble. He then proceeds to complain about taxes being too high, when not claiming your bottle deposits is basically giving your money to the government.

What cracks me up is the american status on enviromentalism... we seem to be all about "save the world" but only if it is cool (sweet ass pun). For example the hybrid car thing, this takes only the effort of the original purchase, there is no effort for follow on enviromentalism.

When most americans come to Germany for the first time they are shocked with just how anal the rececyling program is here. You not only have to seperate out your glass from your cans and plastics, buy you even have to seperate your glass by color in most areas! EVERYONE has atleast 5 trash cans, Plastics, Metals, Paper, Bio (food scraps, grass clippings etc...) and remaining waste. Go ahead and try to put something recyclable in the remain waste can, you will get fined.

I remember when I was raised in the states (just outside of DC), we had a yellow bin that we just put all our recyclables into and then I assume someone at a recycling plant sorted it out, but when I moved to North Carolina, not only did they not have these bins, they did not even have a recycling plant! I really hope that has changed now (I have lived outside of the states for over four years now)

oh, and I do think this is just a fad... the earth isn't neccessary.

I feel that the issues have just been blown out of all proportion in an attempt to exploit and capitalise on this. Media has now instilled fear that this planet is going to kill itself and from this fear comes more consumerism. Buying hybrid cars or other items that benefit the environment for a higher price.
A perfect example is in London they have now introduced a Low Emissions Zone, where if you own a vehicle that gives out more than a certain amount of C02 then you will be fined.

I agree that these things are happening to the world, but I also see through a lot of bullshit that comes along with global panic.

Anyone who says we're killing the earth is fucking retarded. The earth has survived much much worse. We're only killing ourselves. life will go on, with or without us.

that being said, environmentalism is totally trendy right now. makes me sick, but if it gets people to do something as simple as compost and recycle, whatever.

HOLY FUCK worst fad-
well.... its at least showing people have SOME care in our environmental situation, even if its only so they get more attention from certain people.

fad i would really like to think that the world is changing but its not.

my school made basically a spirit week for earth day and closed down two of our three parking lots in hopes that everyone would carpool bike whatever.
if they were really serious about it they would make that a permanent or at least a seasonal affair but we just cannot live without being lazy.

where a two planet species, i forgot what famous scientist dude said it but yep we fucked up earth, we're going to colonize mars next!!!