Al Gore and Anderson Cooper have brought plenty of attention to the Green Topic. Their dismal reports, along with plenty of environmental pioneers like Paul Hawkin, Ray Anderson, etc, have spurred a media frenzy on the need to save our planet. Time magazine recently reported on “51 Ways to Save the Environment”. It’s a good read and combines both drastic government policy issues and personal lifestyle changes that can really cut the carbon.
I like the article, and appreciate the media push. However, I’m disappointed to hear that governments, businesses and scientists are still looking for ways to depend on fossil fuels. At the front of this effort is carbon sequestration, a system where carbon is put into the ground instead of the air. It made number 12 on the list. This still needs a lot of testing and is an expensive excuse to stay in our comfort zone. Number 33 on the list brought back the old Geoengineering ideas like orbiting a mass of mirrors around the earth to cut down on sunlight and offset global warming. Both of these so-called solutions disrupt the natural environment by putting something where it doesn’t belong. How long are we going to foster these ideas?
As ridiculous as some ideas may seem, the anthology of mini-articles provides a brief overview of a wealth of information. Perhaps the most important message shared by Time is number 51, titled “Consume Less, Share More, Live Simply”. A call to simpler times, the concept of changing our lifestyles for the benefit of us all is the only idea powerful enough to reverse our negative environmental impact. In the mean time, keep upgrading your home and your life with products that support the cause and provide the all important return on investment.
