How much sacrifice are you willing to make to slow global warming?
How much of your lifestyle are you really willing to give up in order to slow global warming? Are you willing to live in a smaller space? Use public transportation? Give up foods that must be transported across continents? Become a vegetarian? (yes, raising meat takes a LOT of energy) Are you willing to pay more for your electricity? Travel less?
I have seriously looked into adding solar to my house but the investment required is high ( more than $20k for my house). I have begun to drive a lot less and gave up my car (I now share one with my wife). I am not sure yet what I am willing to do but I'm interested in what others think.
I have seriously looked into adding solar to my house but the investment required is high ( more than $20k for my house). I have begun to drive a lot less and gave up my car (I now share one with my wife). I am not sure yet what I am willing to do but I'm interested in what others think.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mark Huckabee on -
I live less than 100 miles from Gore and yes he has gotten much richer since his book, movie, and speaking deals have come through. I don't want to turn this into a debate over the reality of global warming. I'm really more interested in people's willingness to make personal sacrifices rather than just general hand wringing. I find that most people are a lot more talk than action (stopping global warming is fine as long as *I* don't have to give anything up).
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Permalink Reply by Kristin on -
I'm gonna be honest, I don't do much. I live in Boston so I really never drive unless I'm stealing my sister's car to go home to CT for a weekend. I've also cut down on getting Starbucks/D&D's and switched to making coffee at home (though the reason is a monetary issue, not a "green" one) so I guess I'm reducing my paper cup usage? That's about it. I'm a big Polak and I was raised on kielbasa and steak (and I just got diagnosed with severe iron deficiency anemia) so it would be heartbreaking (and dangerous) for me to cut meat out of my diet!
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Permalink Reply by Mark Huckabee on
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I grew up in Texas and one of my uncles is a cattle rancher. Most of the work I do now is for USDA. Its part of my background and that makes me a carnivore (omnivore). I'm not a vegetarian even though I know it is better for the planet and for my health. Personal sacrifice is very hard. I just wonder if we really have the will to do anything significant or will it take some miracle of science.
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Permalink Reply by Kara on
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I guess it depends on how much you think you can really slow global warming...
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Permalink Reply by Rachel Anne on -
Personally, I think it's common sense. If you wanna trash the planet, you and your children, and so on are going to suffer. This country is ripe with environmental indifference, and we're losing oxygen, water, flora and fauna at a breakneck pace. Unfortunately, it's expensive to be green. Organic items cost way more than generic ones, and many people don't buy them because of this.
Be kind to your environment, love well and often, and help those who can't help themselves. We can thrive if we walk the walk.
hold my hand :)
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Permalink Reply by Mark Huckabee on
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Hate replying to my own question but... I just now read this article at Wired that is making me rethink my views on environmentalism. Not so much changing my views but rethinking them. The article is here. He says basically that humans rule nature and have done so for the last several thousand years. He thinks we should stop trying to preserve nature and instead engineer it. Very thought provoking.
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Permalink Reply by Julia vinai on -
i think your question pertains more to how much we want to respect the planet that we have come from.
I think that the problems with hummanity are that we see t he earth as a place to be conquered and harnessed, but in reality, we are just another species in the cycle. ( look at lovelock, darwin, arne naess, E.O. wilson..)
I think that the way we treat the earth should have nothing to do with the global warming phenomena ( which IS, in fact, happening), it should have to do with our respect for the planet.
Persoally, I make sustainable choices, because it is my religion, my spiritual being is part of the earth.
Other people don't have these sorts of connections, and this restricts them from feeling this way, which in turn allows them to feel okay about the way they treat the earth.
and about solar heating, you could join a commune, and a piece of the grid could go in on it and share the electricity it produces, this will save the start up cost.
"lifestyle" is very subjective, the way we are lviing today is ubsurd. we all need to rememebr that we are just another animal on the planet... we are nothing special.. in fact, we are all idiots, unknowing of the underlying energy flowing through the earth. SERIOUS DISCONNECT.
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Permalink Reply by Hansel on -
I reduced my consulting hours so that I could build a new company that is an easy first step to encouraging and empowering people to be more environmentally responsible.
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