Things I Care About (And Why): The Environment

“And Man created the plastic bag and the tin and aluminum can and the cellophane wrapper and the paper plate, and this was good because Man could then take his automobile and buy all his food in one place and He could save that which was good to eat in the refrigerator and throw away that which had no further use. And soon the earth was covered with plastic bags and aluminum cans and paper plates and disposable bottles and there was nowhere to sit down or walk, and Man shook his head and cried: "Look at this Godawful mess."

Art Buchwald

By my own admission I’m a terribly hypocritical environmentalist. Sure I’m a conscientious recycler and I support organic products when I can. But I drive a car and it’s not a hybrid. I like long showers on cold mornings. I find microwavable dinners in tidy, convenient little packages to be quite tasty. And I have a nasty habit of leaving my bedroom light on when I leave the house.

Does it help that I feel guilty about it? Not really, I imagine.

I was watching “Last Comic Standing” the other night (yes, I watch some TV; will my energy consumption never end?!?) and one of the jokes I actually chuckled over (there were pathetically few) was told by a slightly overweight comedian: “I look at global warming like I look at my weight gain: yeah it’s a problem, but what can I do about it?”

First, let’s look at why we are so abusive towards our environment, the very thing which is most essential to our survival as a species. It seems counterintuitive that we would neglect our sustaining force. In most regards, we are incredibly selfish beings, and one would imagine we would be eco-conscious so far as it serves our own self interests. But even to selfish ends we ignore the land.

I believe the cause is a disconnect between ourselves and the environment. Our consumerist, suburban culture has taught us that food comes from the grocery store, gas comes from a pump, shelter means preexisting structures that have no interaction with the land they sit on. Because of countless middlemen we aren’t forced to look at the environment as our sole provider.

I think of Australia’s aborigine tribes, or the Native Americans, and their thoughts on the land. They didn’t own the land they lived on: it owned them. Everything they ate, drank, every tool they used, every medicine they administered was drawn directly from the environment. They saw the consequences of famine, draught, flood, and therefore they recognized that the land could take away just as readily as it gave.

A Native American proverb says that “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” For them, caring for the environment meant the sustainability of the tribe for generations after them. If they destroyed it their people would face extinction.

We don’t live this way. We imagine we have conquered the environment. We believe we are capable of outsmarting mother earth with our science and technology. We see mother earth as another product that we can buy or sell at our whim. Once we see that it is the most vital piece of the global community in which we all reside, maybe we will begin to treat it with the respect it deserves.

I feel like since the outset of the “Things I Care About (And Why)” series I have been cynically posing difficult questions with only theoretical solutions. Even Zizzle-Zot is tired of the pessimism. Let’s try positivism.

For whatever reason, while poverty, health care, etc. have been largely ignored here and abroad, environmentalism has become the new activist’s topic du jour for young hipsters, politicians trying to be young hipsters, and now celebrities trying to stay relevant to young hipsters. We are in the midst of a burgeoning “green” era, and there is an overwhelming sense of hope that we can turn things around.

My hope is that the powers that be will take advantage of this tide of enthusiasm and get serious about protecting the environment. I also hope that “thinking green” isn’t just another passing fad. Perhaps our generation could usher in a permanent lifestyle switch, complete with a heightened awareness that our actions impact the environment in a very real way.

Of course it’s a process of give and take. We can’t expect to make the world completely eco-friendly. There are far too many people, too many other pressing needs (such as human life) that must take priority, and I’d hate to downplay the value of technological advancement (perhaps we could devote some technology to benefit the environment?). But I believe this is one issue where even the small contributions can make a big difference. So let’s go out of our way to be conscientious about recycling, ride our bikes when we can, and (note to self) turn off the lights.

Thanks for reading.