I subscribe to what I consider to be a 'general green philosophy'. Some would probably consider it 'green lite'. I believe we only have one planet and we should do our best to care for it. But we also need to use what is on it. I don't believe we should rape the planet for its resources, but we can use so much of what is available on this planet and the use of these resources provides us the foundation of our modern society. A very typical, centrist position to take. I love the outdoors. I love to go camping, hiking and exploring areas outside of our urban landscapes. Nature provides us with some awesome vistas to take in across this planet. I've made a point to discover as many as I can, be it here in Alberta or across the planet on another continent.
I sympathize with some of the green political positions. But I also cannot bring myself take on some of their more radical lifestyle changes. I walk to work (even in -30C) because it's more convienient for me to walk rather than pay a large amount for parking or a bus downtown while it is still quicker for me to walk. The fact that it cuts down on my carbon footprint is a bonus, but not the sole reason I walk to work. I drive a fuel efficient car because it was cheaper for me to buy it new than pay car payments on a vehicle that had no warranty. I also love the fact that my entire petrol budget for a month seldom exceeds $100 - and this includes trips to Red Deer and Calgary.
For me, I just cannot bring myself to stop eating meat because of the large carbon footprint cows emit from grazing to their journey to my supermarket's freezer. We were without a car last year for a month and it was difficult for the 3 of us to do much of anything that month. While fresh veggies do taste better than those I buy at my local produce store, I just don't have the space to cultivate my own garden. I also don't like pickle beans that much - so I will pay for those trucks to transport my vegetables from California and Mexico during the winter months so I can enjoy my veggies year round. I'm not going to boycott Shell or Esso because I still need the fuel they're selling so I can make those trips to my parents or my sister's.
My brother in law best demonstrates what I believe to be the most accessible green philosophy - He loves the outdoors and does everything he can to minimize his impact when he takes a trip to go camping, boating or whatever activity he picks for the weekend. He recycles what he can in a city with a limited recylcing program. But he drives an F150 to carry said boat and camping supplies.
Protecting the planet is important but our society cannot abandon their cars, power plants and plastics. Green action needs to be accessible. There are practical things we can all do, and some of these actions have economic benefits. I would vote for candidates who espoused green philosophies if their proposals were practical to implement. I think green candidates would have more success if they would work to get the vote of someone like my brother in law or the farmer in Rimbey who is ticked off with radiation emitting power lines being strung over his farm. Instead the green candidates focus on the fact that their campaign brochures are printed on recycled paper and take train rides instead of plane rides to carry on their campaign message. This doesn't make them accessible to the average voter and keeps them irrelevant - at both the federal and provincial level.
I still haven't decided if it makes sense for me to switch my power from Epcor to Bullfrog. My power bill is expensive enough right now. And besides, I'm not sold on the fact that wind power is an economical method to generate electricity. It takes thousands of turbines to generate anything close to power generation of a fossil fuel run plant. While I think it is a good thing to use the turbines to relieve some pressure off our fossil fuel plants, it just won't work out to replace them all. In the last 10 years there has been some very interesting developments in other generation methods. I will continue to keep my eye on those methods and who knows, maybe Bullfrog will tap into one of those methods to help with it's supply in 5 or 10 years. And then I won't even need a coupon to help me make the switch.
You're very welcome for the gift basket, Jason. It was our pleasure (and Bullfrog's, too, I'm sure) to award to you in the Green-Living Contest. Plus you've certainly earned it with this missive on what it means and takes to be 'green', There is a sliding scale of green-ness, isn't there? Some are dyed-in-organic-wool green and some are green-lites as you say. I like your appreciation for the outdoors. For my part, I think the decision to behave environmentally comes from a deeper desire to preserve nature for hikes and whatnot. Nice to read your work, and thanks for the shout out. Cheerio, good sir.
ReplyDeletePeter Worden
(Intern)