The wonderful southern environmental writer Janisse Ray (Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, and others) has a new piece in Orion magazine of interest to Gristmillers, called "Altar Call for True Believers," where she wonders why even the so-called choir seems to be failing at making great strides toward sustainability. It starts out with this startling vignette about greens and air travel:
If I ever preached to the choir, this luncheon was it. The sixty people in the room were professed environmentalists, all of them on the advisory council of an earth center at a college that advertises itself, rightfully, as strongly committed to environmental responsibility. Seated to my right was a friendly but road-weary woman who had arrived minutes before from Chicago. She had rented a car at the airport and driven straight here.
"When will you return home?" I asked.
"I'll go back this afternoon," she said.
My white cloth napkin lay folded in my lap. Two silver forks waited to the left of my plate. In minutes I would rise to speak at a meal for which and only for which one woman had flown from Illinois to North Carolina. In fact, I was speaking about the climate crisis. Could anything I said be worth those 750 pounds of carbon dioxide blasted into the atmosphere? Fifty-nine other people had journeyed here by various conveyances. Surely I was in part responsible.
MoveOn calls on Senate to preserve Clean Air Act in climate bill
Top Twitterers the Grist staff can’t live without
Activist groups rally support for climate bill
Comments
View as Flat
JMG Posted 6:25 am
24 Aug 2007
Startling to whom?
Who is startled by this? Just read Gristmill regularly for plenty of evidence that jet travel is the sine qua non of green cool, the indispensable requisite for participation in the many oh-so-important conferences, awards dinners, meetings, etc.
People LOVE saying "When I was in [Carthage, Washington, New York, Seattle, ...] last week talking to [Al, Senator X, ...]" letting you know of their importance and of the momentous affairs that are so delicate that they must conducted in person.
Point out the sheer counterproductivity of jet travel for environmentalism and you'll be called everything from a "hair-shirt environmentalist" to a stooge of Rush Limbaugh. Apparently flying around to discuss the climate crisis is ok; questioning that premise is absolutely not.
Save the world: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 5% annually.
Permalink
Jon Rynn Posted 9:16 am
24 Aug 2007
I don't know what's worse...
...getting tied up in knots and wasting time worrying about how much carbon dioxide you are responsible for, or wasting time at a global warming conference that gets nothing done, all the while emitting more carbon dioxide (that's what's nice about commenting on grist).
Permalink
Erik Hoffner Posted 12:14 am
11 Sep 2007
the LongPen
Anyone see this in the new Harper's? Authors may be able to walk their talk even more now. Devised by Margaret Atwood. Book tours, look out:
According to the website, the LongPenTM "virtually eliminates the need for excessive traveling and commuting and almost any promotional or publicity-based industry can benefit..."
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/books/story/2007/08/15/longpen-tri ...
"Celebrities who hate unnecessary travel because of its impact on the environment may be a big market for the device..."
The Orion Grassroots Network: 1000+ grassroots groups working for conservation & more
Permalink