jklinken’s Recent Comments

• Click here to view comment in original post

  Education is Key

  After reading Mike’s article and just seeing the movie “The 11th Hour”, it has become clear what is really needed to effect change:  education.  The message is simple:  the steady destruction of the environment has serious and deadly consequences for all of earth’s inhabitants, and especially for future generations.   People will do anything to protect their kids, and once they understand that every time they consume a resource, it likely has negative consequences on the environment and therefore, their children’s future.   Only when people understand that the consequences of their actions will they take the problem seriously and start changing their personal behavior and demanding government and corporate action to drastically change our destructive environmental and energy policies.

  Doing things on the "10 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet" list makes people feel a little better about themselves and the situation because at least it is something positive.  For over thirty years I’ve done what I could to reduce, reuse and recycle.  Using CFLs, running my geothermal heat pump and driving my Prius makes me feel a bit better, but I know it is not nearly enough.  Much to their annoyance, I pester my family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers with global warming information and “take action” emails.  I know that’s not enough.  I send emails to my representatives and letters to corporate executives.  Still not enough.  The sad truth is it will never be enough because it is a struggle with no end in sight.  As long as the population keeps growing and the planets resources continue to be destroyed and consumed without a second thought, the fight to save what is left of our planet will never end.  

  That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be trying.  Every single positive action makes a difference, no matter how small.  The key is to understand that the job is never over.  There will always be global warming deniers who find it easier to pretend that there isn’t a problem than to confront it.  There will always be corporations who put profits ahead of everything.  There will always be new clean renewable technologies to discover.  There will always be politicians to convince to do the right thing, despite the temptations from the fat-cat corporate lobbyists.  And there will always be new generations to educate so that they understand the benefits of living with the natural world instead of destroying it by consuming it.
  On Voluntary actions didn't get us civil rights, and they won't fix the climate posted 2 years, 2 months ago 61 Responses