Going green: more trendy than argyle
- posted: 08 Apr. 2008
- scrollopinion@byui.edu
As a wise Kermit the Frog once said, “It isn’t easy being green.” But today, going “green” seems to be the socially acceptable thing to do.
What does it mean to “go green?” The word “green” refers to nature, so many people see going green as reducing the ecological footprint of humanity. That is, trying to keep the earth as unscarred as possible.
With the surge in technological advances over the past 150 years, we have also seen a great increase in waste produced by humans. And it seems the United States was one of the last developed nations to realize this. The energy consumption per person is almost twice that of other first-world countries, such as Japan and Germany. Today’s political climate reeks of this conservation issue. A defining characteristic of the Democratic Party is its concern for the environment. The agenda of former Vice President Al Gore comes to mind. His views on global warming are (in)famous.
In 2005, the Energy Information Administration estimated that 86 percent of primary energy production came from burning fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources such as coal, methane and petroleum, that take millions of years to form. The problem with burning fossil fuels is that it produces twice as much carbon dioxide than can be absorbed by natural processes. The increase in carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) contributes to global warming or a rise in the Earth’s surface temperature, which will kill off species and cause the sea level to rise.
Gore is one of many people in the public eye who has used his name to promote something he obviously feels strongly about.
Today, celebrities tend to have the same amount of influence on our popular culture as most political and religious leaders. The problem with the influence of a celebrity is a lack of conviction. If the pope announces birth control to be a deadly sin, someone might ask, “Why?” in order to understand. But if Michael Jackson thrusts his hips and tells us in falsetto to drink Pepsi, we don’t think twice.
In Hollywood it has long been accepted and sometimes “necessary” to show skin. But apparently, the latest trend is not only going nude, but also going green.
The list of celebrities who purportedly drive hybrid cars includes Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Billy Joel, Donny Osmond and, of course, Alicia Silverstone.
A clear example of environmental hypocrisy might be jet-setting around the world to preach the dangers of the effects of greenhouse gases. (A private jet is arguably the most wasteful mode of transportation available.)
But is the average person at risk of becoming an environmental hypocrite? A person who is an avid recycler, keeps environmental issues in mind when voting and eats purely organic foods might call herself an environmentalist.
But what if she drives .25 miles to campus in her mid-size sedan on a daily basis?
If she were an advocate of car-pooling and buying fuel-efficient vehicles then yes, that is hypocritical. But if not, then she is merely ‘environmentally inadequate’.
To a certain extent, we can excuse people like this. As Kermit said, “It isn’t easy being green,” but it is possible through baby-steps. But first we need to be doing it for the right reasons. We need conviction. We gain conviction via instruction and education.
One BYU-Idaho student is frustrated when people don’t understand for themselves the importance of being eco-friendly.
“At the grocery store my mom shops at, everyone buys those green canvas ‘save the earth’ bags; not because its environmentally friendly, but because it’s the cool thing to do,” she said.
As students graduate, find jobs and become valuable consumers, they should also become conscientious consumers. We should learn about source prevention and about what it means to conserve before we talk about recycling. People will be better consumers if they refuse to buy foods that have been drenched in pesticides or if there is a higher demand for fuel-efficient cars.
A conscientious consumer is not one who buys T-shirts that say, “Think Green” or, “There is no planet B.”
A person should not go green because it’s the cool thing to do. A person should be conscientious about how his or her activities might affect our environment, which to many people has become an abstract word. The environment is where a person lives and breathes; it’s what is seen. The environment is our surroundings. And if this is not enough of an incentive to care about carbon emissions, love the Earth not for itself but because it is one of God’s creations and, as such, should be preserved.
Come on guys, everybody’s doing it. 
