I didn't get the chance to speak with my Mother about the environment, and I really wanted to because she is a staunch Republican and pretty much gobbles up everything she hears from her favorite Republicans, and views the Republican platform as gospel truth. Although I didn't get to speak with my Mom, I had a discussion with someone who holds similar views, my boyfriend.
We've had arguments about pretty much every topic you can imagine. It has gotten to the point where we try to avoid major topics like religion and politics, because we are both set in our ways, nothing is going to change our view points, so it's useless getting into an argument for nothing. The same goes for discussions about the environment. It's not that he doesn't believe that there is an environmental problem, he just doesn't care about it. He thinks that any actions that could be taken to help the environmental crisis, isn't going to matter in the "grand scheme of things".
During our discussions in class, Prof. Simon has brought up several times that there are people who really don't care about the environment, and who will belligerently go out of their way to not recycle, and will leave the lights on, etc. I would always feel embarrassed to see other students' reactions to Simon's statement, because I know someone like that, and he happens to be my boyfriend. He doesn't go out of his way to not recycle, but whenever I save bottles to recycle them, or turn off the lights before I leave, he always jokes that he has to go outside and litter, and drive his car more to counter what I've just done. I've never seen him actively litter after I recycle something, or go for a quick drive (because he hates driving), but it just goes to show that he really doesn't care.
I've even tried to talk about green jobs and green architecture, and all the amazing possibilities that are available, but it's futile. He respectfully listens to what I have to say, but he refuses to agree with it and take action.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
I come from a big fat Greek family, and let me tell you it was quite difficult to get a conversation going during Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone was loud and talking, but I managed to get everyone to quiet down for a few minutes to hear me out. I knew I wouldn't face much opposition from my family, everyone is pretty concerned about the environment and the impact we as Americans have on it. My aunt and uncle were especially passionate, and everyone expressed hope for the future with the Obama presidency.
One thing I found that did not work was using the argument "it might already be too late" to try and get people to act now. My mom's response to that was, "if it is too late what is the point?" Talking to people who haven't necessarily studied the subject is interesting, because they have certain assumptions that may or may not be true. But I found that being positive about the future while still condemning the current wastefulness of our society was the best way to bring up environmental issues with them.
Though I didn't face any opposition from my family and most were eager to learn ways that they could help, not everyone was actively interested in the subject. Apathy is just as bad as opposition in my opinion. My 90 year old grandmother and even older great aunt were not interested at all, and after ten minutes of them listening to us, they started having their own little conversation... "this family eats so fast", "i know we have always been fast eaters..." to which my apathetic cousin replied "now that's my kind of conversation!" I told him I would quote him on that.
One thing I found that did not work was using the argument "it might already be too late" to try and get people to act now. My mom's response to that was, "if it is too late what is the point?" Talking to people who haven't necessarily studied the subject is interesting, because they have certain assumptions that may or may not be true. But I found that being positive about the future while still condemning the current wastefulness of our society was the best way to bring up environmental issues with them.
Though I didn't face any opposition from my family and most were eager to learn ways that they could help, not everyone was actively interested in the subject. Apathy is just as bad as opposition in my opinion. My 90 year old grandmother and even older great aunt were not interested at all, and after ten minutes of them listening to us, they started having their own little conversation... "this family eats so fast", "i know we have always been fast eaters..." to which my apathetic cousin replied "now that's my kind of conversation!" I told him I would quote him on that.
Monday, December 1, 2008
My Thanksgiving Row
I didn’t actually leave town to end up in an argument about the environment with a family member, well argument is too strong, my brother and I had a lively discussion about Michael Crichton and his novel State of Fear. On a slightly strange side note, did you all know that he just died, I mean like a month ago from throat cancer, he lived in Los Angeles so I guess there must be something to breathing in pollution all day long. Anyways, as I said it was not so much of an argument as my brother defending one of his favorite authors. He claimed that the novel wasn’t anti-environment at all, just making the anti-environmental arguments look ridiculous. I said that even if that were true, it wasn’t working. Bush had Crichton to the White House for a pow-wow and he is constantly being used by the right-wing media as a really smart guy who also doubts the severity of the problem.
As the semester is coming to an end, and I am reflecting on all I’ve learned about environmental issues, the big take away may not be that we all need to do our little part to change things, the SC or Social Change part of the Trinity of Despair, but what we can do is talk and talk to everyone around us, if we can push towards that critical mass stage where, whatever it is 50-51% of people are on board with the big changes needed then, hopefully, we can begin to begin to truly change.
As the semester is coming to an end, and I am reflecting on all I’ve learned about environmental issues, the big take away may not be that we all need to do our little part to change things, the SC or Social Change part of the Trinity of Despair, but what we can do is talk and talk to everyone around us, if we can push towards that critical mass stage where, whatever it is 50-51% of people are on board with the big changes needed then, hopefully, we can begin to begin to truly change.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Eco-Turkey
On Thanksgiving I talked with my cousin and uncle about the environment.
My cousin Danielle, 10, is doing a project about organic dyes for her science class in New Jersey. Her task is to use various fruits and vegetables to dye cloth and see which one stains or causes the darkest shade on fabric. In her class, she’s learning about dyes that contain dangerous chemicals, especially for kids, and how it affects overall health and the clothes we wear. At the end of this term they’re going to use the natural dyes on organic cotton to create something wearable. She explained some of the hazards they’d learned about and how she thought it was connected to the environment – I felt optimistic after talking with her. Her teacher has the right idea to integrate the material it in a way that will stay with them after the class is over.
My conversation with my Uncle Dean didn't leave me as optimistic. My uncle is a big fan of Ann Coulter and Michael Crichton, and likes to say that he saves energy by turning off the T.V. when Al Gore’s on. We talked about McDonough's idea to rethink design and “Cradle to Cradle” but his response was always the same: “this is going to cost a lot of money.” I showed him how the book is made of polymer but he wasn't impressed. The only thing he said was, "okay...but how much did that book cost?"
Since our polymer/design conversation was headed in the...wrong direction, I brought up an article we had both read that morning about the opportunities President Obama will have to invest in clean energy technologies. Although he agreed that there are definitely good options for clean energy, he didn't think that addressing climate change should be our first priority, or even a top priority. Issues of national security and the economy (ironic) were first on his list.
Talking about the environment with people who disagree about the severity of the situation can be frustrating. I think it’s a good idea when you’re talking about controversial issues to respect people's opinions (esp. if you disagree) but also be provocative (without patronizing) although managing this is a challenge in itself.
My cousin Danielle, 10, is doing a project about organic dyes for her science class in New Jersey. Her task is to use various fruits and vegetables to dye cloth and see which one stains or causes the darkest shade on fabric. In her class, she’s learning about dyes that contain dangerous chemicals, especially for kids, and how it affects overall health and the clothes we wear. At the end of this term they’re going to use the natural dyes on organic cotton to create something wearable. She explained some of the hazards they’d learned about and how she thought it was connected to the environment – I felt optimistic after talking with her. Her teacher has the right idea to integrate the material it in a way that will stay with them after the class is over.
My conversation with my Uncle Dean didn't leave me as optimistic. My uncle is a big fan of Ann Coulter and Michael Crichton, and likes to say that he saves energy by turning off the T.V. when Al Gore’s on. We talked about McDonough's idea to rethink design and “Cradle to Cradle” but his response was always the same: “this is going to cost a lot of money.” I showed him how the book is made of polymer but he wasn't impressed. The only thing he said was, "okay...but how much did that book cost?"
Since our polymer/design conversation was headed in the...wrong direction, I brought up an article we had both read that morning about the opportunities President Obama will have to invest in clean energy technologies. Although he agreed that there are definitely good options for clean energy, he didn't think that addressing climate change should be our first priority, or even a top priority. Issues of national security and the economy (ironic) were first on his list.
Talking about the environment with people who disagree about the severity of the situation can be frustrating. I think it’s a good idea when you’re talking about controversial issues to respect people's opinions (esp. if you disagree) but also be provocative (without patronizing) although managing this is a challenge in itself.
Friday, November 28, 2008
An Island State of Mind
I'm sitting writing this blog post from the tiny state of Rhode Island. I can see the waves crashing in from my adirondack chair on the porch. It's a bit chilly outside, but it's a coldness I can take if it means being able to watch the high and low-tides during the day. Sitting here and being able to feel the ocean breeze hit me is something that I never will take for granted. I never get sick of it--it's pretty amazing to watch the waves crash over and over again, no matter what time of year.
Last night at Thanksgiving dinner I had a conversation with one of our family friends about the environment. Ironically the conversation started following a game of "Apples to Apples" (quite possibly one of the most entertaining games) with the 16 people who came over for Thanksgiving dinner.
For those of you who are not familiar with the game: Each player receives 7 cards (random nouns) and the judge places a card in the middle that is an adjective or noun, etc. The object of the game is for each player, for example, to lay a card down face-down in the middle that they believe relates to whatever the adjective or judges' card that has been played. Then, the judge chooses which player has the "best" card that relates to the judge's word. Usually the judge chooses the "funny" word that has been played that relates nothing to the actual judge card. Anyway, that was an awful explanation of a great game, but hopefully you get the idea.
So, the word that was played in the middle was the "ozone layer," and it was interesting to see what people placed down in relation to it. Some of the words were "amazing," "useless," "disturbing," etc. I was surprised by how many of the words relating to the "ozone" were negative ones. There were a lot of people playing the game who were of all different ages and genders, yet the overall consensus was that the "ozone" was something negative. Following this game I started talking to our family friend about the environment. He is only 2 years out of college and studied IR in college as well. I asked him what he thought about the environment and he immediately rolled his eyes. He started talking about how much the environment is obsessed about and how it doesn't seem like much of anything can fix the current state it is in now.
Just outside of our window the coastline reflects how well the community of Newport has taken care of the coastline and beaches. As a newcomer to this beautiful beach town it was hard for me to believe that the coastline, marine life, water quality, etc., was something that some people could view as something that was not good enough to merit our time. Yet, I can see how much money has gone into protecting the coastline and marine life here. Even the Navy has worked on protecting the coastline in addition to many individuals within the area who donate time, money, and energy to environmental issues that face the island, such as air quality relating to smog, toxic waste, pollution, and many other issues. However, after talking to my family friend about the environment, I started to think more about the uniqueness of being on an island when it comes to the environment.
If only we had more money or time to direct our actions toward the environment in other areas of the world. In Newport it is much easier to talk about the environment and take real action not only because the island is inhabited and controlled by less than 25,000 people, but more importantly many of these people are well-educated (or at least in theory) and have a lot more money to spend on things such as environmental protection and policies. They are around it, therefore, it is something that ultimately affects them every day they get up for work and walk outside. I just wish there was something more we could do in other places in the world, so that more people could benefit and see the positive effects of spending money on the environment and improving environmental standards now so that our future generations can benefit as well. It is too bad that so many people are turned off from the environment, i.e. the eye-roller, because it is really something that needs to be talked about.
We have come to a point in which the seriousness of the situation makes it hard to not be serious when talking with another person. However, I realized after talking to my family friend, who did not share the exact same environmental views as me, that the very idea of talking about the environment in a friendly and inviting way is a great way to engage people about the environment. It should not be about trying to make the person feel like an outsider or less informed about the environment, but instead open discussion and forums in a positive setting is the only way creative ideas and genuine collaboration will occur. Sorry to ramble...just thought it was something worthwhile to think about. Have a good rest of break. Safe travels.
Last night at Thanksgiving dinner I had a conversation with one of our family friends about the environment. Ironically the conversation started following a game of "Apples to Apples" (quite possibly one of the most entertaining games) with the 16 people who came over for Thanksgiving dinner.
For those of you who are not familiar with the game: Each player receives 7 cards (random nouns) and the judge places a card in the middle that is an adjective or noun, etc. The object of the game is for each player, for example, to lay a card down face-down in the middle that they believe relates to whatever the adjective or judges' card that has been played. Then, the judge chooses which player has the "best" card that relates to the judge's word. Usually the judge chooses the "funny" word that has been played that relates nothing to the actual judge card. Anyway, that was an awful explanation of a great game, but hopefully you get the idea.
So, the word that was played in the middle was the "ozone layer," and it was interesting to see what people placed down in relation to it. Some of the words were "amazing," "useless," "disturbing," etc. I was surprised by how many of the words relating to the "ozone" were negative ones. There were a lot of people playing the game who were of all different ages and genders, yet the overall consensus was that the "ozone" was something negative. Following this game I started talking to our family friend about the environment. He is only 2 years out of college and studied IR in college as well. I asked him what he thought about the environment and he immediately rolled his eyes. He started talking about how much the environment is obsessed about and how it doesn't seem like much of anything can fix the current state it is in now.
Just outside of our window the coastline reflects how well the community of Newport has taken care of the coastline and beaches. As a newcomer to this beautiful beach town it was hard for me to believe that the coastline, marine life, water quality, etc., was something that some people could view as something that was not good enough to merit our time. Yet, I can see how much money has gone into protecting the coastline and marine life here. Even the Navy has worked on protecting the coastline in addition to many individuals within the area who donate time, money, and energy to environmental issues that face the island, such as air quality relating to smog, toxic waste, pollution, and many other issues. However, after talking to my family friend about the environment, I started to think more about the uniqueness of being on an island when it comes to the environment.
If only we had more money or time to direct our actions toward the environment in other areas of the world. In Newport it is much easier to talk about the environment and take real action not only because the island is inhabited and controlled by less than 25,000 people, but more importantly many of these people are well-educated (or at least in theory) and have a lot more money to spend on things such as environmental protection and policies. They are around it, therefore, it is something that ultimately affects them every day they get up for work and walk outside. I just wish there was something more we could do in other places in the world, so that more people could benefit and see the positive effects of spending money on the environment and improving environmental standards now so that our future generations can benefit as well. It is too bad that so many people are turned off from the environment, i.e. the eye-roller, because it is really something that needs to be talked about.
We have come to a point in which the seriousness of the situation makes it hard to not be serious when talking with another person. However, I realized after talking to my family friend, who did not share the exact same environmental views as me, that the very idea of talking about the environment in a friendly and inviting way is a great way to engage people about the environment. It should not be about trying to make the person feel like an outsider or less informed about the environment, but instead open discussion and forums in a positive setting is the only way creative ideas and genuine collaboration will occur. Sorry to ramble...just thought it was something worthwhile to think about. Have a good rest of break. Safe travels.
Monday, November 24, 2008
On the Trinity of Despair...
The Trinity of Despair attack on mis-assumptions people have towards the environment is both useful and hopeful. The HN for Human Nature, I must admit that I have always assumed people were at least somewhat selfish, but having that re-stated a different way, that people are self-interested not selfish is both more accurate and less obnoxious. I can see that people are self-interested, naturally people are focused on their little part of the world, but to say that they are completely selfish, all people, all the time is definitely going to far.
The SC for social change, I was a little confused about this idea at first, yes of course everyone needs to get it together, it won’t work with a few of us. However, you can see that at some point a sort of critical mass of people’s accepting of ideas and opinions can really change everything, it will take a significant amount of the population though. The good news is that I think people are finally dismissing the idea that the scientific community is debating the issue of climate change, as we know they clearly are not!
ES for Environmental Strategy, or Easy Stuff. I knew this one already, that if everyone simply used the right light bulbs or used paper instead of plastic (or is it the other way around?), that all our problems would be solved, but I think it is even more pernicious than that. It is the corporations that are switching the blame on the consumer, by making everyone believe they have the power to affect change by doing small things, not only are you not allowing people to really be involved in the bigger things that could actually change the planet, but somehow taking the responsibility away from the worst of the environmental offenders by placing blame on people not using the right kind of light bulbs is absurd.
The SC for social change, I was a little confused about this idea at first, yes of course everyone needs to get it together, it won’t work with a few of us. However, you can see that at some point a sort of critical mass of people’s accepting of ideas and opinions can really change everything, it will take a significant amount of the population though. The good news is that I think people are finally dismissing the idea that the scientific community is debating the issue of climate change, as we know they clearly are not!
ES for Environmental Strategy, or Easy Stuff. I knew this one already, that if everyone simply used the right light bulbs or used paper instead of plastic (or is it the other way around?), that all our problems would be solved, but I think it is even more pernicious than that. It is the corporations that are switching the blame on the consumer, by making everyone believe they have the power to affect change by doing small things, not only are you not allowing people to really be involved in the bigger things that could actually change the planet, but somehow taking the responsibility away from the worst of the environmental offenders by placing blame on people not using the right kind of light bulbs is absurd.
Radical Social Changes.
Professor Maniates' "Trinity of Despair" serves as an example of the kinds of underlying assumptions that often times prevent individuals from deciding whether or not to take action in regard to helping to improve the environment. I cannot even count the number of times in my life that I have heard people say "turn off the lights when you leave a room" or "RECYCLE, RECYCLE, RECYCLE." Yet, this class has taught me that maybe this is not enough. Perhaps we need to search for more radical changes. Protest. Campaign. Lobby, etc. If a few of us work together, then we can accomplish more things instead of waiting for the rest of society to jump on board.
I'm not sure if it was the fact that I was born on April 22, coincidentally Earth Day, that I have always been interested in the environment, or what it was. But, to this day I can still remember my first grade birthday with freakish accuracy. A boy named Jonathon who happened to ride the same bus as me was littering out of the bus window. Immediately I thought of Earth Day at this time. I remember thinking, "Hey, you can't litter on EARTH day!!!!!" I'm not sure who ingrained that in my head...whether it was the result of what my parents had taught me about respecting the planet, or even a combination of both family values and values acquired through my schooling and education (in this case, kindergarten and first grade). Regardless, I have since taken on the idea that "one person can change the world." If it means not littering on Earth Day, then so be it. We can each do our own little part in the world.
However, I have come to the understanding that "individual action" is not going to save us (at least not in the case of environmental destruction and climate change). But, that does not mean that we should give up. As stated by Laura, social change was never a result of "everyone jumping on board." Instead, history reveals to us that radical social change, from the abolitionist movement to Seneca Falls, from immigration to health care reform, is something that is worth fighting for. We may not always be in the majority, but that does not mean we should wait around until that happens. The little voices, the grassroots organizations, the town halls, and hard work and dedication will get us there.
Often times people speak of our generation---the Millenials...Gen X...Y...Z...whatever you want to call us---and that we do not care about the issues enough to take to the streets like our ancestors did. We did not live in the 1960s, nor the 1970s. However, I do not believe that means that social action does not occur from youth movements. We may not always be protesting in the streets, but we have incredible access to education and jobs that allow us to discuss environmental issues and lobby Congress. The reality is that we have to demand change in order to get it, and it is not always going to be easy. Of course there is always room for improvement, but what we must realize now is that just because we cannot fix everything about the environment now, does not mean that we should turn in our badges or sit back and enjoy it while it lasts. Instead, we need to take action now and continue to educate others about the current state of the environment.
I'm not sure if it was the fact that I was born on April 22, coincidentally Earth Day, that I have always been interested in the environment, or what it was. But, to this day I can still remember my first grade birthday with freakish accuracy. A boy named Jonathon who happened to ride the same bus as me was littering out of the bus window. Immediately I thought of Earth Day at this time. I remember thinking, "Hey, you can't litter on EARTH day!!!!!" I'm not sure who ingrained that in my head...whether it was the result of what my parents had taught me about respecting the planet, or even a combination of both family values and values acquired through my schooling and education (in this case, kindergarten and first grade). Regardless, I have since taken on the idea that "one person can change the world." If it means not littering on Earth Day, then so be it. We can each do our own little part in the world.
However, I have come to the understanding that "individual action" is not going to save us (at least not in the case of environmental destruction and climate change). But, that does not mean that we should give up. As stated by Laura, social change was never a result of "everyone jumping on board." Instead, history reveals to us that radical social change, from the abolitionist movement to Seneca Falls, from immigration to health care reform, is something that is worth fighting for. We may not always be in the majority, but that does not mean we should wait around until that happens. The little voices, the grassroots organizations, the town halls, and hard work and dedication will get us there.
Often times people speak of our generation---the Millenials...Gen X...Y...Z...whatever you want to call us---and that we do not care about the issues enough to take to the streets like our ancestors did. We did not live in the 1960s, nor the 1970s. However, I do not believe that means that social action does not occur from youth movements. We may not always be protesting in the streets, but we have incredible access to education and jobs that allow us to discuss environmental issues and lobby Congress. The reality is that we have to demand change in order to get it, and it is not always going to be easy. Of course there is always room for improvement, but what we must realize now is that just because we cannot fix everything about the environment now, does not mean that we should turn in our badges or sit back and enjoy it while it lasts. Instead, we need to take action now and continue to educate others about the current state of the environment.
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