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.