Tuesday, May 6, 2008

My Green Sympathies

While I'm not a militant environmentalist, I do have some serious green sympathies. For example, I don't think we should legislate to prevent people from buying ridiculous gas-guzzling vehicles (unless there is some justifyable need, like business purposes), but I would encourage eco-friendliness and reserve the right to be judgemental of those that aren't.

I think there are lots of reasons to try to be more eco-friendly. Not just for environmental reasons, but for economic reasons as well. Reducing waste is good in any system, and renewable and sustainable resources are preferential to limited ones. It may cost us more in the beginning, but I think it likely it will pay off in the end.

Driving cars that get better gas mileage only saves me money (and I like that). The more we recycle instead of fill landfills, the less total resources each of us is consuming, and therefore the more people the planet can support (and let's face it the population isn't shrinking). Whether you buy the global warming arguement or not, it certainly won't hurt the environment if we try to be eco-friendly.

Personally, I'm regularly thinking of how I can make small changes in my behavior to be more eco-friendly. Mostly little stuff (recycling most of my trash, starting a compost heap, considering gas mileage when purchasing a vehicle, walking or riding my bike instead of driving on occasion), but I try not to be wasteful. I wish there were better public transportation around here, and would love to one day have a house with solar panels (I realize I would still need outside energy, but love the idea of reducing my dependence).

I came across the article below today, and was excited by the idea. Even if they do not accomplish their goal of carbon-neutrality, I love that they are making a try, and I believe any reduction would be a good thing. I've posted the intro below, but you can click the link to see the rest.

Abu Dhabi Aims to Build First Carbon-Neutral City
by Joe Palca Listen Now [7 min 46 sec]
Morning Edition, May 6, 2008 · In Abu Dhabi, there's an area of nothing but wind-swept desert. But 10 years from now, if all goes according to plan, a city of 6 square kilometers housing 50,000 people will rise in the United Arab Emirates — and it will be carbon neutral.
The project, called Masdar City, will burn no gas or oil, so its contribution to greenhouse gases will be minimal. Masdar is the centerpiece of emirate Abu Dhabi's plans to get into the renewable energy market, a hedge against the day its oil wells run dry....

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I was stopped behind a hybrid prius the other day and the frame around the license plate said...

"Your S.U.V. Sucks,
My Hybrid Sips."

It made me chuckle... kinda cleaver.