| | Why Bother?No, I'm not asking myself 'Why bother writing in my blog?'. Though it may seem like I've been asking myself that lately, it's more a product of my computer sucking than one of futility.
'Why Bother?' is a question most of us ask ourselves when we're thinking about global warming. For example, 'Why bother changing my light bulbs when I flip on the fluorescent light bulbs 40 hours a week at work?' or 'Why bother buying groceries locally if it's ten times harder than going to the grocery store where there is more variety?' or my personal favorite, 'Why bother thinking about my carbon footprint when roses sent to Britain from Zimbabwe could have a smaller environmental impact than roses from Holland (compounding the environmental/ethical debate to a new plain - should one buy products from depressed economies when the carbon footprint is comparable or even slightly higher?)?'
It can be a bit underwhelming when your individual efforts include replacing light bulbs, buying local produce and dutifully breaking out your note pad and calculator while asking a helpless florist how his roses were grown and transported.
Masterful writer Michael Pollan, who has written about plants and the human consumption of those plants-turned-food for most of the decade, presents a convincing argument in last week's New York Magazine (Why Bother?).
Here's a particularly inspiring quote for a taste:
"If you do bother, you will set an example for other people. If enough
other people bother, each one influencing yet another in a chain
reaction of behavioral change, markets for all manner of green products
and alternative technologies will prosper and expand. (Just look at the
market for hybrid cars.) Consciousness will be raised, perhaps even
changed: new moral imperatives and new taboos might take root in the
culture. Driving an S.U.V. or eating a 24-ounce steak or illuminating
your McMansion like an airport runway at night might come to be
regarded as outrages to human conscience. Not having things might
become cooler than having them. And those who did change the way they
live would acquire the moral standing to demand changes in behavior
from others — from other people, other corporations, even other
countries."
Even this one paragraph makes the effort (i.e.: bothering) seem a little bit more empowering. His entire purpose is to encourage as many people as possible to start a garden, buy space in a community garden, compost - do your part no matter what! Not only will it have an effect on your carbon footprint, it also saves you money, keeps you away from other carbon-consuming activities, inspires others to be 'greener' and the final product of your home garden is often more tasty and satisfying than the mass-produced and transported variety in stores.
Most of us know that making environmentally responsible choices is the right thing to do. If you read Pollan's article and subscribe to his philosophy of viral social change, then you probably didn't need to be persuaded. However, you'd be missing the point if you were only inspired to change your actions. 'Why bother?' is a question we ask ourselves, but it's also a question others ask of us. So encourage others to ask you the question and be confident that you bother for a reason - to do everything you can to change your effect on the climate and inspire others to do the same.
Feeling: Felicitous 
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| | Posted 4/30/2008 12:52 PM - 32 Views - 2 eProps - 1 Comment
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