Are environmentalists hypocrites? Am I? Over my lifetime I've heard many, many people say they don't go to church because church is filled with hypocrites: folks who talk the talk, but don't walk the walk. It's true that many of them are there seeking support to walk the walk, but aren't quite there yet. Others are there to be associated with the Christian movement, but they have no intention of changing their lives. It seems that same thing is happening to the environmental movement. Many people are pointing to environmentalists who haven't changed their own lives, they just want to be in the GREEN CLUB.
This morning I got up and read The secret of herding cats | Energy Bulletin. I was especially struck by this line: "leaders who are perfectly willing to talk in the abstract about how people need to ditch their autos and give up air travel, but insist that they themselves need their SUV for one reason or another and wouldn’t dream of going .... by train." It just so happens that I was talking last night about how much I need my SUV. I already feel guilty for driving it when it's not being used to pull our boat to the Chitna River to get salmon, or to Valdez to get halibut, or to the Yukon River to get moose. My SUV allows us to eat Alaskan meats. Is that an acceptable excuse? What about my friend who doesn't fly except to get to world wide environmental gatherings? Is that acceptable?
Transitioning to a carbon neutral life is hard. Maybe the best thing I can do is to talk about what my struggles are and ask others what they are struggling with. That would at least add credence to my talks, but is it going to be too little too late? Do I really need to quit oil cold turkey in order to be able to talk to others about the severity of our oil addiction? Do I need to move to town so I can walk/bike everywhere?
What are the credentials of an environmentalist? I'd like some of your thoughts on the subject.
With a state population of ~700,000, how long will the resource last if we all have a boat and an SUV, and we all drive to Chitna, Valdez, and the Yukon River to get food?
ReplyDeleteIaato's comment is true and tough.
ReplyDeleteI have just survived 6 months in Anchorage without a car, and find it really limiting even though I live in the heart of town. The bus system is lousy (though much better than nothing) and bicycling is taking your life in your hands. So what do we do?
1. Aim for carbon neutral.
2. Work together to transport those Alaskan foods - they're not just for the lucky few who have knowledge, skills and money. If there's going to be a car trip, make it really, really worth while.
3. Work on the choice of vehicle. An SUV is something that should be shared, if it is needed at all. (Sitting in the garage unused involves embedded energy - not so good.)
4. Most important, keep asking yourself - what would you do if there were no oil, no car, no way to get around? Would you move into town, or stay up there and take a long hike once a month? Or get a whole bunch of people to move up there with you, and hunt/fish/garden like crazy. Because that is what we need to get ready for. This is actually not just for fun, it is also for survival.
Ugh! It's true. 700,000 people can't do it, Alaska doesn't have that much meat. But when we hunt and fish, it's for 8-10 families, so it's not AS wasteful, but still.....
ReplyDeleteWe do have a bunch of folks up here with lots of knowledge, so that's the good part about living way out here.