Can the way I live really make a difference? That’s one of the things we worry about, right? When it comes to figuring out whether to get involved in the political process or to make our lifestyles more sustainable, we all wonder if, in fact, we will make the slightest bit of difference. Is it […]
Activism and Social Change
We need more than good “energy policy”
Michael Pollan, in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine’s green issue, had an excellent article called “Why Bother?“–about whether individual lifestyle change is worthwhile (there is also, by the way, a little snippet in the issue about yours truly). Pollan writes (with my emphasis): “It’s hard to argue with Michael Specter, in a recent New Yorker […]
How to solve climate change and end poverty
When I posted yesterday about my disappointment in the public infighting by the climate change policy wonks I turn to for guidance, Greenpa left behind a comment saying, “What you have here, I think, is THE argument in favor of individual action, instead of ‘policy.’” The problem is, of course, that in 2050 there are […]
We can save the world or we can fight
The good news about global warming in the United States, I think, is that the “deniers,” as they’re called, have now been relegated to the fringe. The candidates from both parties have mitigation strategies (which isn’t to say they are equally good–see this chart). The debate about whether or not there is such a thing […]
We’ve changed our lifestyles. What about our politicians?
If you’re not from New York, you may think this post doesn’t apply to you. But please bear with me. You’ll see that it applies to us all. This week, we in New York City saw the death of Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan–which would have reduced gridlock in New York by charging certain drivers […]
Some real environmental heroism
It’s all very well when well-off schlubs like me go on about reducing their environmental impact, but the fact of the matter is, there are lots of people in the world who only wish they could make environmental impact. That’s why I think the folks at the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) are real eco-heroes. […]
The “needle exchange” approach to planetary damage
There are two ways to reduce the harm to the planetary habitat we depend on for our health, happiness and security. One is to reduce the amount of resources we consume or degrade–air, forests, atmosphere, water, etc–and the other is to make the consumption of those resources less harmful. In other words: Resources Used x […]
Conspicuous UNconsumption
If you’ve been following the story of the No Impact project at all, you’ll know that my little family did not start out as Birkenstock-wearing, reusable-bag-toting environmentalists. In fact, Michelle and I made a habit of crying for the polar bears while blasting the air conditioners. I, in particular, was a liberal shlub who had […]