Wendee,
You write:
"First I wanted to apologize if my semi-tongue-in-cheek message came
> across as an attack on Glenn personally - I did not mean it that way.
> It was just one of those days and I was blowing off steam. But the
> gist of my comments (minus the sarcasm and/or cynicism) I meant."
>
You claim to be a "writer." Surely you know that what you write
will last.
> >This is not per se an environmental issue, except as it relates to
> the
> >environment that modern man has created for himself. I am always
> amazed by
> >people who denigrate the energy companies and environmental
> degradation,
> >while driving their big cars, living in airconditioned homes, eating
> food
> >from the refrigerator which uses lots of energy, washing their
> clothes in
> >hot water (which took energy to heat) and jet away on foreign
> vacations
> >using that nasty old oil to fly safely. It always seems just a bit
> odd to
> >me.
>
> I completely disagree with this statement. I strongly believe that the
> only way to get individuals to chane their behavior is to change the
> way society works. When recycling comes curbside people do it. When we
> have to drive 35 miles to recycle, fewer do it (though I do!). It
> would be possible but extremely difficult for me to drive a horse and
> buggy or a bicycle everywhere I need to go, since our society is set
> up without all the conveniences close by like they used to be (in
> horse n buggy days). I will be the first to buy the new technology
> (electric vehicles) when it comes available but no this won't solveall
> the problems either. If I individually live a life without electricity
> and a car, I will make no dent on the world. If I live in the world
> but not of it, and I help influence others to respectfully care for
> the earth and its finite resources, and I help encourage major change
> in the way society operates, then I will have made a bigger
> difference.
Wendee, as a Christian, should you not set an example rather than to wait
until "the way society works" is changed? Rather than saying that it would
be difficult to cycl everywhere you need to go, why not buy a bike and let
the bike dictate where you CAN go? What you seem to be saying is "do as
say, not as I do." Of course, your buying a Prius is not going to solve all
problems. Doing without electricity WILL make a dent, although a small one
and you WILL set an example. I don't see that "practicing what you preach"
and "encouraging major changes in the way society operates" are mutually
exclusive. BTW, tell me, where is the electricity going to come from to run
your electric car? You are a science writer; you can tell us.
> I grew up in a log home with no electricity, no running water, no
> telephone, outhouse. We grew much of our own food.
>
> I would love to live like that again, and actually we have plans to
> live more like that one day again. But for now my husband is employed
> by an oil company (he is a chemist). Yes the company contributes to
> the problem. Yes I contribute to the problem when I drive or use AC.
> But I would rather help initiate larger changes in society that look
> to the future than *only* change my individual lifestyles.
Wendee, as long as you worship at the altar of convenience, you are part of
the problem and not part of the solution.
ttv
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Jul 15 2000 - 18:41:14 EDT