Quote:
Originally Posted by Sweetpea
"going green" is today's buzzword... If you're not "going green" you're doing something wrong, so you just say you are (even if you aren't!) just to go with the flow.
At least, that's how I see it...
Example: cars.
Now you have this very "environmentally safe" car (goes on electricity all the way! Mostly suitable for in-town traffic. Now, I happen to know an even more environmentally safe way of transportation: the bike. As that car is mostly for town traffic anyway, why use a car in the first place? But because it's a "green" car, you should use it...
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I agree with you, sweetpea, and it's a point I've thought of for many years in the past.
With the fairly recent rise of hybrid cars we see another rise in smugness associated with using a particular product. What I think we see here is that being environmentally aware is associated with the usage of certain products. That is, a product or material good itself becomes the symbol for environmentally friendly and environmentally aware. Often, the case is that this is too simplistic a relationship to hold true much of the time.
Your bike example is a good one. And we can also add public transportation and walking to that. It takes us more effort to change a behaviour rather than substitute a product we're already using with another one. This is not to say that changing a product we use doesn't change a behaviour. It can but it's not a simple relationship.
using Hybrid Card ≠ being environmentally friendly (at least not necessarily)
using Compact fluorescent bulbs ≠ being environmentally aware (at least not necessarily)
using paper bags ≠ being green (at least not necessarily)