The necessity of being an easy going green

Michael Maniates makes an important point in his column on going ‘green’. He argues that a series of small, piecemeal environmental efforts will never be enough to start a sustainable revolution and allow the United States to confront the massive challenges of climate change. Maniates also says that environmentalists are wrong to talk down to Americans and only assume that they can only accomplish “easy” green initiatives. While I agree with Mainates that there is far more to building a more sustainable world than changing a few lightbulbs and recycling, I think that every effort and increasing environmental consciousness is valuable and that sometimes easy actions can lead to more meaningful changes in unsustainable habits.

Climate change and environmental sustainability remain surprisingly controversial subjects in the United States and some audiences remain unreceptive to types of environmental actions that are beyond cost effective and common sense measures. For instance, I recently returned from a retreat with the School of Public Affairs at a campground on the mouth of the Potomac River as it flows into Chesapeake Bay. After collecting the plastic bottles and paper that our group used, I asked the campsite manager where the recycling facility was. He replied that it cost him too much money to pay for recycling service and that he did not see the benefits of recycling. If residents in an area of so much natural beauty cannot commit to recycling, how will they be convinced of taking immediate steps to lower their carbon footprint by 80%? There is a more feasible path to sustainability however by opening a dialogue with individuals such as the one at the campground and explaining the benefits of recycling combined with the economic incentives of paying less to dispose of trash and improving the health of the Chesapeake in a way that would attract more visitors.

In the end, while Mainates is absolutely correct that there is a great deal more to do than what is easy to solve our planet’s environmental problems, this is where we start. Unlike other previous struggles, the environmental movement cannot afford to create enemies or alienate people who are unwilling to make even the smallest of sacrifices for the planet. If we start with what is easy but encourage citizens to think about their environmental impact on a daily basis, we can spark the change we need to build a sustainable society.