Not easy, but realistic

In his article, Michael Maniates accuses the American public of taking easy steps to deal with environmental issues. He does place some blame on the government stating that “never has so little been asked of so many at such at critical moment”. I disagree with his argument that the government is talking down to us like we are children and that we are looking for the easy way out. Many people are not interested in environmental issues, and as sad as that is, it is just fact. People have so many other things to worry with like paying the bills, finding jobs, putting food on the table. We are not looking for the easy way out; we are looking for the most realistic ways to deal with environmental issues. Realistically everyone cannot afford to buy new hybrid cars, or place solar panels on their roofs or other big projects that are environmentally sustainable. It is more realistic to not run the water while you brush your teeth or turn the lights out when you leave a room; little actions are just more realistic right now.

Like Lisa and Stephen both stated, I agree with the argument that the little measures people are taking now will not hold out in the long run to fix our environmental problems, however they are stepping stones. It is these little measures that inform people and make them aware of the issue. In the long run, we need to government to take huge measures to counteract environmental issues and there will be issues of people be willing to change but hopefully by starting with these small actions people will be more aware and willing to change. I think we should go see him on campus when he is here so he can address Quinn’s question as to how to engage the public and push them past these small steps.