Is the Green Movement Here to Stay?
One thing is for certain right now. The environmentally conscious/energy conservation movement is big; really big. Many individuals are trying to change their ways while businesses are scrambling to improve their PR in this area, not to mention all the firms trying to come up with the earth-saving solution. I’m curious though as to whether or not this trend is here to stay. If we continue seeing the negative effects of our actions on the earth and/or fossil fuel prices continue rising, I don’t doubt it will go anywhere. On the other hand, if there are no new developments that keep us acting, could the movement fall by the wayside?
I’m reminded of the energy shortages faced by this country back in the 70s, and all the positive changes that followed. Congress lowered the speed limits on highways, there were many new incentives and grants available for alternative energy, and smaller cars began dotting the roadways. It looked like America was going to do something about its reliance on foreign oil sources. Not exactly. OPEC lifted their embargo on us, fuel prices retreated from their all-time highs, and people forgot all about those positive changes.
Fast forward 30-some years, and we are even more dangerously addicted to foreign oil, especially from unstable areas of the world. The energy-conservation movement from back then succumbed to larger vehicles, including the birth of SUVs, along with the evolution of the suburban lifestyle. My question is; can it happen again?
We have a lot of pressing issues both home and abroad, and our presidential candidates are ever-reminding us of how they plan to fix them all. With all these things that our country is facing right now, it’s entirely possible that this important issue could lose steam as others make more headlines. The stakes are a lot higher now then in the 70s, and I hope that this country will realize that inaction this time around would be foolish.
What do you think? If energy prices remain stable and we grow even more accustomed to $3/gallon gas, will we forget about what drove us to act in the first place? Will other political issues push this to the back burner on our priority list? Is it a real movement, or is it a trendy fad that is likely to pass?
January 13th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
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January 22nd, 2008 at 6:20 am
I really like what Anaïs Nin said: “and then the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
Essentially, people will not move forward unless what they are accustomed to becomes too painful to maintain - be it physically, economically, emotionally. It sucks but that is human nature. Then they must be eased into the change and repeatedly comforted that blossoming is indeed better for them than remaining that tight bud.
Great post.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Great thoughts to ponder and important to provoke others to real conscious action. I think a lot about how the ubiquitous nature of things like the ATM in the past decade plus has changed things — in such a way that is masked and indirect. We have all gotten used to thinking about $20 as a kind of baseline, and many of us are uncomfortably ok with shelling out the $2-$4 fees for using an unfriendly ATM (not our bank machine). What has that done to slowly change our perception and raise the limits of how much is too much? We pay nearly $20 for music, upwards of $12-15 for a movie, and who is to say that we won’t one day be okay with similar prices for gas? At what point is discomfort enough? People, unfortunately, have much too high a tolerance for inaction.
I remain hopeful that GreenYourApartment’s comments ring true for all….
January 24th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
If the majority of people don’t move forward until it is too painful not too, we are probably in trouble. Living in an environmentally free way does require sacrifices from our current way of life, and there are far too many people that refuse to make those sacrifices.
I think Matty brings up an excellent point as well, and it’s easy to see that in action at the gas pump. Our rise to $3/gallon here in the states has been pretty quick, but a ton of good old hardworking Americans suck it up and pay the price. They will gripe about it for sure, but they won’t consider cutting back. How about a little action people?
Thanks guys for the awesome and thought-provoking comments!
January 26th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Is the Green Movement Here to Stay?…
The environmentally conscious movement is big right now. My question is; is it here to stay, or is it a trendy fad that people will forget about?…
January 26th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
I think the answer to this question really depends on economic climate. Generally, according to Maslow, people react first to their immediate needs: food, shelter, etc. long before they consider the environment.
So why I think it is here to stay (and hope it does), I’m less sure where it might remain in terms of public priority. A recession would likely convince people to purchase more fuel economic cars faster than self-actualized environmental issues, but a recession might reduce environmental awareness overall as people step down the Maslow model, becoming more focused on issues like security and self-esteem.