Large cars, gigantic ideas: Let's discuss.
I recently came across a sassy quote from Mr. Michael Cunningham, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hours and Specimen Days. He was asked how to save the world, and this was his reply:
Don't allow any purchases to be put into a plastic bag. Don't drive or fly unless it's absolutely necessary. When you see someone getting into or out of a large car or SUV, ask them firmly but politely why they think they need a vehicle just slightly smaller than a Sherman tank. Don't eat anything that's been shipped from more than 100 miles away. Don't be embarrassed about turning into a no-fun, earnest eco-nut. Don't balk at the fact that saving the environment will involve higher taxes. Our money won't do us much good in an exhuausted world.
I love the strong, unapologetic tone of this because it's downright energizing to hear someone state these ideas in such a forceful way. When the weather was so brutally hot a week or so ago, I went to the grocery store and found a gigantic black SUV behemoth in the parking lot that had been left with its motor running. There was no one inside. I realized that someone that left this massive machine idling while they went inside so that they could return to a perfectly air conditioned automobile environment. The utter irony of the whole situation - that this person decided to contribute to global warming in order to prepitously cool their own pollution mobile - hurt my brain. I should have, as Michael urges, stuck around and talked to the careless car driver. But I chickened out. I could be smacked on the grill of that SUV and no one would even notice.
Any thought on his ideas? I'm rather nonplussed about his conjecture that a greener planet equals less green in our wallets. I truly feel that large business are the major contributors to pollution and regulating them, while surely having an impact on the economy, might not necesarily mean higher taxes for the little guy.
2 comments:
Bravo to Mr Cunningham for saying what I wish I had the courage to say.
I unfortunately am one of those SUV drivers, only a Jeep Cherokee Sport, but still too large. No, I don't need such a large car, but am stuck with it. I miss my 55 MPG Geo Metro.
Until I can afford to change cars I'll just do the best I can by driving as little as possible. The new sidewalks in Burlington are making this easier but a full scale sidewalk/bike lane throughout the county would make this much easier.
Not eating anything from 100 miles or less is pretty impossible in todays marketplace, but making a conscious effort to buy the local over the shipped in product when available is a start.
I would expect higher taxes for any initiative to better the environment and would not mind paying them at all. I am all for a tax for a good cause.
I am surprised he did not touch on recycling and reducing energy consumption around the home, but I guess that has been said enough and he wanted to scratch a new surface.
The cost of living is simply going up. It's a rule of economy: as things become rarer the cost goes up and for our grandchildren to have anything to grow up for we'll have to save something for them. That means saving water, food, land and money. The idea behind saving money is that money not spent is resources not used.
I really like Cunningham's no fooling around tone as well. We don't really have enough time to wait for others to adopt a radically progressive approach. I know we act like herding creatures most of the time and don't often think for ourselves but we already know we have an eco crisis. Let's do something about it! Questioning SUV owners and asking them how necessary it is for them to remain on whilst shopping sounds fair.
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