I'm pretty sure that one one cannot be an environmentalist while consuming ANY mass-produced product.
A home-grown, home-killed, home-skinned, home-tanned boot would have a lower impact than a natural rubber and hemp shoe made in India and shipped to, and across, North America. PETA's argument, while essentially true, is disingenuous or, at least, over-reaching. But as consumers, we don't want to and frankly are not prepared to take back the means and modes of production. We have too much else to do; we have too little knowledge and access to the methods; we have the weight of social acceptance bearing down on us.*
These kinds of black-and-shite arguments (typo intended) make me crazy. At work, I am fighting with people to get them to use porcelain mugs for their coffee, and metal spoons. They have a millions excuses not to use renewable: they don't know where it's been (as if the plastic and paper alternatives were hermetically sealed before they used them); washing things wastes water (because you can compare water usage to landfills SO easily), it's not convenient (even though the receptionist runs the dishwasher for them so they don't have to "waste" time washing their mugs). I have not yet, but will soon, pull out the petro argument: every spoon you throw away takes a little more gasoline from your damn guzzling SUV.
The only TRULY environmental option, at this point, is to kill ourselves, if we want to be that specific about it. PETA can go first (and I say that as a nigh-vegetarian!), I'll watch. Or, we can step back from ridiculous zero-sum games and look at ways to change the entire system, not just the little pieces that please us most to change.
* You should see the looks of horror I get when I tell people that my dreads mean I don't have to wash my hair for 3-4 weeks at a time!
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zvi
(no subject)
Date: 2007-09-19 04:51 am (UTC)A home-grown, home-killed, home-skinned, home-tanned boot would have a lower impact than a natural rubber and hemp shoe made in India and shipped to, and across, North America. PETA's argument, while essentially true, is disingenuous or, at least, over-reaching. But as consumers, we don't want to and frankly are not prepared to take back the means and modes of production. We have too much else to do; we have too little knowledge and access to the methods; we have the weight of social acceptance bearing down on us.*
These kinds of black-and-shite arguments (typo intended) make me crazy. At work, I am fighting with people to get them to use porcelain mugs for their coffee, and metal spoons. They have a millions excuses not to use renewable: they don't know where it's been (as if the plastic and paper alternatives were hermetically sealed before they used them); washing things wastes water (because you can compare water usage to landfills SO easily), it's not convenient (even though the receptionist runs the dishwasher for them so they don't have to "waste" time washing their mugs). I have not yet, but will soon, pull out the petro argument: every spoon you throw away takes a little more gasoline from your damn guzzling SUV.
The only TRULY environmental option, at this point, is to kill ourselves, if we want to be that specific about it. PETA can go first (and I say that as a nigh-vegetarian!), I'll watch. Or, we can step back from ridiculous zero-sum games and look at ways to change the entire system, not just the little pieces that please us most to change.
* You should see the looks of horror I get when I tell people that my dreads mean I don't have to wash my hair for 3-4 weeks at a time!