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Will all the talk going around about how “going green” is a fad due to media saturation and its status as pretty much a buzz word, I started thinking about how environmentalism affects technology. Are they mutually exclusive? While the very essence of the green lifestyle is natural, technology is its polar opposite. It is man made, created and unnatural.
And yes, it is technology that has gotten us into this whole global warming business in the first place, but it is technology that can get us out of it. Just think of all the innovations technology has made toward a greener future: solar panels, wind turbines, low-water washing machines, recycling plants, bio-plastics, hybrid cars, hydrogen cars, you get the picture.
By marrying technology with earth consciousness, we can’t go wrong. And though it may be awhile before the technology in our homes are sufficiently earth-friendly, many steps have already been taken to reduce energy use in computers, TVs and major appliances. E-Waste round ups and recycling centers make disposing of old tech easier and cleaner. Much of technology has gone green.
The foundation is there for major change, but it is up to us to take advantage of it. Look for those Energy Star stickers, people!
While I agree that these technologies are a crucial step, there is also a need for personal sacrifice in being “green”. Instead of waiting for technologies to come along and “solve” our problems (inevitably making a few more in the process), we can curtail our use of electrical power and fossil fuels RIGHT NOW! Many people are now choosing to ride a bike or walk to work because of rising fuel prices. Some have even changed jobs to work someplace close to home! These are common-sense ways of curtailing the use of fuel. Mind you, this is overwhelmingly not due to environmental to concern, and more to do with the cost of fuel, but in the end, the result is the same.
But I digress. As a culture, we (I refer mostly to America, of course) consume almost everything on an incredibly unsustainable level. We are generally grossly wasteful when compared to the rest of the world. Natural resources are **gasp** running out and/or being polluted or otherwise ruined by these dirty habits we have. Is this healthy? Not exactly, for the world or ourselves. It seems to me that throwing more money on gadgetry which will demand more and more manufacture and waste is an intrinsically less useful way to solve our environmental crises than pure old fashioned curtailment or even taxation or coercion of some sort.
Personal sacrifice is undoubtedly the most important aspect of consumption reduction and the preservation of our natural resources. All I meant was that technology can play an important role in reducing our dependance on fossil fuels. But you are absolutely right–without a change in wasteful behavior, we won’t get much of anywhere.