Keeping the bedding clean

I wrote the other day that I liked the efficiency that comes out of all this environmentalism and that I didn't like the idea of calling everything "green". Kimota94 mentioned overhearing someone abandoning all hope, and that is something I don't like either.

There is always something that can be done, particularly for yourself. Anything can help, and does help, but I also dislike comparing what I'm doing to the impact of another country. I think of it more like "pissing in your own nest". This is a corollary of the "golden rule" (do unto others as you would have them do unto you). If you think that burning coal is going to pollute the air around your house, find a different fuel. We have the means and the sheer wealth. If you don't want people dumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by the tonne, reduce your output.

Worrying that America will swamp whatever you do is has a few problems. First, although they aren't signatories to the Kyoto convention, they are working faster at reducing emissions because it provides economic benefits. Secondly, I wouldn't be worried about what the US emits now - I'd worry about what happens when China and India have a new smog-blasting car for every inhabitant. That would a bit more of a problem. If we can't exercise a little more control and reduce what we use here, where we have all this wealth, education and experience, why should expect an up-and-coming economic power to be frugal? Sort of "do as I say, not as I do?" America has never responded well to that - they put their money where their mouth is.

Point is, if we start now we can work on producing technologies and ideas that help reduce emissions for everyone, reducing the cost and increasing the benefit so that when more people want a personal transport (that doesn't spew methane like a bloated water buffalo or NO like a 72 Cadillac) they'll be able to afford a cleaner version than what we use now.

Reducing personal emissions and increasing personal energy efficiency will make your local environment better. By local, I mean the air you breath in your house when you sleep, the smell of local flora and sounds of local fauna. And with that, I'm hoping to sleep to a lovely environment of low-light and gentle odors.