I've driven many hours, usually on my way to Texas or New Mexico, and passed through miles of flat lands with tons of wind turbines. I've had to pass so many oversized loads that carry parts to make more. I guess that's a testament to our country's "green movement." Of course wind turbines aren't the most efficient way to get energy. There are other ways that we try to use green energy. Dams, for example. I guess the point I'm trying to make right now is that what we have implemented right now to help out the environment isn't focusing on the individual citizens. Green cars exist, but unfortunately they're pretty much out of reach for a good portion of the population. I think it can be agreed that individuals do have some responsibility regarding the environment, but we seem to have some difficulties with putting it into practice and actually helping out. Taxing the people as a deterrent doesn't make much sense. People with enough money would be able to waste in excess if they so desired. On the other side people with less money wouldn't be able to afford the luxury.
Honestly, I think that the appropriate way to combat this issue and help conserve our environment is to make the process easier for the people. It should be easier for people to recycle. It should be easier for people to get to work. Whether by bus or train. People do need to work, and usually the work place isn't within walking distance. Should we be punished because of how large our states are? So why is public transportation so difficult to understand, manage, and use? These are the issues we should be focusing on. This is a step that we should consider before putting a price tag on everything. This country, or at the very least many states within it, actively make it more difficult for the general public to live "greener."
I totally agree with everything that you are saying. I think that it has become increasingly difficult to operate in an environmentally friendly way. Not many people can afford the luxuries of green cars and solar panels. The rich can easily afford to splurge on expensive objects that help the environment. But, what good does that do when the majority of us are still using carbon emitting cars and power plant produced electricity? I do not understand why the materials that allow us to make this world a healthier place to live are so expensive. I also agree with your stance of taxations. Creating new taxes would not do anything except broaden the already large divide between those who receive lower income and those with higher income. I also believe that if it was easier to recycle, more people would do it. If you have to carry plastic bottles from home to a specific place to recycle them, most people will not go through that much effort just to recycle a couple of bottles. We, as a society, think that our own action of not recycling does not effect the world in any negative way because how could only a couple of bottles make a difference? But actually, every little bottle counts. Our inaction compounds and created a big problem for the environment.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, with both of you, on the points about availability of clean energy resources for individual citizens and taxation issues. This problem could be alleviated if every city would implement public transportation as reliable and efficient as, say, DC. I've only been to DC once, but the public transportation system amazed me. I'd never seen anything like it before, and it just makes sense to do the same thing wherever possible. So, I'm a little confused about why these things aren't being done. I've read all kinds of things about who is to blame, but I'm not sure I believe any of it. I'm sure there are bits and pieces of truth in each article, but honestly, everyone's got an agenda and it's hard to tell who is giving it to us straight. Anyway, what I'm wondering about is how we can help alleviate this problem. What can we do to help provide our community with greener options for various aspects of our daily lives (transportation, energy usage, food, etc.)? I guess the first thing would be to inform people of why it's important that they save energy and recycle and all that jazz.
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