Some think that the recent activity around global warming is the wake up call we've been waiting for, that as the cause of causes, we are now mobilizing to action. But if it's true that power concedes nothing without a fight, then this will be the super bowl of fights. How can it not, when Exxon-Mobil posted record profits for any corporation in history?
So if it's the "green movement" being led by celebrities, politicians and pundits, that's one thing. But all of the hoopla around the tech revolution hasn't filtered down to the vast majority of mud peeps in the world, creating the digital divide.
And so to the green divide.
I'm pretty dialed in to the so-called "green movement," and none of the celebrities, politicians, academicians, and least of all, the so-called "experts" address the green divide in any way. At most we have pockets of movement (1), and one notable exception.(2)
It's not a critical mass issue, and there are no shades of grey here. Here's a major point; none of this green activity means anything without total mass.
Don't believe me? Think of it this way; what good does it do if there's critical mass but the Exxon Valdez's of the world are running amok? (Yes, over ten years later, Prince William Sound is still jacked up)
60,000 plastic bags, by Chris Jordan
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1. Frisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is a good guy. The city recently banned plastic bags. If you think that's too tree huggerish, run the numbers: 60k bags are deployed every five seconds in America; about 2% (or less) of those bags are recycled.
Then there's Majora Carter, a bad sista who returned to the South Bronx to create Sustainable South Bronx. With great common sense she's linking the green struggle to poverty and addressing both in the process. With Van Jones they've further created Green for All which takes the themes of inequality and jobs by advocating for green collar jobs. Talk about good vision meeting great strategy.
2. Australia mandated all light bulbs be CFLs by, I believe, 2010, sparing the expulsion of millions of tons of C02, helping wean off of the insanity of oil and/or coal while easing pressure on their grid. Not to mention saving money.
