When was the last time I used the "Well at least I'm environmentally friendly!" defense? Not that I don't care about reasonable conservation measures - as a hunter, I count on natural habitat to be protected - but I am not a Nazi about it. Yet, there I was jumping on this typical, negligibly beneficial, energy-saving bandwagon. Why do you think that is?
I think that this may be a prime example of convenient conservation. I like a black background on my blog, but the choice of colors is really me saving the planet from imminent destruction. Were I not to like that layout, well....it's not really that useful anyway. Plenty of people will drive a Prius despite its being pointless in comparison to its sibling the Echo, which gets virtually the same milage for 1/3 the price - without hybrid technology. What's important is to LOOK green. A relatively small percentage of the population recycles (outside the states with enforced 10 cent deposit laws) because very few people think better of a person for collecting, sorting and temporarily storing their garbage. Same with low energy light bulbs. They are not exactly taking the market by storm despite the advertising blitz and their purported 10 year lifespan. No one expects to be praised for what's under their lampshades.
It must be human nature to analyze something that you're already partial to and parading any ancillary benefits as proof of your sterling character. We truly are pathetic creatures.
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Yea!!! Matt's finally on Twitter! Bummer that it took some random stranger to convince you to sign up when I've been on your case for a year. But, whatever works. Maybe some random stranger will convince you to sign up for Facebook now too so you can beat up on Paul and me in Scrabulous.
ReplyDeleteIn my defense, it was mainly that I discovered (via said random stranger) that you could stick it in the sidebar of a Blogger site. I actually checked it out earlier but was holding off cause I thought it would waste more time than I already do. I then realized that I can now Twitter and it hits my blog like a mini-post, thus saving me having to write an entire post...or at least that's the excuse I'm using.
ReplyDeleteHippie. :p
ReplyDeleteHumans are pathetic characters. I agree. It is too bad (or maybe too good) that it is actually true about black backgrounds being better, and a very easy thing, for the environment, and your electric bill to a smaller extent. And too bad too that the only thing I miss about Cali, other than my friends, is the fact that they actually know how to recycle. That, sadly, is more than I can say for bootleg Virginia, who can't recycle to save their lives AND still allow smoking inside buildings.
ReplyDeleteInstead of google, I like using blackle.com! No kidding, it is pretty cool. Of course, I use ask.com more, since it returns better results, but google is waaaaay down the line after blackle.....
Just a little knowledge for the readers, and an encouragement not to move to Virginia til they decide to stop being so locked in last century. (Alden and Dorian being the obvious exception, since they aren't hicks, don't smoke, and they recycle. LOVE them!!)
First: a line from the Simpsons..."if I recycle, the environmentalists win..."
ReplyDeleteSecond: Convenient conservation has its benfits. Go ahead, buy that motorcycle - its not a hybrid, or even declares any attempt to be green - but it sure looks cool, and I get triple the milage of my truck (on a bad day!)
So go ahead america, get that motorcycle - save yourself from all that gas consumption, save ANWAR from drilling, eliminate global warming, and recycle a cow by wearing a cool leather jacket.
Conserve, save, and endulge in the joy of 40 cubic inches of raw displacement - ya know, for mother earth...