Gordon Fleming and Shelly Cobb are your typical green California couple. Gordon recycles, reuses, and bikes to work. Shelly raises chickens in their backyard and worries if her sushi is local. They might live in eco-harmony – except Fleming claims Cobb is in a high priestess phase and Cobb counters that Fleming’s hot showers are too long. According to an unrepentant Fleming, “I like to see the water pouring down.”
The New York Times recently reported that they are not alone. Therapists say they are seeing a rise in bickering between couples and family members over how much they should adjust their lives to accommodate environmental issues. Apparently, it is driving some couples eco-insane.
According to the Times, friends or family members who are not devoted to the environmental cause can become irritated by life choices they view as self-righteous or politically correct. The reason green issues can seem so contentious is that they are morally charged. Therefore, the green lines are going up in homes across the country as to who uses reusable bags, who buys organic eggs, and who calculates his or her carbon footprint.
# 12 srgothard
‘I was saying that by definition, dying early would be better for the planet.’
Well depends what you do presumably. Also depends on what you view as ‘better for the planet’. If I saved a big section of rain forest I could argue I was overall a net benefit for the earth, if I believed the planet was better that way.
Is a wild deer living ‘better or worse’ for the planet? Presumably the planet is indifferent. It’s just a lump of rock in space.
It’s (as usual) really all about humans. I’m sure its possible for humans to live on earth with 95% of species dead. But what kind of world would that be?
We could use up the majority of the earths resources and only have carrying capacity for a say a few million people. Is that better or worse for the planet? The planet doesn’t care – but people might.
Anyway just because we can’t all be a net benefit to the world, doesn’t mean we should not care about trying to lessen our impact.
‘Christianity is for everyone.’
The majority (66% of the world) might disagree. Saying it or believing it doesn’t make it so.
Anyway whatever happened to faith being personal?
His and her’s hair shirts for all the eco-emo folks.
Perhaps a store could open in major shopping malls.
freddybobs68k said, on January 19th, 2010 at 10:03 am
“‘A green person would get a newspaper just to be seen recycling it.’
No, I don’t think so. Who buys something purely to dispose of it it? It’s completely ungreen.”
I disagree. All the carbon footprint test I take give you credit for recycling newspaper, but no credit for not taking the paper at all.
I still reject the term green. I embrace the word cheap. The cheaper I am in certain areas mean I can spend freely on other things that matter.
#23 Benjamin
“I disagree. All the carbon footprint test I take give you credit”
Which tests are you talking about?
Anyways you are saying people who want to be green do such tests, and because of that then buy newspapers so they can dispose of them to score better on such tests?
I don’t believe anybody does that. Certainly nobody who understands what ‘green’ means. It’s the complete opposite of being green. But would be rate highly on the ‘not getting it’ scale.
Since no one is going to lengths to find out the sexy womans name I’ll put up my offer again.
If you think green and/or climate change is dumb, please come sign my legally binding contract so I can actually prove to you how pollution and such is harmful. It’ll cost you your life but at least you will know the truth.
Again, I’m serious. Just contact me or leave contacts and I’ll come over with my lawyer and we could do it Kevorkian style. Bring your kids too.
I don’t think people are doing that. I think they made lousy assumptions when they designed the tests. Just google for carbon footprint calculators and see if that is the assumption they make.
freddybobs68k said, on January 19th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
“Which tests are you talking about?
Anyways you are saying people who want to be green do such tests, and because of that then buy newspapers so they can dispose of them to score better on such tests?
I don’t believe anybody does that. Certainly nobody who understands what ‘green’ means. It’s the complete opposite of being green. But would be rate highly on the ‘not getting it’ scale.”
So once we eliminate all the “culture war” BS, what we have remaining is two people agreeing that green and cheap work very well together. nice
Uncle Dave, thanks for the belly laugh. Funny stuff! It just goes to show that some people can never be happy.
I wonder what a Greenie does when he/she becomes so distraught over their carbon footprint and damage to the planet. It would seem that the logical solution to this conundrum is to kill themselves.
But how does a Greenie commit suicide so that it doesn’t hurt the environment further? Poison is out because their body would become toxic to the environment. Firearms are out due to their lead content. Carbon monoxide poisoning by sitting in the garage with a running car won’t work if they drive a Tesla. Suffocation with a bag over their head would require nasty plastic.
Finally, when their remains are ultimately disposed of, the funeral home will either bury them in a coffin covered with a non-biodegradable concrete sarcophagus or they will use a CO2 belching furnace for the cremation. What is a suicidal Greenie to do?
If they could only figure out a way to choke to death on tofu and subsequently fall into a compost heap. Or perhaps they could throw themselves into the lion pit at the zoo. Or swim out into shark infested waters. At least the bugs/animals would have a nice meal as they give back to Mother Gaya.
Yeah – this looks pathetic and gives us fun greenies a bad name. Within my relationship, I never do this because I know it will make my boyfriend run screaming and I LOVE HIM and I AM NOT AN IDIOT. I witnessed a couple doing some green bickering in a sustainability study group I was in and thank god they dropped out. I felt like I was a hapless bystander. Some people will always manipulate and nag their partners. This is just another ripe area for the manipulator in your life, ladies and gentlemen. Watch out. You should be able to be as green or not green as you desire on your own terms. End of story.