Time to Step Up

Professor Maniates’ article published on Thanksgiving of 2007 clearly outlines how greater action must be taken in order to salvage our most prized tangible thing, the Earth itself. I was appalled to learn that sleazy authors would publish titles such as “The Lazy Environmentalist” in order to profiteer and in turn undermine a real movement. If people aren’t knowledgeable enough to comprehend the problem in its entirety, than they shouldn’t be published on the topic. Unfortunately, this book is representative of the overarching system, wherein people purchase books that inform us that our atrocious consumption is not *that* bad but instead should be telling us not to buy more of anything without great skepticism. I’m personally having a hard time reconciling the bike frame I intend to by. My last frame was bent in a fashion that can’t be repaired, and as much as I would like to get a new one, I am putting in extra effort in order to find an old one that will suit my tastes. I couldn’t justify buying a new one when it’s indisputably more sustainable to buy an old one. Nonetheless, I will still need to purchase new components for the bike I’m building, which isn’t a sustainable approach if you consider that I don’t need a bike when I can use my skateboard to get around. But then again, even my skateboard isn’t made to last forever, as evidenced in the explanation of industry in ‘The Story of Stuff.’ Planned obsolescence is a huge problem that perpetuates our viscous cycle of consumerism. To theorize an end to, however, is much harder to do than identifying the problem. I personally support the idea of heavy government regulation, but in the eyes of most politicians, this is un-American and detrimental to society in general.

I commend Professor Maniates for taking such a bold stand on these issues that have become of secondary importance thanks to partisan politics and religious blundering, among other things. I personally am ready, as an adult, to take part in the hard work he mentions as imperative to saving our planet.