People tend toward sameness and the comfort of the familiar; they fear change and dislike it when everyday elements that they took for granted like plastic bags, incandescent light bulbs and cheap gasoline, are suddenly on the brink of a big vamoosing.

Change is inconvenient, it’s a big pain in the ass, and is somehow always more expensive. Politically correct green fuel, electricity, vegetables and grocery bags cost enough to make a person think twice about the purchase. I was a total meat-eating omnivore before I knew too much about the chemical-laced life and times of the animals I was devouring. While I seem to have no problem killing an animal so I can eat it, I do have a problem eating an animal that was treated badly and pumped full of weird bits.

Knowing too much sucks. Reading Fast Food Nation was an eye-opening mistake. Now the only meat I can stomach (conscience-wise) is more than twice the price of the non-PC stuff. I’m working up to it, but thus far I haven’t been able to bring myself to pay $13 for the happy chicken (that presumably frolicked in the fields and died willingly) which is half the size of the miserable, science-experiment, $6 chicken.

I’m one who fully supports saving the planet, and even so am bitching and moaning about how much change sucks. Imagine how difficult it’s going to be to change the minds of the planet-haters. Sometimes the only way to get a new and different ball rolling is to threaten society with the end of the world as they have known it, or to make the change trendy and cool. Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio were the best things to happen to the green movement. Cameron made traveling around the world in the name of eco-consciousness and driving a Prius cool.

The more chronologically advanced generations may be finding the green stuff difficult, but the less-curmudgeonly, more forward-thinking younger generations are doing good things for the planet. According to the NY Times, more college students are signing up for environmental studies programs. I’m hoping it’s a sign of solid change, and not just a soon-to-fizzle trend. A. Dupin at WorldWideBlog has a thoughtful, in-depth post up about this trend, and the collection of good signs that it goes beyond just the college students.

Related Posts:

Sustainability Degree Offered at Arizona State University
Saving the Planet is a Solid Career Choice
Green Toilets at ASU Polytechnic

Posted by Alexa Harrington

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