The Green Living Show

April 30, 2007 02:52 +0000 | Consumerism Environment 3

On my way home from a climate conference, I stopped at the Green Living show looking for some food and was struck by a small revelation:

The Green Living Show is exactly like every other consumer show: claims by hundreds of vendors that you to can be a better person if only you would buy their stuff.

I don't know how it happened, but somehow, this child of the anti-globalisation movement, the green push, was transformed into yet another way to sell people stuff they don't need.

When will people learn that we can't consume our way out of this hole we've dug ourselves? Buy this compostable cup; it's "good for the environment", just don't mention that it's made in China and shipped/trucked 6000km to help feel good about drinking from a disposable cup. Or better yet, adjust your investment portfolio to target these "green" companies, ignoring the fact that any company, based on the current economic models, is unsustainable because it has to favour growth over environmental stewardship.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to see so much interest in doing the Right Thing™, but I just see it all going the wrong way -- it's as if we've learned nothing.

'Course the fact is, we haven't, and that's why we're screwed.

Comments

Melanie
30 Apr 2007, 1:56 p.m. |

okay, three new blog posts and not ONE of them is the one we discussed last night! How about a little notice for the pretty one, yo?!

Robin
1 May 2007, 2:17 a.m. |

Don't you think this just could be a matter of "two steps forward, one step back"? Some forward movement is better than none at all.

On my end, for the first time I see environmental concern going mainstream; people are actually giving a shit. The fact that The Green Living Show even exists is a testament to that. Sure, it's not perfect, but wouldn't you rather people get excited about compostable cups than that Gladware that came out a few years ago - plastic containers that were touted as being "Inexpensive enough to throw away"?

Squint a little. Maybe that silver lining is there after all. ;)

pavel
3 May 2007, 6:34 a.m. |

Bah, they will keep on trucking unless there is sufficient reason for them to raise prices substantially and stop doing so.
I am not sure where it will go, seems that alot of people assigning themselves as movers of all green and good, and will fight you to death, only to be found out to be what can be summed up as lying.
Even in environmentally conscious Japan, until recently they were taking most recyclables and throwing it down huge incinerators.
I think real problem with environmental thing, is that it is in the future. Often people have problems fixing things in their lives, that are already a huge problem, beyond, looking to augment outcomes of their actions into the future. I think it will be about more then, just environment. It will about north american cult of personality and I. And how people really will have be bludgeoned into sharing. And those who don't just die. It can put an ugly dawinianisms into motion is things will get dire. And maybe it will enlighten many, to do things as a conscious community, rather then one driven by sole personal interests of people, who wish extract what they need. Sort of like bit torrent community, but more in depth. We can look to japan, in ways they deal with it, without stepping onto each other's toes. Given conservative culture, helps with this.

I think environmental change, will bring out the bad and the ugly before everything will turn for the better, if it ever will.

United states total balance is -850trillion, while russians is +150trillion. Can americans afford expensive localized greenness of industry and food producers.

People clamor about train system in europe. However most of the time, it is highly inefficient, due to the weight of the train car, which is 4-5 times higher per unit of transportation.