The 22nd is Earth Day. One review of a criticism of modern environmental policies notes:
“The new green wave, typified by the phrase ‘lazy environmentalism,’ is geared toward the masses that aren't willing to sacrifice,” Ms. Rogers complains. “This brand of armchair activism actualizes itself most fully in the realm of consumer goods; through buying the right products we can usher our economic system into the environmental age.”
The review notes Rogers is weaker on the solution side, focusing on hard sells: more government spending and regulation. Instead:
It would have been better had Ms. Rogers delved more deeply into another of her suggestions: instead of buying green, we simply need to buy less stuff. She seems reluctant to push this too hard because it’s a truly radical idea that flies in the face of capitalism — green or not.
The basics sometimes is easy and hard at both the same time -- after all, losing weight often is about cutting down on certain foods and doing some exercise. A lot easier, I guess, to focus on some diet regime led by former sitcom stars or sports figures. A Slate article also pointed to some important areas:
The main point is that, when it comes to the environmental impacts of individual households, four areas dominate: transportation, diet, housing construction (i.e., the impacts of manufacturing, transporting, and assembling building materials), and energy-using products (which include appliances, lighting fixtures, and heating and cooling units). In industrialized countries, these categories collectively account for 70 percent to 80 percent of a household's environmental impacts.
Amazing how little public policy often focuses on such matters though some bloggers (including Atrios) are quite concerned with matters such as transportation systems. Trivial things dominate our airwaves, while things of this nature get much less play. Leave it to the experts, I guess, they might say. "They" being many of us. Michele Obama's home garden and debated talk about child obesity aside, the issue of diet is one area that deserves more attention. I have seen some stuff over at Yglesias, including school lunch and now broccoli.
You know, I like the stuff. I like it on garlic bread. I like broccoli casserole (it can be made with imitation cheese). It's a good topping on pizza, including with some seasoning, for those who eat it (again, there are vegan options). It's good in soups too. And so on. Sorry Bush I. Spinach salad is good too.