Earth Day
Who are we to believe about the environment.
Example: I recycle, by choice. By taking the recyclables to the landfill/recycling center, I use energy and time. (I have to take my garbage to the landfill anyway, so that's a wash). I assume the people who run the landfill actually take it to the processing plant. I assume that the materials taken to the plant are re-created into something useful and not discarded. I assume that less energy is used to recycle than create anew. I assume everything that is advertised as recycled products (like cereal boxes) really are.
In other words, we trust a whole lot, and take for granted it's all true. Why? Because people like me want to do the right thing, and throwing away just doesn't seem like the right thing anymore after all those years of being told to recycle! And to drive fuel efficient cars. And to turn off the lights that aren't being used.
This is the safe, Christian, conservative version of environmentalism. Who can argue with reduce, reuse, recycle, when the Bible so clearly confronts our American obsession with excess. But it's as far as I'll go. People come first. Animals second. We can't deny the third world what we have wanted--and they don't look like they want to be denied, either.
Example: I recycle, by choice. By taking the recyclables to the landfill/recycling center, I use energy and time. (I have to take my garbage to the landfill anyway, so that's a wash). I assume the people who run the landfill actually take it to the processing plant. I assume that the materials taken to the plant are re-created into something useful and not discarded. I assume that less energy is used to recycle than create anew. I assume everything that is advertised as recycled products (like cereal boxes) really are.
In other words, we trust a whole lot, and take for granted it's all true. Why? Because people like me want to do the right thing, and throwing away just doesn't seem like the right thing anymore after all those years of being told to recycle! And to drive fuel efficient cars. And to turn off the lights that aren't being used.
This is the safe, Christian, conservative version of environmentalism. Who can argue with reduce, reuse, recycle, when the Bible so clearly confronts our American obsession with excess. But it's as far as I'll go. People come first. Animals second. We can't deny the third world what we have wanted--and they don't look like they want to be denied, either.
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