What does it mean to be greeN

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What does it mean to be greeN?

• Prof. Horowitz, February 16, 2009

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Washington Post, Sunday February 16, 2009

• Can One Small Household Help Save the Planet
  From Global Warming?
• An overworked, underappreciated mom tries to
  reduce her familys carbon footprint and lives to
  tell about it. (Link)

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What does it mean to be green?

• I could and did switch to reusable shopping
  bags.
• I would become a recycling obsessive-compulsive.
  
• Which is more important eating local, which
  saves gas, or eating organic, which reduces the
  use of chemicals?
• If I bought organic spinach that was packed in a
  plastic clamshell, did the plastic cancel out the
  benefit of the organic label?
• I resisted most green objects but I did break
  down and buy a 250 barrel composter from Smith
  Hawken.

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What does it mean to be green?

• And my favorite,
• how to have greener sex avoid sex toys
  that contain phthalates, worrisome chemicals used
  to soften plastic.
• In summary
• Recycling ? Chemicals
• Composting ? Running out of fossil fuels
• Organic food

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Other random examples

• www.nrdc.org
• www.marylandpirg.org
• My conclusion

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• Climate change changes everything.
• In the 800,000 year record, CO2 concentrations
  have never risen more than 40 ppm in any
  sub-period of 10,000 years. Now, CO2 has risen
  40 ppm in just the last quarter century.

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What does this mean for us as

• Individuals
• Community
• UMCP
• Project Humyn
• Neighborhoods, friends
• Environmental groups
• Body Politic State and Federal government
  actions

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What does this mean for us as

• Individuals, Community, Body politic
• Set priorities.
• Dont muddy your message.
• Climate change changes everything.

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