I committed to posting for Blog Action Day, so here goes!
I actually had quite a hard time thinking about something to write. So instead I will write a few paragraphs on a couple of things.
Observation 1. The Greens.
As many of my long time readers will know, I have spent a good part of my formative years as an activist, as a policy officer, and have tried to find a way to use my life to make an impact on other people. I have to admit, though, that in the past 2 years, I have become so jaded and unmoved by anything remotely political, that I am embarrassed to say, has turned into apathy.
There were a couple of reasons for this, but the main reason I became disinterested in Politics and activism was because I got burned out by political parties. I would love to sit here, all airy fairy and say “VOTE GREEN” ( I happen to know the Greens’ Senate Candidate and he is a wonderful, committed and intelligent guy who deserves to win), but I cannot in good conscience encourage anyone to elect a party that never actually gets anything done.
I joined the Greens in the wave of the “NO WAR!” Campaign. I never thought I would join another political party, but somehow I found myself inspired by the movement and became active in the party pretty quickly. I even had a stint as Policy Convenor. I made some amazing friends, too. But the party itself is dysfunctional, allowing for continual meeting hijacking, backbiting, temper tantrums and gossip. What I found intolerable about the party was that the party’s dysfunction was the elephant in the room — that stood there whilst people grinned through their teeth at each other, then went off and did their own thing (like the very immature dumping of manure outside a Minister’s pavement).
I guess with a pending election, I have a dilemma about how to vote. I genuinely adore the candidate, but the candidate represents the party. When I resigned from the Greens, I swore that I could not in good conscience vote for a party that would wilfully ignore such dysfunction and allow hissy fits and other toddler-like behaviour to continue… but… the candidate is someone I respect. What would you do?
Observation 2. A White American man says it, and everyone listens
Has David Suzuki ever won a Nobel Peace Prize? I ask this question not because I necessarily dislike Al Gore, but because I did find it surprising that he took a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts against global warming.
David Suzuki has been a tireless campaigner for environmental activism, and has been seen at the forefront of just about every climate change campaign there is. Yet, he has not been honoured with a Nobel Prize (it’s worth noting that in some years, they don’t even give them out!).
I understand that its not about who said it first and often, who said it the loudest, but I certainly find it interesting that Al Gore, with the backing of Hollywood, speaks, and everyone is suddenly listening. He’s not to blame, but I think it is symptomatic of a society that accepts the opinions of a rich white man, and a handful of Hollywood celebrities, over a distinguished and widely respected environmental scientist who has been talking about global warming since the 70’s.
It is great to see people becoming more globally aware, but I do wonder if it is out of a sense of fashion, rather than a genuine concern for the world around us, that motivates people. I just hope it doesn’t go out of fashion before it’s too late.
3. Environmentally friendly design
Not long ago Justine Ungaro shared a link with me called Blackle and I have been using it as my Google homepage. I have been thinking about carbon-neitralising my business — after all, as a self employed person I am in a unique position to actually enforce changes.
Freelance Switch has a great post on how Designers can be more environmentally friendly, and I plan on implementing quite a few of those. I also plan on riding with Mina to school in the mornings rather than drive. I am also going to go from eating less meat to cutting it out altogether (I eat meat once a fortnight at the moment max, but I see no reason why I can’t just cut it out).
So, there you have it. I cobbled together soething for Blog Action Day. Not brilliant, but hey… I did it.
🙂
