Austinist: The Accidental Gentrifist: The Rape of Proserpina

Benj

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:18:30 -0600

Hey All, Apparently I've started a rage. The New York Times just put up an article, "Challenges to Both Left and Right on Global Warming," with a video called "The New Environmental Centrists," where Newt Gingrich does his best Al Gore. NYT - Science

misssteak

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 11:07:53 -0600

Thanks Ben, it's on my list now. I've been looking for something new and mind-blowing. I just finished rereading Akerman's 'History of the Senses', which nearly makes me cry with joy every time I open the pages.

Benj

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:05:05 -0600

Steak, have you read 'The Mind in the Cave'? Will blow your mind. And your cave.

misssteak

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:59:01 -0600

Perhaps we could convince all the evangelical environmentalists to move to the giant floating plastic island of waste? http://www.latimes.com/news/local/oceans/la-me-ocean2aug02,0,3130914.story I'm a touch intrigued about the high demand for biofuel and food-based recyclable products. I'm sure there's been research done on this, but it seems a little haphazard to start depending on food sources for fuel. I perceive it as a quick fix and not a long-term solution, but perhaps I'm missing something. I remember just a few years ago (2005ish) watching the movie "Clueless" for the first time since it came out (1995) -- the whole movie had that 1990s environmentalism throughout (Save Pismo Beach! Save the Whales! Grrrl Power!). At the time, I made a joke to my friend about how saving the earth (and half-shirts) had gone out of style. I think you prove that it's back, in a slightly different wrapper this time. And on the lines of spirituality/religious fanaticism -- Ben, you might enjoy this article about the brain chemistry of believing in "god" http://sciam.com/print_version.cfm?articleID=434D7C62-E7F2-9 9DF-37CC9814533B90D7

truecraig

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:39:35 -0600

I believe the focus of this column was more on whether or not "going green" is the new form of faddish spiritual absolution. Not whether there's any real science behind recycling, or "Prius vs -anything-". Has a "green faith" surfaced here? A faith which is abstracted enough from reality to be (already?) co-opted for purposes other than scientific or environmental? It's already big business, that's undeniable. Can it keep its ethical foundation, if it still has one in place?

cram

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:31:59 -0600

There are two Rs that come before "Recycle" and it is unfortunate that people forget them. The saying is "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle". Doing the third without doing the first two is better than nothing, but it is far from optimal if you want to save the planet (or something like that). Anyway, it is slightly unreasonable to assume that the majority of your neighbors (and whomever else recycles) don't do anything in terms of reducing or reusing in their consumption habits.

mdahmus

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:14:22 -0600

Yeah, a ton of canvas bags brought to Whole Foods on one big truck (or even better, a train) uses a lot less oil over their lifetimes than a bunch of plastic bags brought there the same way. That being said, please stop it with the buying-into-the-Prius-FUD around here. The Echo is a matchbox sized car - replaced by the Yaris. Yes, the Prius is kick-ass; it is a midsize car which gets better mileage than all compact cars currently do.

Elizabeth S.

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:13:41 -0600

A Bill Moyers special on "green evangelicals" showed last year on PBS, and you can view it online here: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/green/index.html If anyone's interested.

tim

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:59:20 -0600

Using a canvas bag will always be better than using plastic or paper. Drinking tap water will (almost) always be better for the environment than drinking bottled water. That said "biodegradable" diapers, plates, and cups will almost surely never degrade in a landfill. Just because there are stupid people spending their way to green and producers creating green-washed products doesn't mean that there is no value to being green. You're just highlighting the old argument that people buy Prius' as an environmental hair shirt, even though they could buy a Toyota Echo with fairly similar gas mileage and a lower cradle-to-grave impact. Which isn't news. You're always going to have the true-believers and those who come to church on Sunday to pay their 10% to get into heaven. The latter don't invalidate the work of the former. Unless you're watching Fox News.

Mowank

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:29:08 -0600

Blah blah blah.

Sean_Sallier

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:16:25 -0600

What if my aunt had balls? Answer" She'd be my uncle.