Another Green Monday
Welcome to Thanksgiving week readers. It's a strange thing when you find something from the past that's every bit as relevant now as it was when it originated - it really makes you put time into perspective. 2007 seems like ages ago, and our world today is certainly a lot different than it was then, but some things never really change. And that's not always a good thing. Take a look at the following post we wrote on November, 21, 2007 - just over two years ago. Nothing's changed really - the economy is worse, our environmental priorities less serious, and there's probably better links to information on greenwashing, but aside from that - this post reads the same today as it did back then.
"There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed." - Ghandi
As a little kid, Thanksgiving meant three simple things, hanging out with cousins you didn't get to see regularly, sitting at the kids table, having kid conversations, essentially living in our own kid world, and knowing that leftover turkey in a sandwich would be lunch for about a week. Oh, the good old days.
As a perceptive adult, and a conscious consumer, Thanksgiving regretfully has taken on a whole new meaning. The week leading up to the big meal now breeds more cynicism than excitement. And sadly, it's not even the week before anymore; it's the whole month of November. The month where Thanksgiving becomes secondary to the corporate mega-event that is Christmas shopping. Thanksgiving is being burdened with a bad reputation simply by association with Christmas shopping, turning festive Americans into worrisome scrooges. It's an all out turf war with Christmas wanting to have its cake and eat it too. Thanksgiving has become the opening act you must sit through before the headlining act takes the stage.
Mall Santa's are lining up for duty earlier this year than ever before (Santa at Riverfront Mall has been stationed since last week). City Christmas tree displays are erected before Halloween cavities have had time to set in. And worst of all, Wal-Mart jumpstarted the post-Thanksgiving shopping insanity three weeks before the official Black Friday.
Now, consumers across America rush through Thanksgiving dinner so they can make it home and get a little bit of sleep before lining up at the mall at 3 a.m. Pumpkin pie, forget about it, doorbuster deals are just as sweet.
Corporate America has taken Thanksgiving hostage and in an uncertain economy with an unstable dollar, Black Friday may just lead us back to Black Thursday. Do yourself a favor and take a little time to enjoy Thanksgiving, enjoy those around you and by all means, relax The Christmas overdose that is sure to ensue is one more example, one of many, of America out of control; an America that thinks green, just the wrong kind of green.
So how is this concerning for the environment you ask? The entire "consumerism will save the world" mentality that exists is creating a complete greenwash of ideas that are creating more of a problem than they perceive to solve. Buying an $80 dollar shirt because it's made from eco-material in theory is better but it's beside the point. This is what is meant by greenwashing.
Bill Clinton said it best, "The totality of consumption is what the problem is, the totality of impact on the earth. And that's why we speak so much of conservation being the key rather than better consumption. Using less stuff rather than manufacturing things in a better way. So cut back and power down and use less of the materials of the earth."
There isn't a way to buy our way out of energy consumption or buy our way into environmental consciousness. What it takes is being aware of your consumer actions. And what better time than during the mecca of consumerism, Christmas.
Take the time to watch the following video called "Greensumption." It is one of the smartest looks at America and its "shop to save the planet" mentality.
After the jump you'll find some stories you might have missed last week.
What does a green job look like? That's the question asked by the LA Times recently in a piece that explored green jobs, the economy, and plastic-free sex toys - wait what? "Nobody really knows what green jobs are anyway," said Tom Savage, a managing partner at Bright Green Talent, a job-search firm in San Francisco. "There's a whole gradient of color between the greenest jobs and the non-green. But it's more important to get excited that more jobs are greening in general." Read more about this HERE.
Local food is the answer to obesity epidemic. According to MIT - which in case you were wondering isn't the Moonbeams In the Twilight food co-op or Michael pollan Is Totally awesome fan club newsletter but the the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (thanks for cleaing that up Craig). "Obesity is widespread due to our national-scale system of food production and distribution, which surrounds children — especially lower-income children — with high-calorie products," concluded MIT researchers. “The problem lies not just in a child, but the whole environment around a child. To end obesity, we need to produce healthier, more accessible, more affordable food.” Read more on these findings HERE. 
(Image courtesy of freshnews.in.)
China mine explosion leaves 92 dead, 16 missing inside. The descriptions are horrifying---“there was a huge bang, a torrent of hot air and the earth shuddered”--- and the news is increasingly grim: A coal mine explosion is the deadliest accident in two years for China’s high demand coal industry. "Development is important, but the growth of GDP shouldn't be achieved at the price of miners' blood," said provincial governor Li Zhanshu, urging officials to better manage coal mines, according to the AP. Full story HERE. 
(Image courtesy of Spokane County.)
Toxic Waters. The New York Times has an incredible project titled “Toxic Waters: A series about the worsening pollution in America’s waters and regulators’ response.” A new article highlights sewage overflow: “In the last three years alone, more than 9,400 of the nation’s 25,000 sewage systems — including those in major cities — have reported violating the law by dumping untreated or partly treated human waste, chemicals and other hazardous materials into rivers and lakes and elsewhere.” However, according to the Times, fewer than one in five sewage systems that broke the law were ever fined or otherwise sanctioned by state or federal regulators. The Clean Water Act of 1972 just ain’t good enough. Another feature, titled, Clean Water Act Violations: The Enforcement Record breaks down the number of registered facilities in each state, with some more than 50 percent (!) in violation. View Washington’s HERE.
