What kind of America would you like to see—an America that is steadily outsourcing more and more blue-collar, labor-intensive manufacturing jobs to China, or a green America that is building more and more knowledge-intensive green-collar technology jobs—for making green buildings, vehicles, and power sources—which are more difficult to outsource and will have to be the industry of the future, as fossil-fuel energy supplies dwindle and world population grows?
What kind of America would you like to see—an America that is spotlighted as the last holdout at international environmental conferences, earning the world’s contempt, or a green America that is seen as the country most committed—by example—to preserving our environment and the species that inhabit it, earning the world’s respect?
What kind of America would you like to see—an America where there is no big national goal, or a green America, where inventing a source of abundant, clean, reliable, cheap electrons, which could enable the whole planet to grown in a way that doesn’t destroy its remaining natural habitats, becomes the goal of this generation?
The countries that inspired and invented the big solutions to the big problems of the past led the eras that followed. And those countries that failed to adapt fell by the wayside. In this new Energy-Climate Era, America has to make sure it is among the former.Thomas Friedman, Hot, Flat, and Crowded
This blog is for developing and documenting pledges to be greener, because I believe a green America would not only be a better place to live, but also imperative in guaranteeing the world to be a liveable place. I will come up with a new pledge every week, and try to incorporate related commentary. This is a way to be a bit of talk and a bit of action, and I hope you will feel inspired to join me in these pledges.
The first pledge I am making for the week of June 27 is to educate myself about environmental issues by reading from this list of environmental books this summer:
- My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir
- The Columbia Guide to American Environmental History by Carolyn Merchant
- Walden by Henry David Thoreau
- Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
- A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
- Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
- A Sand County Almanac (Outdoor Essays and Reflections) by Aldo Leopold
- Gaia by James Lovelock
- Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawkens
- Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
- A Green History Of The World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations by Clive Ponting
- Nature’s Economy: A History of Ecological Ideas by Donald Worster
- Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution— and How It Can Renew America by Thomas Friedman (I am mostly judging this book by its cover with Bosch paintings)
- Land of Little Rain by Mary Hunter Austin
- Back to Basics: a Complete Guide to Traditional Skills by Abigail Gehring
- The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
Please let me know if you decide to read any of these, or if you want to borrow them from me when I'm done. Hope to see you next post.
(This blog is inspired by the summer internship I am doing with Oregon Environmental Council. Their website has a plethora of resources for becoming greener, from making non-toxic cleaning products to choosing more sustainable wines: http://www.oeconline.org/)
