Is 2 percent a year enough to save the planet? National environmental group, Focus the Nation seems to think so.
To keep greenhouse gases from skyrocketing in the next few years, and consequently raising the average temperature of the entire planet by several degrees, will require developed countries to cut emissions - about 80 percent of those emissions, according to Focus the Nation. The group claims we need to cut this amount by the year 2050 and, to reach that goal, we need to cut roughly 2 percent of current emission levels each year for the next 40 years.
This seems feasible, but will the head honchos in the White House go for it? More importantly, will the people of this country go for it?
It's easy enough to join the crowd this Thursday at Focus the Nation's big event on UCF's main campus and advocate change, but when it actually comes down to tangible differences, most people don't realize the nitty gritty of what going "green" actually entails. And with all the hype these days of jumping on the environmental bandwagon, we think it's important to illuminate the difference between the popularity falsifiers and the true hippies by taking a look at what has to be done to meet these enviro groups' demands.
In addition to Focus the Nation, there is a plethora of other groups and campaigns with slightly different mottos and slightly different plans, all going for the same gold - er, green. For example, there is Step It Up; 1 Sky; Power Shift; No War, No Warming; and the list goes on.
The group 1 Sky wants us to create five million new green jobs, launch a Clean Energy Corps, conserve 20 percent of our energy by 2015, end the development of new coal plants and join Focus the Nation in the most popular goal among the groups to cut emissions 80 percent by 2050.
So what needs to be done to appease these groups? Well, one could start small by replacing all their lightbulbs with LEDs. That may feel great and help a green hopeful sleep better, not to mention feel better turning the lights on. But the key to meeting these tough demands lies in sacrifice, and that means not using as much electricity - plain and simple. It means not just switching to LEDs, but switching the light off and leaving it off.
Perhaps that's just not your cup of tea, you say? Well, don't worry, there is always recycling. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, not so fast. Let's go through the steps. One, buy recycle bins. Two, recycle. Three, dispose of recyclables. This may be an easier habit to get into than turning off the lights, but the sacrifice comes in for many at step three.
Around UCF, where the majority of residents live in apartments, there are no recycling programs available. That means getting in your car and driving (i.e. emitting CO2) to a recycling disposal facility to dump your green goods. For some, this hassle is too annoying or time consuming to bother with, and frankly, who could blame them?
So what's next? What else can one do to meet these raging green demands? Well, there are a number of things left on the list, don't worry. There is air drying clothes, keeping the AC lower than you like, riding your bike or walking, asking for paper instead of plastic and reusing those same bags every time you shop, buying locally grown food, cutting meat from your diet, or conserving water.
No problem, right? Again, not so fast. Option one tends to produce stiff-as-a-board clothes that many don't exactly enjoy putting on. Option two leaves some a little too warm for comfort. Option three may make you wake up extra early to have ample time to make it to your destination on a bike or on foot. Option four requires you to remember to bring paper bags to the grocers every time you go and, yes, ask the bagger to use them. Option five requires higher prices and searching your town for a farmer's market every time you need veggies and fruit. Option six requires you to tighten the reins on your diet and eat healthier by (gasp) giving up eating meat. Option seven requires you to take shorter showers and be conscious of all your water use. And the list could go on and on.
So what's the point we're driving at here, folks? It's that meeting the demands of groups like Focus the Nation and joining the green movement requires real-life sacrifice, not just turning out to a rally events during your college career. Going green is not about wearing a T-shirt made in China that reads, "Support your local farmer's market." It's about making real, hard changes in your lifestyle. Being green is not glitzy and it's not easy. These options may sound simple-as-pie on paper, but we urge you to try out some of these green choices for a few weeks and stare the power of habit and luxury in the eye.
We feel that an 80 percent reduction in emissions by 2050 is a realistic and achievable goal, but this will only come with people who wholeheartedly join in the environmental movement, accept the changes that need to be made in their lives and carry through with them on a daily basis.
If you don't have the grit to follow through, then please, do yourself a favor - stay home this Thursday.
Be the first to comment on this article!