Don't lose sight of the big picture

Green products are great, but...

http://www.ucsc.edu/news_events/press_releases/text.asp?pid=1719

... But "buying green" offers little real defense against environmental degradation and may pose an even greater threat by lulling people into a false sense of security, according to sociologist Andrew Szasz, author of the new book Shopping Our Way to Safety: How We Changed from Protecting the Environment to Protecting Ourselves.

"It's a peculiar form of environmentalism in which people recognize the problem but have given up on any hope of collective improvement,"

Decent point, but there's a huge difference between buying bottled water to be green and installing solar power or the myriad of other great options. I don't think anyone would ever claim that they're buying bottled water to be more green (if so THAT'S some impressive green washing).

I agree on the point that humans are inherantly geared toward seeking short term rewards and struggle with delaying gratification, but the bottled water example is like saying that people are going to start water proofing their homes in case we melt the ice caps and I don't think that's at all what the movement is about even in the slightest.

I agree that clearly there's a lot of work that needs to be done in the environmental movement as a whole.  And yeah.  As McDonough and Braungart say in Cradle to Cradle, less bad isn't good enough.  But at the same time, they also note that you have to start somewhere.

So yes, we do have to keep the big picture in mind.  We do need policy changes.  We do need a massive overhaul of industry.  But at the same time, there are everyday changes that individuals can make.  And voting with your dollars is one of them.