DigitalDigerati Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 The last 2 paragraphs sum it all up http://greenbydesign.com/2009/04/02/the-big-misunderstanding-why-we-dont-need-to-save-the-planet/ The Big Misunderstanding: Why We Don’t Need to Save the Planet Published by Hubert Den Draak on April 02, 2009 under Energy Efficiency, Sustainability Okay, it’s been bugging me for too long. It’s time to get this out of my system, so get ready for a rant. We’re all familiar with those catchphrases encouraging us to change the way we do certain things in order to “save the planet”, “help the environment”, or (my favorite) “because the Earth will say thank you”. The recent Earth Hour was another stellar example. We were asked to turn our lights off for one hour to help save the planet, once again. Even if the aim is simply to build awareness, it just doesn’t do anything for me. Don’t get me wrong; I’m committed to living a sustainable life. After all, my home is the Nolalu Eco Centre, where we use renewable energy, and the list of sustainable actions goes on and on. Saying the green movement is about saving the planet bothers me for two reasons: one, because it’s not true, and two, because it makes us do these things for all the wrong reasons. Saving the planet is a red herring. Turning off Lights for Earth Hour We don’t observe Earth Hour to save the planet. Recycling, solar power, composting, eco-tourism, straw bale buildings, insulation, eco-centers, CFLs, triple-pane windows, hybrid cars: the Earth couldn’t care less! Making all these green choices is not about saving the planet; it’s about saving ourselves. Mother Earth will be just fine without us, thank you very much. George Carlin said it well in his 1992 environmental satire, “The planet’ll shake us off like a bad case of fleas.” What’s the worst that could happen should we decide to not turn those lights off, insulate, recycle, use CFLs, compost, or make any other effort to go green? The worst that could happen is the demise of human civilization. Too bad for us, but good news for the planet. We have been seriously messing with the balance of things ever since the Industrial Revolution. We act and the planet/environment responds. Acid rain, unbreathable air, toxic drinking water, dead zones in our oceans, climate change—that’s nature responding to our acts. We’re not killing the planet; we’re killing ourselves. Remove humankind from the face of this planet, and before you know it, it will perk up, heal itself (move in the right direction, at least) in a few short decades and restore its natural balance without any outside help. Ants and our eco systemOn the other hand, take something seemingly insignificant, like ants or spiders, out of that same equation, and entomologist Ken Deacon estimates that within three to four month the ecosystem will have deteriorated to a point where life as we know it cannot sustain itself, including us. In my book, that makes ants considerably more valuable than us humans. This planet doesn’t need us to get saved; we need this planet to save us. We exist by the grace of an infinitely finely-tuned living organism called the Earth. We don’t run this organism, we’re not in charge of it, we’re not even its guardians. It’s the other way around: it’s in charge of us and is our guardian. Mess with it in a serious way, and we’re history. So next time you decide to ride your bike to the corner store instead of driving, do it for all the right reasons: do it for yourself. Compost for your kids, use CFLs for your friend’s kids, insulate for everyone’s grand kids. Future generations, not the Earth, will say thank you. And please, be careful with the ant spray! Thanks for indulging this ranter. So comment on this, what do you think about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bojangles Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 I agree on the ant killing (ant spray) part. I never understood it, they're so much more productive then us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lord_casek Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 i like how our govt is all "go green" and the military is constantly dumping shit into our oceans. thanks assholes. fuck all the propagenda. /notagreenybyanymeansoner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isayedGIT! Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 And so much tastier.....the ants.....more than humans. yeah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shai Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 I do most of this stuff automatically (recycling, turning off lights, etc.), but only in the last few years have I finally realized that I'm doing it for selfish reasons and not because it really makes a difference. However, if that's what it takes to get everyone to live a little cleaner and more responsibly....it achieves the same ends, I suppose. But to say that we're going to wipe out all life on Earth is hubris...we're going to pull a number on ourselves way before we do any permanent damage to the planet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire15 Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Global warming is fucking lame. Shits been going on before we even knew it. Its a natural cycle the planet goes through. But as far as keeping shit clean, pollution, etc. Im all for it. The earth isnt a "living organism" its a large rock, with a molten metallic core surrounded by layers of atmosphere and a magnetic field. Shut the fuck up, retard. Believing in some hippie "Gia" shit is as bad as religion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R@ndomH3ro Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Earth is really hollow, and a race of alien lizards live inside. Alien lizards that need to be exterminated.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire15 Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 "LEAVE THE EARTH ALONE MAN." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GZOO Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 swine flu m'fuck's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalDigerati Posted May 2, 2009 Author Share Posted May 2, 2009 Global warming is fucking lame. Shits been going on before we even knew it. Its a natural cycle the planet goes through. But as far as keeping shit clean, pollution, etc. Im all for it. The earth isnt a "living organism" its a large rock, with a molten metallic core surrounded by layers of atmosphere and a magnetic field. Shut the fuck up, retard. Believing in some hippie "Gia" shit is as bad as religion. wow didnt you get hugs as a child? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcan5 Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 the green movement bullshit is a fraud us humans live on like 1% of the earth and are cars are supposedly the things that are outputting billions of tons of greenhouse gases? seriously i think not, we humans forget that were just that, human we cant control climate the fucking ocean is the culprit it outputs like 60-70% (i cant remember off the top of my head) of green house gas. oh but were the ones to blame. were humans we have no say if a volcano erupts so then how can we even fathom we can control climate its absurd. espeacilly when a non enviormentalist or meteorologist starts preechin about it. fuckin sheep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercer Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 I'm a no car owning, work truck driving by day subway and bike riding by night type of guy. I'd jump at a chance to give up the work truck, but I need it for my type of work to be efficient. Not because I think I'll make a difference, it's just a better stress free $ saving lifestyle IMO. I do look at all the unnecessary cars sitting in traffic and think about all the CFM's of exhaust they put out combined worldwide and think it can't be good, fuck a government report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnomeToys Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 I ride a bike (or usually walk) everywhere, and take public transport when I need to. I've caught shit for "polluting" when I was smoking a cigarette outside before and nearly punched somebody in the face. I'm not polluting shit other than my own black little lungs. This computer I'm typing on created more pollution during its production than I will smoking in an entire lifetime, complain at me for that. People also seem to forget that before we moved in everywhere, massive forest fires were pretty much rampant during dry seasons and helped to regenerate forests and cull populations of animals... now we either put them out or there just isn't a large enough section of forest left for it to matter. Those fires probably used to put out just as much crap into the atmosphere as the factories of today, I'm almost convinced that the green movement is a way to get people to send recyclables back to factories for free and save manufacturing industries the money of having to sift through the landfills and do it themselves... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnarly Sheen Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Just my opinion, but the green movement = a marketing scheme to ploy consumers into to buying for a "good cause". Maybe not all... but i would say a large percentage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrashcat Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 And so much tastier.....the ants.....more than humans. yeah. if you're at a picnic, and ants get on your ice cream, just eat the ants dummy. they've got lots of protein. for your health! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lord_casek Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Just my opinion, but the green movement = a marketing scheme to ploy consumers into to buying for a "good cause". Maybe not all... but i would say a large percentage. fuck yeah it is. look up who owns greenpeace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 50million Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Realism Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Earth needs to kill humans serially. Super serially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omniscient Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalDigerati Posted May 2, 2009 Author Share Posted May 2, 2009 i watched that movie, it sucked ( good thing it was free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2009 Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldBench Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 I think you're a moron and should stop caring, we're not going to live forever, earth has been around for over 65,000,000 years, humans? 20,000 maybe? Earth > Humans Humans doubtfully will "destroy the earth" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Nerves Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbFD4NC60EA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire15 Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 earth has been around for over 65,000,000 years Billions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tipsycripsy420 Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 why would one ever kill ants? terrible.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripleSuplex Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 ^^^^when you could just eat chocolate covered ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delonemonkey Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 honestly i think there are ways to get tons of energy without fucking up the environment. We just are not on that shit yet, and might die out as a species before we could become that nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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