"I will act as if what I do makes a difference"

Upon reading this article, I was automatically reminded of a quote by William James that was introduced to me in high school. At the time, the teacher who quoted James did so with reference to the genocide occuring in the Darfur region of Sudan. She mentioned that US policy had, since the end of World War II, followed this quote every time genocide had surfaced, from the Bosnian Kosovars, to the Tutsis of Rwanda, to the Kurds in Iraq, and even to the native Tibetans. I realized after reading Maniates' article, that this quote can be applied as well, to the environmental issue facing the world today. If it is not yet clear, the quote I am refering to is also the title of this post, "I will act as if what I do makes a difference." Just as my high school teacher suggested in applying this quote to US lack of intervention in genocides around the world, I believe it can also be appropriately applied to the US public's lack of intervention in the environmental crisis.

Certainly, the mass public has some concern for the environment or there would not be such a market for "green" products. But that is exactly the problem. There is a market for green products, and as well watched "The Story of Stuff" last week, we all are aware that it is the exponentially growing market that has become a huge environmental issue in the United States today. Therefore, the very things we do to help, such as buying clothing with "green" logos and replacing all of our lightbulbs, and purchasing the paper copies of "green" books, is contributing to the economic problem at the root of the environmental crisis almost as much as it is helping to solve that problem. I am not suggesting that we should not be buying "green" items or replacing our lightbulbs with more energy efficient ones; I am simply supporting Maniates' point that these small steps do virtually nothing to help. Buying more stuff, no matter how "green" it is, is still just buying more stuff. The books and websites that Maniates mentions give consumers the false idea that the small, easy, things they are doing can actually help save the planet when in reality, much grander steps need to be taken. Granted, the average person does not have the ability to pass policies that can actually cut carbon emmisions by 80%. However, the average person does have the ability to get together with other average people, and pressure their state representatives to help pass those policies.

Although the puplic surely knows that they have this control over their congressmen, it is not easy, or cost-efficient, to begin an environmental protection group or a lobbying firm. Many people wish to just stay out of the political arena altogether and hope that other people will do the hard work for them while they go and purchase their efficient lightbulbs and reusable grocery bags. Overall, the mass public, rather than taking the initiative to lobby, would prefer to take shorter showers and simply act as if what they are doing is making a difference. In addition, the congressmen, in attempting to please their constituency, can vote to impose taxes on paper and plastic grocery bags, and in doing so, they fulfill their need to act as if what they are doing makes a difference as well. The sad reality is that while everyone is acting like they are making a difference, the planet is suffering the consequences of knowing the truth. I agree wholeheartedly with Maniates when he argues that "easy" in not enough. Mostly, I feel he did a great job in suggesting that it is not the government's fault for treating us like children, because most of the public is entirely willing to continue being treated that way simply because it is so easy. He argues that we are "grown-ups" and that we do have the power to make a difference if we stop acting like we already are making a difference.

If people would begin to realize that they are not helping to solve the problem by obsessing over scraps of paper, they may begin to actually make a difference. Overall, it is easy to save a dollar here and there by reusing water bottles, but it is much harder than that to reverse the damage done to the environment. Therefore, rather than saying "I will act as if what I do makes a difference," we need to catch up with reality and say instead, "I will do what really makes a difference."