Back in the days of blue scarf and community service, all the Guides from Debec were sent to collect garbage in the spring. Not my favorite event, but a very effective lesson on littering. The amount of plastic that accumulates in a New Brunswick ditch in the run of a year is amazing and disgusting.
Today I read that China is going to outlaw plastic shopping bags. You know, the kind clogging up your house, better known as the "Cape Breton suitcase." The logic is they waste too much petroleum.
The funny part is, every time there is a major climate change conference, the USA and other rich countries complain about China and India not doing enough to curb CO2 emissions. The refusal of the US to get on board is a major obstacle to real progress.
By restricting the use of petroleum-based plastic bags in a nation of over a billion people, China has probably made more of an impact than our silly fixation with compact fluorescent light bulbs. The Chinese government is not known for its reluctance to regulate citizens and industry. If they were more aggressive on the climate change front, we could see some substantive progress for a change...
1 comment:
Hi there Amy.
Its always a pleasure to meet another New Brunswicker.
I understand what you're saying about spin. It was sad to see Elizabeth Weir selling CF's a while back. I miss her voice fighting the "good fight".
I personally use dimmers in the house. Makes for aesthetic ambient lighting and lowers the wattage of the lights at the same time. I do use daylight fluorescents in the studio, and workshop.
You probably already know of some of the cool documentaries on YouTube. I haven't seen "Who killed the Electric Car" yet, except for a tiny amount of footage.
Interestingly, I own a 1966 Volvo P1800. It's a 1.8 liter engine - same as what a Corolla has.
The car although 40+ years old gets approx. 35 mpg. No computer - simple to work on. A bit of platinum in the catalytic converter attached to the muffler reduces pollution. Common technology. We've been sold a bill of goods in so many ways.
Makes you wonder doesn't it?
Also makes you wonder about the power these films have, alongside interesting authors who are willing to share their ideas, with the ultimate goal of potentially educating us all out of spin.
Keep up the good work.
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