David Taintor

In our new politically correct world, the Environmental Movement has become ubiquitous, replacing previous energy consumption apathy. Basically every media outlet has put their two cents in, offering praise for going green across the board. Even The Spectator hosted a multi-part column not long ago, featuring journalists eating only foods originating from within a certain radius. The focus was to lower food-miles, or, how far your food travels by truck, which translates to oil consumption. Bravo.

There aren’t many people that will say going green is a bad thing. That wouldn’t make any sense. So with such agreeability dispersed with such vigor, it’s safe to say green is in.

If one were critical of pop culture consumerism, they might say pure popularity is like a virgin with little protection from fast capitalism. The scant criticism of the Green Movement that exists is usually rooted in a seemingly simple question: Where does human virtuousness end and profit-driven pop culture begin?

In order to avoid the snares of “commercial green,” there ought to be some level of pro-activity within the consumer. Voting for a green-minded politician or buying and wearing a recycling patch on your backpack won’t save the planet. The best way you can help is by spending quality time researching your own impact and then adjusting.

It’s a mistake to impulsively follow green guidelines. If you think buying the occasional organic grocery item is doing your part for the planet, consider that many organic products come all the way from the West Coast, or even abroad. That food, though it may have been produced using responsible husbanding and without harmful chemicals, has done far more damage than something non-organic from nearby in Wisconsin or Minnesota. Most organic practices do more to preserve the natural state and nutritional quality of the product than to make any worthwhile decreases in environmental impact. As a rule of thumb, consider eating organic foods to be doing yourself a favor, only doing the planet a marginal one. If you really want to be green, look for where the food is produced and distributed before seeking out that little green “USDA Organic” patch.

The organic certification is mostly a marketing tool. With a significant demographic now looking to do their part for Mother Earth, why wouldn’t a manufacturer want that label on their product? Even if the legitimacy of the label, or the whole idea that eating organic foods effectively offsets carbon emissions is questionable, it’s beside the point when it comes to profitability.

When discussing the profitability of environmentalism, Al Gore’s 2006 film, An Inconvenient Truth, is an inevitable topic. While I’m not saying the film’s overall impact was harmful, the fact that it set off a chain reaction of renewed, albeit, self-assured and ignorant consumer standards is an inconvenient truth. Perhaps Americans would do better with support for self-driven investigation of standards themselves, regardless of who champions them. Did I mention An Inconvenient Truth made over $48 million in net profits? The film is just one indicator of the Green Movement’s affair with pop culture.

The real way to improve your greenness is to reduce oil consumptive activities. Unfortunately, this includes almost everything pop culture-related; from watching TV to getting smashed on Natural Light to mail ordering black metal CDs from Norway. FYI, though it does reduce direct pollution, recycling does almost nothing to reduce energy consumption. In addition, and contrary to popular belief, alternative energy sources won’t miraculously swoop in to save us, unless something swoops in to save those sources from their own oil requirements.

Quickly, my suggestions are: a.) know your own consumption habits, b.) go out of your way to reduce, reuse, compost, and recycle (in that order) and c.) gradually change your habits. Don’t go cold turkey from oil, or you’ll relapse.

Waldbillig is a senior English major, with a creative writing emphasis, and guest columnist for The Spectator. Pop Itself appears in the Showcase section every Monday.