Sunday, April 26, 2009

Environmental Awareness Is One Thing... True Action Is Another

Well, there was Earth Day and lots of activities were launched. Some were actually earth-serving, but some may have been just self-serving, capitalizing on the interest people have about the environment and how to preserve it. But whether truly dedicated to the cause or not, most of the activities, such as the switching off of lights, served more to promote environmental awareness rather than action. For the most part, they only reached people who were already educated enough to know better. Those who did not have access to media and the news were likely unaffected because they did not know what it was all about in the first place.

The result was that those people who weren't reached by such environmental campaigns and news still continued on with their unacceptable behavior towards the environment, which can be as basic as littering (left pic from Graphic Reflections). It was also likely that a big percentage of the people who were exposed to such campaigns and were educated enough to know better, likely did nothing, content with letting those in public office to do what they were paid to do.

It's been almost 20 years since people first saw green and began movements for a better earth with sustainable industries that produced less environmental impact. But in that span of time, we can only name a few significant changes in the way we use technology and live our lives that really matter (e.g., alternative sources of energy, energy-efficient homes, and laws limiting emissions). But if you look around, you will see that a lot still needs to be done, and this is in both developing and advanced nations (e.g., chemical contamination of groundwater, vehicular greenhouse gas emissions, and non-sustainable landfills).

In spite of the efforts put into environmental awareness and news campaigns, there is still a much-needed lack of action in order for a lot of the wrongs being done to the earth to be corrected and rectified. Arguments as to the cause of changes like global warming are also not particularly helpful, but the fact remains that the North Pole is melting and breaking apart and that the polar bears are in danger of being extinct, and that coastal villages are being swallowed by the sea. Sure there's awareness about all of these, but are people really doing something? Are the campaigns targeting the right people? Are humans content to accept the changes on the earth and just let their grandchildren deal with them?

Save gas! Convert your car to burn water.

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