It happened fortuitously that I should overhear a conversation while getting a coffee between four web developers working on some Java something or other for treehugger.com. I had commented early in reply to a thread on biofuels on what I consider to be two unreconcilable aims, saving the planet and making profits, and it turns out, after investigation, that treehugger.com epitomizes the Green Industry (after the Holocaust Industry), the effort of big business to not only carry on as usual in spite of, but capitalize on, growing public awareness of the damage human industry is doing.
On the one hand, the existence of treehugger.com and kindred journals is positive in that it represents the success of decades the environmental activism--the business world can't go on ignoring the problem and calling environmentalists crazies. And as a result business practice is doubtless marginally greener than before. However, the danger is that public concern will be effectively coopoted leading us buy into green gimmicks rather continue to fight until actual solutions* are found. In the sort-run almost certainly this will happen and in part we will be at fault--our reluctance to give up the pleasures of consumer electronics, autos and air travel* working synergistically with sophisticated marking will almost certainly have this result.
*I'm not a fan of the term "sustainable solutions", often abbreviated "sustainable", because, inter alia, it implies the absurdity of "unsustainable" solutions.
**To duly qualify, part of the problem is that we are, through no fault of our own, dependent on these things. Where there's no subway he have to drive, we have to check email in the go to keep our job and we have to attend business meetings. Furthermore, all of us work directly or indirectly for big business thus risk loosing our jobs for speaking out too strongly.
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