Going Green (With Envy)

With all the focus on “eco-celebs” it can be easy to forget the millions of low-income citizens who only wish they could afford the environmental peace of mind flaunted by their favorite movie stars. Hollywood has good intentions, but I’m pretty sure the film actor’s guild will not be responsible for saving the planet.

Let’s estimate, and say that roughly ten percent of Americans are moving forward into the new green economy, this means 90 percent are left behind in the grey pollution based economy. 10 percent is a good start, but if we want to avoid a climate crisis, we need to bring everyone on board.

Perhaps we can learn something from the cellular market. Up until about 1998, for the most part, only the upper-class could afford cell phones. Now, only ten years later, seeing a homeless person on a cell phone is quite common. The mobile market expanded quickly, keeping prices low, and plans simple. Cell phones are no longer a luxury of the elite; they have evolved into an affordable means of communication for everyday people.

I see the next wave of environmentalism evolving in a similar way. Currently, solar panels and electric cars are reserved for the “eco-elite”. For the rest of the population, “going green” is an abstract idea that is just out of reach. So the challenge we face now, is how do we recreate the cell phone model with hybrids and solar panels? How do we keep plans simple and prices low?

Ten years from now I want to see a family having a birthday in the park, inflating a “fun-jump” with the power of the sun. Ten years from now I want to see a homeless person driving a hybrid. Who knows, maybe that same person can get a “green collar job” manufacturing wind power turbines. Eco-equality seems like a far away dream, but hey, ten years ago you probably never thought you’d own a cell phone.