"Going Green" is a scam!

Relax, before you decide that I'm fickle and can't decide what I believe, the tag line for this post comes from a Penn and Teller broadcast that a friend quoted me when we were having a discussion on the validity of recycling.

I went and watched part of their rant against the whole environmental community. While I do agree that the truth sometimes is exaggerated, (thanks a lot former Vice President Gore), you don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

I also read some diatribes from others who attempt to debunk all areas of responsible living. A common tactic is to point out a flaw and make it the whole focus.

Here let me give you an example:

Curbside recycling expends more energy than it saves. The author pointed out that curbside recycling requires a second "trash" truck , more fossil fuel expended, more labor and energy spent in sorting. These are valid points, unfortunately, they are told in a vacuum. While a second truck is needed to pick up the used paper to recycle, a second truck on it's way to transport more cut down trees is eliminated.

In my next few posts, we will be discussing this point. I want an honest discussion, so I will point out areas in our efforts to live responsibly where improvement is needed. For example, there is concern with the disposing of the batteries in hybrid cars. While the concern is overstated, it is important that better batteries are manufactured and more efficient recycling programs are in place to deal with the increase of these batteries.

I would love to hear from you. Let me know your concerns. If you think some of this stuff is bunk, tell me. We will have an intelligent discussion.