In one of Dr. Seuss’ children’s stories, “The Lorax,” a mythological creature named the Lorax “speaks for the trees, for the trees have no tongues” against the corporate world that mows down his forest. Nowadays the ideal environmental activist is much like the Lorax- he or she is mythological. Those “alternative” folks who abstain from transportation, paper products and light bulbs repulse us. We lambaste the celebrities for hopping on their carbon-spewing private jets to host Hollywood fundraisers for global warming. Displeased with global warming activists from all sides of the spectrum, I think we should stop measuring people by these indefinable standards. If activists mobilize people to curb global warming, why should we criticize them?
Colin Beaven should serve as the poster child for global warming activism. Beaven and his family live a “low-impact” lifestyle. Every day for a year, Beaven lives without toilet paper, magazines, newspapers, television, any form of transportation or plastic bags. The family will not use any product that has been imported from over 250 miles away.
If I had ever been interested in curtailing global warming, that man killed it for me. Like many others, I cannot possibly take global warming seriously when listening to that nasally greener-than-thou zealot preach against microwave use. He will not even let his two-year-old daughter eat ice cream because of the carbon-expelling carton. On the “Colbert Report,” Steven Colbert called him an “enviro-fascist” and an “owl-hugging druid,” and rightfully so. We cannot take global warming seriously if this freak is telling us to avoid washing our clothes or driving our cars, especially since we have nothing to call him to task for.
Regardless of whether or not you believe in global warming, you have probably heard of Laurie David. David has almost single-handedly brought global warming into the media. She has interviewed scientists around the world, written bestselling books, produced movies and donated to environmental organizations to teach the public about global warming. Currently, David has teamed up with Sheryl Crow to travel to universities and educate students about the effects of global warming.
Married to the “Seinfeld” creator and star of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Larry David, Laurie has been written off as another rich Hollywood activist out of touch with reality. She hobnobs with the Hollywood folks and holds fundraisers for environmental causes. Critics of the Stop Global Warming College Tour ridicule Crow as a cutesy songstress who has more interest in “soaking up the sun” than combating global warming.
Either way, they are people with a passion for stopping global warming. When I interviewed them by phone, they said their goal was to get the message out there to students and make them aware that they can make small changes that add up. They admitted to living less than eco-friendly lifestyles and advocated that people strike a balance between their lifestyles and reducing their impact on the environment.
They want to make people aware of global warming and offer steps toward reducing carbon emissions. They are taking two weeks out of their lives to do a good thing, and people throw stones at their cause because they live in big houses and own lots of cars.
Critics undermine the Stop Global Warming College Tour by impugning David for her less-than-green lifestyle. The Atlantic Monthly labeled David a “Gulfstream liberal” for condemning S.U.V. owners while opting for a private jet because she “can’t smoke on a commercial flight.”
But it has been proven that people, especially young people, listen to celebrities. Crow and David use their celebrity status as a sounding board for the scientists, environmentalists and future generations who do not want to battle a succession of natural disasters.
Admittedly, I went to the Stop Global Warming College Tour to see Sheryl Crow. But after hearing Laurie David’s presentation, I went home and shut off every appliance I could find to conserve energy. After seeing David’s film “An Inconvenient Truth,” my uncle brings an arguably effeminate canvas bag to the dry cleaners to avoid using plastic bags. These adaptations seem trivial and comical. However, if enough people make subtle changes in their daily habits because of what these perceivably hypocritical celebrities say, then there is a chance we might fend off the scourge of global warming.
Regardless of their lifestyles, Crow and David have succeeded in garnering millions of supporters for their Virtual March and in educating people about global warming. Anyone who breathes technically bears the guilt of global warming whether or not we live in a carbon-absorbing oak tree or a Hollywood mansion. So let us stop having unrealistic expectations about activists and give accolades to people who put the message out there and work toward reducing global warming.
About the writer:
Caitlin Booker is a sophomore CCPA major. She can be reached at [email protected].
