We all are hipocrits. And we all have our one thing that we just cannot give up. Such as for me flying to see my family. We all can feel tremendously bad about many part that we and others do. But that does not help. The trick is, I think, to make it fun, and to give people choices to do what they can do. George Monbiot in "Heat", chapter 3, describes very well how this could be done: everybody is allowed a certain amount of CO2 emissions, and people have the freedom to choose how to reduce them. But at the end we need strict regulations to enforce that every individual and industry and business keeps at their limit; or trades in with others who do not produce as much CO2. I believe most important is to not put yourself above the others, otherwise people will automatically not listen. And a very important lesson that I learned is that you can never change people. If you approach the problem from there you will not succeed. Instead, you can help them understand and think, and then hopefully, with some gentle reminders here and there, people will consider to change their own attitudes towards a problem. But it has to be their decision to do so, not yours, until we will have regulations which ought to come eventually. Good luck, Maiken
I have been reading some excellent rants and diatribes about the issue of consumption, particularly North American and most particularly about gasoline vs. ethanol vs. biodiesel. I really would like to believe that most of the folks writing these are "practicing what they preach" and have sold their combustible engine vehicles in favour of a bicycle and/or public transportation however, having just graduated with an M.S. in Marine Biology I realize this is sadly not the case. I was labeled as a trouble-maker for making comments like "if you're a scientist and stay abreast of global warming trends AND still drive a gasoline vehicle you are a hypocrite." finger-pointing is a tough one as you are often branded as self-righteous but leading-by-example is a SLOW process, so the question I pose to this BLOG is how do you get colleagues to change without alienating them? like I said, many of the essays I read on this listserv resonate with me, but they are just words falling on an already preached to choir. I would like to add, that I have been happily without a vehicle for 1 year & 5 months and love it. there are just so many reasons beyond doing the right thing as to why walking, biking and/or taking the bus is enjoyable: you see more wildlife en route, you find great stuff along the side of the road, you have time to read (on the bus), you rarely have to wait for traffic, you get exercise and so don't have to go to the gym, etc. etc. make the commitment and feel the freedom. in situations where science has allied with industry to such a degree that scholastic acheivements are overshadowed by material possessions what can one do but be a trouble maker? your experiences and comments are appreciated. Adam Herbert
