Benjamin Lee wrote:
> Maybe ESA could conduct a poll of members that live in highly
populated desert areas that by definition are unsustainable like Tempe,
Arizona. Or maybe vegans and vegetarians should not brag about
themselves over the ECOLOG listserv.
Ecologists are people just like every one else. Some try to minimize
their foot prints, some give it a good try, and some don't take anything
home when they leave work.
It would be interesting to see if and how and where members of ESA
differ from the average American. One hopes that by being ecologists,
we are more aware of how our actions affect the environment. Whether we
do something to minimize their effect is something else. How well
American Ecologists do compared to ecologists living in developing
countries is an entirely different matter.
This discussion isn't a complete waste of time, though, because it is
helpful to hear what other people do and why. Since we're all
over-educated ecologists, maybe our choices are more reasoned and
thoughtful than most. We ought, at least, to be really good at
rationalizing them...
I knew jet flying wasn't great for the environment, but by making the
decision to live in Taiwan, I was also making the decision to fly back
to the USA to visit family. In fact, I told my parents 'once a year for
as long as I can afford it.'
Taking an earlier and simpler version of the ecological footprint quiz
(<http://myfootprint.org>), I found that my lifestyle when in Taiwan was
on the level that if everyone lived like I did, one planet might be
adequate. Looking at my lifestyle in Taiwan, I also realized that 1) it
was on a level well below the aspirations of almost all my Taiwanese
students (who want kids, cars, and condos) and 2) it was also on a level
almost impossible to meet in the USA (car ownership almost mandatory,
food trucked thousands of miles, etc. etc.). Adding one round-trip
flight from Taiwan to the US, however, increased my ecological footprint
by a whole 'nother planet! Have I stopped flying? No. Is there more I
could do? Of course.
CL
who really wishes she could grow pecans in Taiwan...
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Cara Lin Bridgman [email protected]
P.O. Box 013 Shinjhuang http://megaview.com.tw/~caralin
Longjing Township http://www.BugDorm.com
Taichung County 43499
Taiwan Phone: 886-4-2632-5484
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