Michael Maniates wrote his article, "Going Green? Easy Doesn't Do It" in an appealing, motivational manner at least to me. Maniates criticizes the mantra of "Keep it simple, stupid" in solving the world's environmental problems, which seems to have been the attitude among environmental leaders for the past few decades. While it is true, when first facing complex, global interdependent issues, such as the environmental ones our world is facing, it is easier to begin small and simple in order to start the forward process of change. However, these environmental problems are not new nor small, and as Maniates argues it's time for people to stop treating them as such.
Maniates' main criticism, it appears, is with the leaders of the environmental movement. The leaders, including Al Gore, are focusing on babying Americans with simple and small plans, that will lead to great change. (Recycle, take shorter showers, etc.) However as Maniates points out, great change does not come with encouraging small ideas or easy solutions, and the great leaders will realize this and adapt a policy which will encourage big thinking and new ideas to solve the world's problems. I really enjoyed the author's comparison to FDR's New Deal ("Franklin Roosevelt didn't mobilize the country's energies by listing 10 easy ways to oppose fascism.") and the environmental movement. FDR would not have been able to pull the nation out of the great depression and stimulate the economy without A New Deal, a new way of approaching the economy, and encouraging people to take an active role in reshaping the world. Similarly today's leaders of the environmental movement, need to take a more active and progressive role in encouraging Americans to think of new solutions to our environmental issues and move beyond the easy and simple steps to help save our environment.
On the other hand, Maniates seems to feel as though individual Americans can do more than the simple and easy solutions currently presented to us. While I agree that Americans could all be doing a lot more to help live a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle, without strong leadership and fresh ideas from within the environmental movement, large changes from individual Americans are nearly impossible to expect. Maniates states, "We need to be looking at fundamental change in our energy, transportation and agricultural systems rather than technological tweaking on the margins, and this means changes and costs that our current and would-be leaders seem afraid to discuss." If the changes need to occur within our energy, transportation, and agricultural systems, which is mostly a call for leadership amongst America's political and environmental leaders, then what per say is the average American to do to help with these changes? While I agree that average Americans are the heart of most change in this country, through our individual innovation, without strong leadership it is hard to blame Americans for taking the "easy" way out in regards to environmental problems.
Amanda
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Nicely put, Amanda. We need strong leadership, and my piece was about trying to get some of us to quit focusing on the small stuff and start clamoring for the big stuff. It won't take a whole lot of us to make change, but we need to shift our attention from paper vs. plastic or CFLs vs. incandescents and start pressing our leaders for meaningful change.
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