CELEBRATING THE EARTH

Yesterday was the 39th celebration of Earth Day. The celebration was greeted with much more coverage in the media than in the past twenty years. The greening of America is here. Again. As a Green Builder in Michigan, I have mixed feelings.

A lot of good has came from that first Earth Day in 1970. The Clean Air and Clean Water acts immediately followed. The oil embargo of 1973 pushed many people to look at smaller cars, insulate their homes better. Most car companies began to develop smaller, more efficient cars (remember the Opel, marketed by Buick? It was General Motors small car before the oil embargo).In the late 70's, a small number of solar collectors started going up on homes in this our area (West Michigan), as well as the White House.

Then something happened. Oil prices stabilized. We got used to what a gallon of gas and a Btu of energy cost. After a decade of these higher oil prices and lifestyle adjustments, it was time to relax. It was as if we had made sacrifices during a war and we had won. It was time to return to the old ways.Mainstream innovation stopped. The solar panels came off the White House. We had a growing economy. Cars became bigger again. Remember the spotted owl controversy? It was the Greenies versus the logging industry. Does anyone remember who won? Did anyone win?

Not that everyone stopped innovating, researching. Building scientists, some architects, some builders, carried on. Some car companies continued to pursue efficiencies in their products (I can think of two off hand). The old line said that the consumer didn't care, that they were only responding to what the public wanted.

Now it's 2008, and most companies are claiming to be green. Publicly, the old line will  tell you how they've been green all along. That they're eco-friendly, that it's the right thing to do. Privately, when they're guard is down, they'll confide that green is a fad. Realistically, they're playing catch-up to those that did pursue efficiencies and environmental responsibility.

It's not a marketing campaign. Everyday is Earth Day.

Posted by COASTLINE BUILDING at 4/23/2008 8:55 AM
Categories: OTHER ECO STUFF
Tags: green washing Earth Day energy efficient building energy efficiency Energy efficiency building
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