So I'm 24 hours late, but yesterday was Blog Action Day, which focused on an effort to get people talking about the environment. It's an interesting concept in mass online mobilization, so I wanted to throw my two cents in before the topic became completely stale.
I consider myself an environmentalist, but I'm relatively gentle about it. I find it hard to preach to others on the topic. I've been a Sierra Club member for years, and I think they're pretty much my style... engage the political process and aim for persuasion over threats and protests (a la Greenpeace). I have many good friends who have walked the latter path, however, and I understand their perspective.
I think that technology has much to offer in the various environmental challenges we face. Some of the new ideas around carbon sequestration and alternative fuels are very interesting. The formidable powers of innovation in Silicon Valley are being turned to this challange right now, and I think some very interesting possibilities will emerge. I wish the government would play a greater role in terms of cap-and-trade regimes or accellerating the hydrogen economy, but that will probably have to wait until after a new administration comes in.
The public policy dispute resolution work I did in Massachusetts taught me quite a bit about how to address environmental issues pragmatically. Jonathan Raab, my boss at the time, facilitated processes on wind generation in Nantucket Sound, distributed generation in New England (enabling residences and businesses to roll back their power meters), and statewide greenhouse gas reduction strategies, so I learned quite a bit second hand through my participation in those efforts. Often times the efforts everyone touts (e.g. recycling) offer significantly smaller benefits than ideas that seem simpler (e.g. vehicle fuel-efficiency credits).
Lifestyle changes are undoubtedly going to be a big part of the solution, though any proposals that urge people to take cold showers and sit in the dark are going nowhere. My family drives two hybrids, and we have a solar water heater on our roof for our pool. My wife is very good about keeping lights off (me, not so much, unfortunately.)
The biggest change I've been able to make has been biking to work. I've got a pretty good commute -- 12 miles each way -- but biking appeals to me on a purely pragmatic basis... I have to commute every day, I need to work out for my health, and I don't want to put any more carbon into the atmosphere than I have to. I tried hard last year to get going on my bike but I couldn't do more than a few hours on an upright without wrecking my back, so I switched this year to a recumbent bike and I'm a total convert. (check out http://www.easyracers.com/ for more.) I know I look goofy during my commute, but I'm really enjoying it. I hope I can keep it up through the colder/wetter season. Now that it's getting darker I'm going to light up my bike like a Christmas tree.
eBay and PayPal have just kicked off a Green Team that is suggesting many changes within the corporation, some of which are very interesting. We're installing big electricity generating solar panels on top of our new office building, and they're changing over all our cups, plates, silverware, etc. to biodegradeable materials. It's amazing how much of a social turnaround there's been on all of this over the last 3-4 years. I just hope the rapid movement doesn't provoke a backlash.
Thanks to Blog Action Day for suggesting the topic!