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Critics and cynics want to tell us that all the green movement wants is to make us feel guilty, tell us what not to do and to make us go without the things we are used to. Well I am here to tell you that being green does not have to be about having to go without but it is about making different and more informed choices. Example, there are literally thousands of species of sea fish, many dozens of which are available to us, however as we all seem to want to eat the same few varieties, stocks of those varieties are collapsing in the wild.
Cod, haddock, plaice, those fish-shop favourites are all at dangerously low levels, especially in the traditional fishing grounds like the North Sea. On the other hand species like mackerel and whiting are in good supply whereas species like lemon sole and other smaller flat fish varieties are currently in an overabundance, not least as they used to form a large part of the now rare cod's diet.
There are thousands of
species of sea fish
A lot of early recruits to the green movement were attracted by the idea of a simpler and less complicated life. Fine, all well and good but not what many of the more reluctant green-converts are necessarily looking for. What is more, we really don't like being told what we can or can't do. We have got very used to our convenient consumer lifestyles and are not ready to give any of it up unless we really have to.
Ban Ki-moon the UN secretary general made it very clear at the Bali climate conference last week… "The science is clear, climate change is happening, the impact is real, the time to act is now." Stark words indeed but he also went to on say: "Climate change is as much an opportunity as it is a threat. It is our chance to usher in a new age of green economics and truly sustainable development."
And that is the whole point; we have to see this as an opportunity, for us as individuals and for business and commerce. The age of cheap carbon based energy like oil is rapidly coming to an end. We can no longer indiscriminately plunder resources from the environment, be they trees, fish, metal ores or anything else but by making more informed choices and embracing new cutting-edge technologies like renewable energy, recycling and energy efficiency we can take our rightful place at the global table in the 21st century.
Being green is about spotting new opportunities, embracing change and being prepared to wave goodbye to many of our out of date, polluting and wasteful practices. It is forward thinking, creative and optimistic, you can throw away your hair shirts for the time being.
