First Name | Luke |
---|---|
Last Name | Massman-Johnson |
Email Address | Luke@DesignToolbox.com |
Affiliation | |
Subject | My family is doing our part: you do yours! |
Comment | I'm an LA citizen, voter, and green advocate. I am educated and active about the science and politics of climate change, and I'm a founding member of the sustainability committee at my children's elementary school. I have bicycle-commuted for over 20 years, and have painstakingly designed my work, travel, and home life to minimize my family's carbon footprint. These changes have not come easily for me or my family. We are constantly (but eagerly) compromising convenience and cost in all our consumer and business decisions. My wife and I are self-made small business owners and it is especially difficult in this long recession to 'go slow' and 'take the high road' for the environment: biking instead of driving; video conferencing with clients instead of flying to meetings; sourcing materials locally, manufacturing more sustainably, at a higher cost and lower profit; ambitious reduction / reuse / recycling at home and work. It is a faith, a calling, an act of patriotism, integrity, and duty. We know minimizing our impact on the climate is an urgent challenge of unprecedented scale, and we are proud to model thoughtful and responsible living for our children, and to inspire the 'green' in our family, peers, and co-workers. We must also recognize the overwhelming role the US industrial revolution and globalized Western consumer economy has had in pushing all our climate to the tipping point. I am by no means anti-corporation or anti-business. Nor am I anti-fossil fuel. These ideas and innovations have fundamentally advanced civilization in every imaginable way. But they have also had an unsustainable cost which is now well understood, and for which we have the responsibility to correct. A greener economy is inevitable. The US can either lead the charge and confirm it's place as a 'can do' world leader, or it can whine and hide and deny. If we do the latter, not only will we suffer the shame of having set this disaster in motion and not being willing to do a damned thing about it, but also the exponential 'catch up' costs of rebuilding our rusting industries to match the new world standards being adopted everywhere else. So me and my family are voluntarily making sweeping changes in our lives, trying to 'live Kyoto' every single hour of every single day. And most of the rest of the world is waking up and starting to do the same. The buzz at this week's COP16 summit in Cancun has made it blatantly clear that world opinion is so disparaging and disappointed about the US stance on climate change that IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR THE WORLD IF WE DIDN'T SHOW UP AT ALL. What?! This isn't the US anyone wants. Yet somehow, with almost no practical political power in the last two years, the foot-dragging, obstructionist, climate-denying, profit-above-all Republicans have been phenomenally successful at keeping US citizens and gullible politicians both confused and apathetic. The results of their ambitious and disingenuous schemes have paid off: IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR THE WORLD IF WE DIDN'T SHOW UP AT ALL. I can't wait to see what they do with the additional leverage they gained by controlling the House in 2011. Meanwhile, those of us that see the light and know what integrity and patriotism mean are willing and eager to shoulder the task of evolving. So it is unconscionable that the largest corporate and industrial polluters - with the collusion of their republican climate deniers and lobbyists - would be given billions of dollars of giveaways. The entire world knows the 'non-negotiable' American / western / consumerist way of life is at the heart of this crisis - and it is utterly unsustainable. Facing our responsibility, stepping back into a leadership position, and evolving won't destroy our way of life - it will make it better than ever, and ensure that it can go on for many generations to come. Thank you for your careful consideration. |
Attachment | |
Original File Name | |
Date and Time Comment Was Submitted | 2010-12-10 06:20:22 |
If you have any questions or comments please contact Clerk of the Board at (916) 322-5594.