Green

As much as I remember I’ve always had this attitude of saving, reusing, minimising waste… - efficiency. For example, when I was a kid writing down the notes in a school, I used to write with a really small font, and I would fully fill in every page till there was essentially no ‘white space’ left. Squeezing the last bit of tooth paste is another example, I still do this. If some of these things you find to be on borderline with OCD – possible. Well anyhow, I try to be efficient in everything I do; of course, better in some things, in some not so good. Basically what I’m saying is that I’ve been pro ‘go green’ even before I knew that there was a ‘go green’ movement. My family and friends had to bare w/ that at times: Mum hated me offing the lights (Singlish :) around the house, that I’ve considered unnecessary; and Vesna coped quite a bit of harassment with finding items that she already disposed into the rubbish obscuring her way again but this time adorned with posted notes ‘marketing’ recycling; David got schooled (Singlish again) on our JB shopping trip when he threw empty pack of cigarettes on the street; his response was: ‘this is not Spore’.

I hope we learn sooner rather then later. After all, the lesson is not that difficult. Old Cro (or Greek or whatever) saying went something like: ‘if everyone kept clean around their house the neighborhood would be clean’. Now cleaning is greening and the neighborhood is the planet, but the principle is the same same (no different). Quite simple - right?!

In my early 20s I would get angry when talking about this kind of things. Guess back then I was just angry, but none the less these sort of examples of complete human ignorance, selfishness, short-sightedness…, or should I just say, plain out STUPIDITY, would get me even more agitated. The analogy that popped-up between my ears during one of the stimulating (& /ed) conversations with Pixi while discussing one of these usual wars, bombings, killings sprees, etc that we see daily on the news was:

It’s like we’re arguing who’s turn is it to take out the rubbish, or clean the dishes, yet the obvious fact that the house is on fire, we completely ignore.

Taking Ray’s ‘just a human’ perspective helped get rid of anger; it got substituted by a sorrow.

In Spore, when I first went to lunch with Murray, fellow Aussie who’s been here for the last 10yrs, we had some interesting conversations. We share the passion, but Murray is much more devoted to THE topic then I am.

Bit later it was number of emails that I’ve exchanged with David that produced gMail sponsored link which caught my attention. The link was for Zaadz, an on-line community devoted to saving the planet. It is very comforting to know there are organised efforts out there , and finding this one made me feel all mushy-wushy on the inside. Hope started looking more and more like an expectation that we will graduate before the year 3500 (The way I see it, going green is just like the 1st year of the school; and the school is compulsory for all).

I first recognised ‘go green’ as FINALLY going (more) main stream when Honda displayed the lively for it’s F1 car earlier this year. Bit ironic, Honda, (petrol) car racing and green. But why not; if any corporation is going to make more green by ‘going green’, or at least promoting ‘going green’ then I’m all up for it (well, they’ll make their money anyhow). Also it was just yesterday in the news where the Renault F1 team boss, Fabio Briatore, was complaining about the FIA’s new direction to get more reusable energy technologies into F1. He’s ‘just a human’ so expectantly he said that all this would just increase the cost of the sport, where as it will not add to the spectacle.

During the Melbourne visit, first meeting I had with my supervisor Sandrine quickly turned into a ‘green’ conversation. As I forgot to bring along my ‘connect iPod to the car stereo’ cable, I was stuck with listening radio while driving. It was real pleasant surprise to hear all the advertisement linked with ‘go green’. People started to care, and all of a sudden corporations are interested as well. Who knows, now that corporation (make you think that they) care, maybe the (leading) politicians (governments) jump onto the band wagon real soon as well [now smile; it's a joke].

I’m not pro-politics, but I don’t avoid it anymore as much as I used to. So during the breakfast I have news channel on TV (the choice is, pretty much, TV on or off). One news segment that comes to mind is form back late last year when Bush addressed the congress. He said something along the lines of: 'I urge this nation to commit it self to the goal of lowering its dependency on oil'. Thus far in the last 6+ yrs this is the only thing that I heard coming form the man, that I liked hearing. Sure, it's rather cute that his setting the goal now on he’s way out, but you know what they say about being late... let's just hope its not too late.

All together this gives me hope that there will be a reversal to the story Dan told me about. Apparently, if I remember correctly, some years back, 15 or so, Chrysler had developed this commercially viable, fully electric car ready for the general production – they had to destroy the car and all the research behind it – Human...!