A blogger, environmentalist and author at The Guardian claims Tuesday going “green” means being an “unbearable” hypocrite.
Madeleine Somerville, author of the laboriously titled book “All You Need Is Less: A Guilt Free Guide To Eco-Friendly Green Living And Stress Free Simplicity,” wrote an editorial for The Guardian explaining to her readers the burden of being an environmentalist in a world of consumerists.
She notes she has a hard time squaring her reliance on cars, laptops and smart phones with her environmentalist tendencies.
The tension of having to operate in a modern society and adhere to environmentalist causes, Somerville writes, is a commonly shared burden among all green activists.
“Some own cars; some still eat meat,” Somerville added. “The more famous in our midst regularly fly great distances to speak about the horrific impact of carbon emissions,” she notes, perhaps referencing Hollywood actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Harrison Ford, both of whom champion conservationist causes while enjoying private jet rides.
DiCaprio’s private jet excursions are well-documented, especially after hacked Sony documents show the actor using private jets last year back and forth from New York to Los Angeles six times in six weeks.
Ford told Forbes in a 2013 interview he became involved in environmentalist causes more than two decade ago. “I suffered an unconscionable excess of resources and was looking for some way to redeem myself morally,” Ford said.
Yet the Indiana Jones actor never lets his activism get in the way of his private jet trips around the world, such as in 2014 when he fueled up his Cessna CitationJet and flew to London for a weekend trip.
Somerville, for her part, goes on to add the hypocrisy of people like DiCaprio and herself creates fodder for critics of so-called man-made global warming.
It can be intimidating being an environmentalist defending your hypocrisy.
“Suddenly you’re expected to have all the answers,” she writes, posing a slew of questions green groups are presented: “Why bother recycling when you still drive?” “How can you wear leather when you don’t eat meat?” “Aren’t those annual flights erasing the impact of anything else you do?”
Somerville answers the criticisms by suggesting oftentimes the necessities of life must take center stage over activism.
She presents her private life as an example.
Somerville continues: “My reluctant decision to continue owning a car came about as a result of a handful of carefully considered factors: the limited public transportation options in my city, six months of Canadian winter, car shares which can’t accommodate a car seat for my daughter, and a custody agreement which requires me to drive her to see her dad three hours away, twice a month.”
Somerville says she feels bad about her hypocrisy, but she’s doing her best to offset her reliance on gas-powered vehicles and other electrical appliances.
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