We love Treehugger. They’ve got tools to get informed, interact and take action. To celebrate Earth Day they’ve interviewed some real powerhouses to ask them, if they were in charge.. what would they fix first? These are our favorites:
Michelle Kaufmann
“Now that we know the impact that carbon has on our shared environment and resources, if I were in charge, I would require a “carbon label” on all goods sold.
“Much like nutrition labels, this would not only help us make better, more informed decisions (should I buy this type of milk or that one), but it will also make companies more aware of their own practices, so they too can make educated, thoughtful decisions on how they produce their goods.”
Cristina Eisenberg
“I would fix human attitudes first. Aldo Leopold used to tell his kids when they spent time at the shack to never forget that everything in nature had to do with relationships. Earth to human, human to earth, ultimately our conservation issues today all stem from unhealthy relationships with nature.
“To mend the web of life we need to fix these relationships. This involves awareness of our moral duty to live rightly on the Earth.”
May Boeve
“We need leaders. Our generation faces a particularly daunting set of challenges, catastrophic climate change foremost among them. A nascent movement confronts this challenge; we strive to organize not only against our opposition—polluting industries and the politicians who support them—but also in support of solutions.
“If I were in charge, I would use the bully pulpit to inspire everyone to do the most courageous acts we can to preserve a future full of beauty.”
Kathleen Rogers
“My number-one priority would be a strict 10 year phase-out of all uses of coal.
“U.S. coal-fired power plant emissions release 386,000 tons of hazardous air pollutants — annually contributing to cancer, pulmonary and cardiovascular disease, impairment of neurological function and the ability to learn.
Environmental impacts include acid rain, bioaccumulation of toxic metals, contamination of water bodies, reducing visibility and degradation of buildings and monuments. Today starts the transition to a clean green economy.”
Margaret Atwood
“I’d fix the energy-to-emissions ratio. Human societies need energy—turn it off and chaos would result: But if we could fix the ratio without obliterating other life forms, we’d be giving ourselves enough breathing space to tackle other urgent global problems, such as clean water supply, food sufficiency, and the preservation of health-giving natural areas.
“There are many tools available and in development: globalthermostat.com, high tech solar, etc.—but their rollout will take time.
“In the short run, the quick, cheap fix is energy-waste reduction, as in for instance—canada.zerochallenge.org.”
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And I thought I was the sensible one. Thanks for setting me straight.