Environmentalism

[jonnno]

I came across this link today:
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a206066/lewis-plants-a-tree-after-every-flight.html

It's all about how Leona Lewis plants a free every time she flies somewhere. I'm not having a pop at her personally but it did make me think about how people in the press tend to bang on about this sort of thing. I know that Bushcrafting doesn't equal environmentalism but obviously as someone who likes to be in the woods, it's important that they're actually still there when I want to go

So the point of this ramble is this - I don't think that Leona put her wellies on, grabbed a spade and trotted off down the local forest - I'm cynically thinking that she donated money to a charity or had the gardiner pop in another spruce. So when you have millions in the bank and all the comforts you could possibly want in life does this sort of thing really matter. Sure, she's actually doing some good with each tree and using less energy at home and renting a Prius when she needs to get about could only be good but considering her lifestyle and daytime job surely the total amount of harm she does to the planet isn't even close to being offset with a tree, a hybrid motor and not leaving the light on in the khazi.

So I really think it's a bit of an attention gathering gesture that causes her absolutely no discomfort or wallet based harm and if she really wanted to make a difference she should be doing something proportional to the resources she uses and the money she makes from them - lets say 5% of her net? In fact as I type I'm thinking I bet she has a team of accountants tapping away somewhere making sure she pays as little tax and VAT as possible etc, etc which doesn't make me any happier about the situation considering how much Her Majesty stitches me up every month!

Like I say, I'm not trying to be cynical (okay then, I am - you got me) but I think it's a valid point. When I head for the hills I try and bring rubbish home even if I didn't take it and I'm careful to make as little a mark as possible and I try and encourage all the people I travel with to do the same and I think that's as important as writing a cheque for a tree or putting up with a crappy hybrid instead of your usual limo....

(And yes, if you want to be equally cynical I have probably personally burned more wood than she's managed to plant to date but lets not go there :v)

 

[durulz]

All true enough.
I agree with everything you say - one does sometimes feel that these wally media-celebrities do these things just to be seen doing them in a slightly trite, 'accessorised', manner.

But tell me (since you've decided to criticise her), what do YOU do that's so much better?
It is easy to criticise (and fair criticism it is too), but do be careful that you do something worthier than just camp out in the woods every now and then needlessly carving a spoon or whatever...
What do YOU do to offset the car journey? To offest the manufacture of all the kit you take? etc

 

[jonnno]

A totally fair point - I'm no environmentalist and am fully capable of driving to the shop round the corner. However I was more seeing the issue as one of her blustering about it in the press. If she did a few bits and bobs but said nothing I'd have no issue.

All true enough.
I agree with everything you say - one does sometimes feel that these wally media-celebrities do these things just to be seen doing them in a slightly trite, 'accessorised', manner.

But tell me (since you've decided to criticise her), what do YOU do that's so much better?
It is easy to criticise (and fair criticism it is too), but do be careful that you do something worthier than just camp out in the woods every now and then needlessly carving a spoon or whatever...
What do YOU do to offset the car journey? To offest the manufacture of all the kit you take? etc

 

[preacherman]

A totally fair point - I'm no environmentalist and am fully capable of driving to the shop round the corner. However I was more seeing the issue as one of her blustering about it in the press. If she did a few bits and bobs but said nothing I'd have no issue.

You know what they say, " every little helps".

I think its important that people in the public eye publicise what they are doing about the environment. They have a huge influence on the kids that buy their records, as can be seen in the way kids dress, what phone they use, the way they do their hair, you get the picture.

If by doing something small like having a tree planted every time they fly encourages millions of kids to do the same then that can only be a good thing surely.

Andrew

 

[durulz]

You know what they say, " every little helps".

I think its important that people in the public eye publicise what they are doing about the environment. They have a huge influence on the kids that buy their records, as can be seen in the way kids dress, what phone they use, the way they do their hair, you get the picture.

If by doing something small like having a tree planted every time they fly encourages millions of kids to do the same then that can only be a good thing surely.

Andrew

I have a lot of sympathy with that argument. But I am also reminded of someone who once said that if you need Gerri Halliwell to tell you about starvation in Africa then I wonder about your ability to say anything worthwhile on the subject in the first place. Ditto Leona Lewis.

 

[preacherman]

I have a lot of sympathy with that argument. But I am also reminded of someone who once said that if you need Gerri Halliwell to tell you about starvation in Africa then I wonder about your ability to say anything worthwhile on the subject in the first place. Ditto Leona Lewis.

I get what you are saying but people like Geri Halliwell and Leona Lewis reach an audience that not even David Attenborough can reach. Not everybody keeps up with the latest news but they will know when the next Leona Lewis single is out. They will probably know more about what Leona Lewis does in her daily life than what is going on in their own town or country.

As long as they are not preaching anything that will do harm I say let them preach away, it can only do good.

Andrew

 

[gregorach]

As long as they are not preaching anything that will do harm I say let them preach away, it can only do good.

I'm not entirely convinced that the message "You can do whatever you like as long as you occasionally make an entirely symbolic act of contrition" isn't doing harm. The problem is one of scale: planting a tree doesn't come anywhere close to offsetting the damage caused by a flight - heck, it probably isn't even enough to offset the impact of driving to the nursery to buy the tree in the first place. It's the modern equivalent of buying indulgences.

Not that I have the least idea who Leona Lewis is in the first place...

 

[demographic]

Meh, good on anyone that helps, whatever their reasons.

 

[durulz]

Meh, good on anyone that helps, whatever their reasons.

Well, yeah. True enough. No one could argue with that.
But you've missed the point of the original question - are they doing anything that helps?

 

[preacherman]

are they doing anything that helps?

I would say that creating environmental awareness amongst thousands if not millions of kids must help.....

Andrew

 

[BushEd]

I would say that creating environmental awareness amongst thousands if not millions of kids must help.....

Andrew

But its that empty-headed nonsense environmentalism.

"Plant a tree when you fly, drive a car (with a battery), switch off the lights"

If thats what people need convincing to do...or is it?

If anything its worse for the environment, its like saying "as long as you make piece-meal gestures, you can pollute as much as you want..."

a plane flight, the construction/shipping of an "eco-friendly" car, one 60watt bulb off. In the end there's nothing eco-friendly about any of this or what she's done - but people will think there is, and environmentalism just becomes another way to sell crap to idiots, while we keep on tumbling down the same mired road.

 

[durulz]

But its that empty-headed nonsense environmentalism.

"Plant a tree when you fly, drive a car (with a battery), switch off the lights"

If thats what people need convincing to do...or is it?

If anything its worse for the environment, its like saying "as long as you make piece-meal gestures, you can pollute as much as you want..."

a plane flight, the construction/shipping of an "eco-friendly" car, one 60watt bulb off. In the end there's nothing eco-friendly about any of this or what she's done - but people will think there is, and environmentalism just becomes another way to sell crap to idiots, while we keep on tumbling down the same mired road.

Precisely.

 

[drago]

I get what you are saying but people like Geri Halliwell and Leona Lewis reach an audience that not even David Attenborough can reach. Not everybody keeps up with the latest news but they will know when the next Leona Lewis single is out. They will probably know more about what Leona Lewis does in her daily life than what is going on in their own town or country.

As long as they are not preaching anything that will do harm I say let them preach away, it can only do good.

Andrew

yeah it is good to see them doing something and bring the problem into the public eye for that short minuscule amount of time between jeremy kyle tv episodes, but i think you have to be really careful of the message itself....although carbon offsetting is an bean counters way of tackling the problem (no offence to any bean counters ment) it is not the only way and is not necessarily the best solution... ideally people should prevent rather than tackle post event

the problem itself has a multitude of pitfuls and social issues getting in the way, but unless you can start changing the minds of the masses then the problem will always exist.... so although leona is only doing something small like planting a tree or paying someone to do it for her, at least she is doing it..... the key point i think i am trying to get at is that a change doenst happen overnight and it takes a few people to teach (correctly) a few more and eventually change will come.

 

[Alchemist]

Interesting thread. We all have our opinions so I am just giving you mine!

The whole 'plant a tree' idea gets my blood boiling. I have no issues with her motives but if you look at it objectively she is doing more harm than good. It is giving with one hand and taking with the other. Replacing oil usage and co2 emmisions with a tree is hard to compare but it really isn't enough.

Are you telling me that the tree is really going to offset the emmisions from the aviation fuel? And that is assuming that the thing wont be cut down in the next 5 years to make way for something else to be built. You also have to consider that the emmisions are in the atmosphere immediately. The tree will take years to photosynthesise that amount of CO2. And if we all kept flying and planting trees then the world is going to be full of trees very quickly. Where are they going to go?

And as for the getting the message to the public. What about the message to just stop flying as much? Or the message that money doesn't give you happiness? Or what about overpopulation? There are loads of other environmental issues that get missed because people keep going on about carbon emmisions. It is just scratching at the surface.

I am going to have to stop because I can see myself going too far.

 

[Adze]

It should be written enviroMENTALism... but then, so should buying a prius and driving everywhere at 100mph.

 

[BorderReiver]

The whole environmental movement is based on a false premise.

The war cry is "Save The Planet" as if we can destroy a planet. OK, I'm sure if we put our mind to it we could actually destroy it.

What they mean is, we are making the planet unsuitable for humans to live on. Big difference.

I hate the destruction of natural habitat but I have resigned myself to accept it.

Growth is the new god. No country will accept that their economy should remain static or shrink. So birthrates are allowed to continue at an unsustainable level to provide a market for goods and services to drive the economy.

More people = more pollution; CO2; land concreted over and the rest.

All the crap about "Carbon Trading" is just another way for filthy rich people to become more obscenely rich and will do nothing to halt global warming.

So, to save my sanity, I am not going to get upset about somat that I'm powerless to prevent.

 

[Tengu]

These people are just as helpless as you.

If it makes her feel better, why worry? better than feeling guilty over some sin.

But she (whoever she is, I dont know) is an influence on the young, she could do something like promote a craft, something constructive

 

[mr dazzler]

I'm not entirely convinced that the message "You can do whatever you like as long as you occasionally make an entirely symbolic act of contrition" isn't doing harm. The problem is one of scale: planting a tree doesn't come anywhere close to offsetting the damage caused by a flight - heck, it probably isn't even enough to offset the impact of driving to the nursery to buy the tree in the first place. It's the modern equivalent of buying indulgences.

Ach, you saw that too greg The superstitiousness and rampant guilt associatted with enviro politics is very similar to the romanist system's as well......

 

[milius2]

100% with BorderReiver.
1. Planet is something mankind cant destroy, no matter how hard you try...
2. Spieces and diversity of life is something that we will destroy (to some extent) we want it or not by overpopulating earth.
3. There is no solution to GLOBAL problems, as there is no GLOBAL government. (look what happened in Copenhagen )
4. Globalisation is just another tool to produce cheap sh.. at any cost necessary, maximising profits, paying no taxes to the third world they abuse and making a western life the way it is...
5. Lewis? Another star? Like Arnold Shwarts... drvinig 10l hammer to enviro... meeting. Fu.. that.

 

[Alchemist]

What they mean is, we are making the planet unsuitable for humans to live on. .

Exactly. The planet will last longer than us. That is why I am supportive for looking after the environment but don't like being called a tree hugger. A tree hugger is a bit too sentimental IMHO.

TRY THIS LINK.

Haven't finished reading but it looks appropriate. Found it through wildmanwildfood.