Being Green and Rational

There are many things that we can do right now that can benefit our environment and us (because weare a significant part of the environment). I think we do care about our future. I have a little more faith and maybe, foresight to think that humans are not just rational profit-maximizing species, but thoughtful beings who do and could take the future into account. The principle of rational theory lies on the belief that individual actions lie on maximizing the benefits received from that action. Of course, "realists" have come up with so many theories and games to demonstrate just that: notably, the Prisoner's Dilemma. Hmm.

Well, frankly my dears, we do not live in a vacuum! Nothing exists independently of this world. There are not only a trillion other influences on an individual's choice but there is also the problem of misinformation. With that all said and done, here is the crown of my argument: The rational-choice theory is focused on the short-term and not on the long-term effects. If people were educated (that my friends, is our job), they would choose wisely for the future and not only on the immediate gratification. Thinking is human nature not profit-maximizing. That may be the nature of the short-sighted glutton!

Because of this hyper-capitalism that has everyone running amok with hardly time to think, (there are an average of 3,000 messages a day thrown at an individual to buy something) it is our job (we,who have the luxury of time and information) to give the best information to the rest of the community and the world. We need to inform everyone of the choice they really have and not sell them something extraneous and harmful. We can do better than just informing and learning about petroleum in our gas stations and cars but by focusing, for example, on the fact that it is also found in plastic and rubber products as well.

We can turn the rational-choice theorists on their head when we confront them that yes, if people really knew what would maximize their benefits, they would choose trees, fresh air, healthy children, leisure, fair wages, fair treatment of humans around the world. But, the forces of marketing and advertising got us all thinking that buying an item for a dollar less (or sometimes wasting more money) is somehow better than having clean air, or healthy soil, or even better jobs and free time.

I, personally, think I would rather have a clean atmosphere and trees than buying ridiculous cheap crap from Wal-Mart that I really didn't need. Instead of saving money on goods, why don't we demand savings where it matters most such as housing, medical insurance, and education?

Let's face it, the problem with most American households is storage. We have so much stuff that we keep buying other stuff to put it in. The garages are overrun, the attics are stuffed, and our closets are full. Why do we need so many things??? Are you happier with all your stuff? Or are you miserable trying to come up with ways to store and organize. The "it" word of America is organize. Wouldn't you want to have an easier time organizing with fewer items? Because, you know, it is easier and takes less time.

So everyone, I appeal to your sensibility. You could try to make some changes and we, and some of you, will do our part of finding reliable information and guidance to help you choose rationally about the future. Below are some suggestions.

If some of you do not understand or want to know more how some products contribute to pollution and other harmful effects, there are books, websites, organizations devoted to exposing the linkages. There are also great books by concerned human beings as to what actions we can take to minimize our damage to our environment. You could try to find them yourselves or email us and we will help you out.

Seven things we can do right now to minimize damage and potentially save us some money:

Recycle and buy recycled items
Drive less(save money, enjoy outdoors
Turn off appliances, lights, water when not in use.
Eat less meat (In Brazil, they feed the animals better than the people just so we can have meat three times a day.)
Buy organic (it tastes better too)
Cut down on plastic/paper use. Use a mug at Starbucks, please!
Buy fewer things, but treat yourself with much fewer nicer things.