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Okay, I get it, I know how you all feel these days about greening your lives to aid in the continued health of the planet and to assist in the long-term viability of the American lifestyle that we have spent our lives growing accustomed to…mere shavings of wood off of the old business as usual projections just isn’t going to cut it these days.

In recognition of the industrialization of emerging economies (China, India, Brazil) and our “holier than thou” proclamations against their progress (especially since we funded it for our own gain and are the only ones to blame for finding ourselves here), we need to look “under the hood” of the American body to rethink what we are doing instead of focusing on slight innovations that only fuel our do-goodery spirit.

I’m sorry (not really) but the gas you save driving a hybrid, or bringing your own bag, is just dust in the wind compared to the emissions of manufacturing the car or bringing those groceries to the store.

Luckily for those that fell into the trap and filled the niche for change with green-washed market based solutions (yes, of course I fully realize that I may only be speaking for myself here) some of us in this increasing connected society began thinking outside of the box and have created blueprints for a truly agile and sustainable culture.

The more that we try and solve the pending crisis of climatic shifting the more apparent it is that we have allowed our tree to take root on a eroding cliff (so to speak); most of the tree’s structure is sound it just needs firmer ground for continued growth.

The solution to the sustainability of this country will not be solved by buying more eco friendly cars, owning more sustainable houses, or using less plastic bags if we still are looking for the same things and navigating through the same maze at the end of the day.  True solutions require a paradigm shift in the definition of the American Dream and that begins with how the blood flows into the brain before we reach REM.

In specific regards to how we move around, our traffic patterns are in dire need of a triple bypass. However, we have invested too much into the fear of the blade (does “Carmageddon” ring any bells) to do anything about it. We are too invested into what was in relation to how things are.  For a country so rooted in freedom and independence we have become dependent on our own individual ways of life.

Stayed tuned because for the next several weeks I vow to give voice to those innovators looking to promote true solutions concerning our need for mobility on these pages. Hopefully this will provide insight into a path towards positive change for how we move through our daily lives, or at the least an optimistic distraction from the retro-political solutions offered up thus far in the race to be our next president.

 

Earthgarage – Greener Car. Fatter Wallet.