Lucia

de Vernai

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February 18, 2009

A Green Recession Quandary: Biodegradable or Affordable?

With economic disaster headlining every publication, cereal box and sermon topic, the natural disaster and global warming fears are now on the back burner. Virtually no one can afford to buy organic, much less contribute to a wildlife fund or clean energy research. What only months ago was bound to be the end of the world, prophesized by thin ice and thick smog, has been replaced by cut benefits and bailout oversight.

Prioritizing has always caused a considerable amount of trouble for humans and a globally intertwined economy. Multi-trillion wars on the other side of the planet and social infrastructure ready to crumble under the weight of the needs of the population are not making it easier. Sparse resources can only be redistributed. If medical care gains, education or transportation lose.

Vested interests always create a tug of war between sectors vying for funding. For this reason, an economic crunch is a great time to see where true priorities lie. Suddenly groups who preached environmental protection as the most urgent political matter bound to decide the fate of our economy, our society, and yes, our planet, find other priorities. Cue dramatic music. Although the core of those arguments remains valid, the periphery of the green movement – green lip gloss, home décor and special edition High School Musical paraphernalia – has quietly simmered down.

When forced to make a choice between pinching pennies and saving species, most of us prefer the former. Nothing wrong with that – you can’t save the Amazon Toucan if you can’t feed your family. Sad but true – environmental consciousness is a luxury these days. Organic dishwasher soap in a biodegradable bottle may be the right thing to do, but at $6.99 a pop, ethics is just out of my pay grade these days. 

Distribution of resources has been the cause of many revolutions, but in the case of the green revolution it may prove to be root of its demise, even if only temporarily. But that may work out to our advantage in the long run as the economic crisis naturally separates the fluff from true commitment. While the corporations that jumped on the green bandwagon are busy promoting cheaper, often untested products made in factories turning China and India’s skies black, companies and organizations truly committed to the cause will re-emerge with their principles in tact.

The challenge of “first things first” remains a matter of prioritizing: Do we fix the auto industry and then pass stricter emission laws? Or is this the time to do it? Is taking money from education for the next five years to build solar panels that will benefit us for decades justifiable? The answer, of course, will depend on whether the decision makers are forced, like the rest of us, to repeatedly pause and ponder, “biodegradable or affordable?”

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