Greg Adkins

Green Tip for Knoxville folks

Thanks to Meriam Bull for this great tip. If you visit Energy Right you can take a quick survey that will give you some practical suggestions for how you can lower your energy consumption (and bills!). In return, they will send you a box with 2 free energy saving compact florescent bulbs, outlet and light switch gaskets, two faucet aerators (to reduce water flow), a hot water temperature gauge, a home thermometer, and a few other things.

If nothing else, it's a good deal to get the free bulbs... those cost about $3.50 each and they say that for every bulb you replace in your home with a compact florescent you will more than pay for the bulb. Plus the florescent bulbs are supposed to last for YEARS which is nice because our regular light bulbs blow out all the dang time around here.

Do I Look Like I Care?

So here is something I've been wrestling with lately... I'm not even sure how to articulate it but I'll give it a shot. 

I don't spend a ton of time reading facebook, myspace, and blogs, but I do spend a few minutes every day reading through my list of regulars.   Almost everyone now has at least a few of the following:

A "Make Poverty History" banner
Invisible Children in the Top 8
Facebook causes such as Blood Water Mission or Darfur
A picture of them in an invisible children t-shirt
An invite to attend an awareness raising event

Here's my problem... as my friend Bill might phrase it, is awareness the new activism?   It seems to me that a whole lot of people feel like if they can trick out their social networking pages to make it look like they really care about this stuff, maybe, just maybe... that will be good enough.

Now I'm not taking any kind of moral high ground here because I'll openly admit to being selfish and full of excuses.   I could do more.   Lots more.   God help me get up off the couch.   God help me stop lying to myself with "I'm too tired... I'm too busy... The bills won't get paid if we give to this or that."   That's me and I've got to work on it.   That said, I am still bothered by this new form of "activism" that I see blossoming across the internet.   

I'd like to propose a challenge or a thought.   If you're going to put a "make poverty history" banner up, do something to help make poverty history.  If you're going to blog about going green, change something in your life.   If you saw "Invisible Children" and were moved by it (I've seen it and I was moved by it), find out how you can support something financially and then do it (I'll admit, I haven't done this either so yes, call me plankeye).

I'd love to hear your thoughts.   Am I getting old, cranky, and cynical or has anyone else been feeling this too.   Don't get me wrong... I think awareness is essential and the more people know about these causes, the better.   I just think that for too many of us, we think that if we do just a tiny bit to spread awareness, it's the same as actually doing something.   I just don't think it's the same thing.