Today's Green Pioneers

Did everybody want to be a pioneer or some kind of explorer when they were a kid? I know I did! Between playing Oregon Trail and reading a LOT of Janette Oke books, I spent a lot of time wishing that I was on a covered wagon. In fact, I think that's partly why I fell so hard for Star Trek. (Those of you who love Star Trek like I do probably know that Gene Roddenberry referred to his show as the "Wagon Train of the Stars".)

So what's my point here? Well, last weekend I went to the Good-Green Jobs Conference put on by the Blue-Green Alliance , which is a unique alliance of union workers and environmentalists. I have never been particularly pro-union, however I liked the idea behind this conference. And I'm happy to piggyback off of the unions' lobbying expertise if it serves "my" interests. I put "my" in quotes because saving the environment is actually in everyone's interest, whether they realize it or not. That's why I voted for Nader in 2000. Yes, I won the election for Bush. If you're upset, email me and I'll give you my address so you can come T.P. my house.

My favorite part of the conference was the rousing speech by Governor Gregoire. She talked about the big 3 auto companies and said that although the huge number of job losses have been extremely sad, the companies are to blame for it because they didn't display any foresight in dealing with environmental issues. And people got really excited when she talked about how Washington is suing the EPA.

Then she talked about how the road to energy independence will be difficult, and compared us all to pioneers. I loved that analogy! It's perfect. For a person who is trying to live with a minimal carbon footprint right now, (and I'm far from being that person) even a small, mundane task can be a huge struggle. How do you visit your parents on the east coast when airplanes emit more carbon per mile than a Hummer H3? How can you join your friends for dinner at a big chain restaurant if you're trying to eat local? Simple things that most people take for granted, such as driving out to the mountains for a hike, or drinking a cold can of soda, become very difficult if not impossible.

The pioneers of the wild west had a really rough time. You all remember Oregon Trail - they got dysentery, their oxen died, they ran out of food. It freakin sucked. But those people paved the way for the rest of us, and made this country great. So the people who are going car-less, grid-less, plane-less, eating less meat, using less water, and buying less stuff are truly pioneers. Hopefully we can find our way to sustainability with a minimal amount of dysentery.