10.19.2012

What does it mean to be green?


Owen was asking recently about the differences in the presidential candidates' energy plans.  He's a very green child and will pick up any piece of litter he encounters.  He recycles or reuses everything he can.  Want someone to help you plant something?  He’s your go to kid.  When we made our rain barrel, he was the one who set up extra buckets in the backyard to collect more rain water.  He’s a kid after my own tree hugging heart. 

Anyhow, I did some research for him and found this article, which summed it all up quite well.  http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/energy-futurist/obama-vs-romney-who-has-the-best-energy-plan/573 Now, I realize Owen’s only in third grade, but he does have a seventh grade reading level and is pretty smart.  (No, that’s not the mom in me talking; it is the teacher of sophomores that don't read as well.)  He read parts of the article all on his own and his consensus was “Romney just doesn't get what is means to be green.”  Yep, an eight year old gets what a grown man doesn't. 

Here was the quote we found most interesting:  By 2050, we’ll be grateful for every last kilowatt-hour we can produce from renewable free fuels. And the “debate” about climate change will be long gone, replaced by a frantic quest for survival and adaptation.

In 2050, my children will be 46 and 44.  Their own children, my grandchildren, will probably be close to middle school age.  I want nothing more than for them to be able to experience the outside as Owen and Gavin have.  I want them to be able to hike Mount LeConte, to swim in the Atlantic, to climb the Dunes, and more.  I don’t want them to be in a “frantic quest for survival and adaptation.” 

A final statement from Owen: Do we really want the imagined world of The Lorax to come true?  Because it will if we don’t all take care of our planet.   (Gosh, I love this kid.)

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