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How to Be Green Without Being a Prick

2010-05-26 · Hank · watch on YouTube · Science & nature · reflection essay

Using David Bleja's real-time Breathing Earth map, Hank argues that being green means understanding the complex problems, not buying or doing things to ease personal guilt, so that people can help create solutions that let the world prosper sustainably.

What is said

00:00:00 — Thanks for John's baby video; the internet as the fifth-largest carbon emitter; Wednesday of How-to Week: how to be green

  • ★★ Hank says the internet, if it were a country, would have the fifth-largest carbon footprint of all countries. — 00:00:00 · climate change
  • ★ Hank feels that he and his viewers are kind of dual citizens, of the USA and of the internet, and being in the top five twice is troublesome. (playful) (hedged) — 00:00:00 · United States
  • ★★ On the Wednesday of How-to Week, Hank says he will talk about how to be green without being a prick about it. — 00:00:00

00:00:29 — David's Breathing Earth map: births, deaths and carbon emissions in real time; why Hank loves it

  • ★★ Hank explains Breathing Earth, made by David: in real time it marks births and deaths by country and flashes a country red each time it emits a thousand tons of carbon dioxide. — 00:00:29
  • ★★ Hank notes that since they started watching, India's birth indicator has blinked nonstop and China and the USA have flashed red quite rapidly, which he finds frightening. — 00:00:29 · China, United States
  • ★★ Hank loves the map because it helps him grasp the beauty and power of humanity in keeping so many people alive, many happily, which he finds amazing and inspiring. — 00:00:58

00:01:27 — Not a list of things to do or buy: understanding the problems is the secret to being green; sign-off

  • ★★★ Hank says the map also shows our problems, and understanding these problems is the only way to help the environment. — 00:01:27
  • ★★★ Hank says personal green acts (sweaters indoors, driving less, efficient appliances, green power) are important but only reduce your own impact, and doing them to ease personal guilt never helps anybody. — 00:01:27
  • ★★★ Hank argues the solution is understanding: without it you can only change yourself, and since China emits faster than the US, changing ourselves will not solve the problem. — 00:01:56 · China, United States
  • ★★★ Hank lists what to understand: you cannot stop a man burning a forest to feed his children; people in the developed world have far more wealth, happiness and power than most; every newborn is precious to someone. — 00:02:26
  • ★★ Hank says there is not nearly enough land on Earth for everyone to eat the way Americans eat. — 00:02:55 · United States
  • ★★★ Hank says the real secret to being green is being educated and empowered to make good personal decisions and to help create solutions letting people prosper without destroying the natural systems they rely on. — 00:03:18
  • ★★ Hank says this is a long, complicated process, but without being dedicated, smart and informed we are going to kill ourselves, and he is not kidding. — 00:03:18

Threads in this video

  • refine · Do individual green choices matter? — Hank says personal green acts are important but only reduce your own impact; understanding the problems and helping create solutions is what matters. (00:01:56)
  • restate · How serious is climate change? — Hank says that without being dedicated, smart and informed about these environmental problems we are going to kill ourselves, and he is not kidding. (00:03:47)

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