Happy Earth Day 2007, or as it's called at The Scout Report headquarters, Fiddling While Rome Burns. Before the accus
ations of cynicism start pouring in, let it be known that TSR is all for increasing public awareness about how the lack of public awareness and, therefore, public concern has created the environmental pickle we're in today. However, the band-wagon jumping of the past week by the mainstream media has been a cringe-inducing study in collective fiddling. Even the cynics at TSR welled up a little in frustration. The message seems to be: Buy a canvas shopping bag, eat some organic chocolate, wear bamboo bloomers, and save the planet.
Revealing digression. Every consumer-driven publication is vying for eco-cred, including Conde Nast's Vanity Fair and Domino. Of course, their green issues are printed on paper, but they are, after all, glossy print publications. Wallpaper*, the "International Design Interiors Fashion Travel" magazine with the cool covers, has undertaken a experiment this month called EcoEdit. An all-electronic supplement, it features glamorous, yet environmentally friendly, designs from around the world. Of course, being Wallpaper*, its creative minds upped the ante for eco-cred by presenting the exclusively visual content without benefit of photography. (You can't get away with that but once.) "Rather than flying the designs [sic] around the world, or sending photographers off to shoot them, we have chosen to represent them with these stunning illustrations instead." Frankly, the illustrations by Hort are stunning. Wallpaper* gives good fiddle this month.
For those who are serious and wonkish but have short attention spans, we refer you to The Week, which is publishing this week's magazine in an electronic version only...for this week only. For a brief briefing on climatic change, read "Global Warming: The high-tech solution." It doesn't take but a minute, and you'll have plenty of time to shop for unbleached, linen, shower curtains and buy the Lexis RX Hybrid.
Controlled tangent. Wikipedia, that useful, prudent, and free online encyclopedia, is not usually associated with humor and irony, so we assume that the presence of both in its Earth Day coverage is unintentional. "The first Earth Day is commonly credited with creating environmentalism, and/or giving a tremendous boost to the pre-existing conservation groups and the relatively new and radical grassroots ecology movement, as well as spurring the growth of environmentally sensitive spiritual paths such as Wicca and Neopaganism." TSR hadn't realized that these movements had taken off since 1970. We can hear the Geico caveman saying, "What?"
Jarring juxtaposition. Just when we thought we'd gotten too cynical, TSR visited the official Earth Day portal of the U.S. government, and realized we just can't keep up. For instance, consider the introduction's stunning inanity: "Earth Day is a time to celebrate gains we have made and create new visions to accelerate environm
ental progress. Earth Day is a time to unite around new actions. Earth Day and every day is a time to act to protect our planet."
On the other hand, the site offers original and innovative advise: save energy, use less water, and recycle. Boy, that'll keep the polar bears in ice caps for generations to come. For a reality check, read how the Bush Administration tried to muzzle NASA's chief climate scientist when he tried to speak out about global warming.