I also have turned into something of a Green proponent, not so much because I worry about snail darters or owls (though I like owls and they use some of the trees at our church to nest and every year we have baby owls at our church; they are cute), but because I find that it saves me lots of money and I really appreciate saving money. That it is also good for the environment is a nice plus, of course. And the environmental movement has been good for us. When I moved to California, the air quality was bad\u2014this was back in the 1970s. Now, despite huge increases in population and an economy that is much larger and more prosperous, despite huge increases in the number of automobiles and miles driven, the skies above us are mostly clear and blue; we haven\u2019t had any first stage smog alerts in this century, now fifteen years into it. This is good: the smog checks and other controls have really worked and I find that delightful. The improvements in our nations water and air are thanks to the concerns of environmentalists and the legislation they worked to pass. And it needs to be celebrated and appreciated. People should recognize just how much progress has been made and how much better things are now than they used to be.<\/p>\n
And concern about the environment is something that conservatives and libertarians should have, since dirty water, dirty air\u2014these are things that hurt other people around us. If I pollute, if I waste water, I am harming other people. For instance, on a very micro-scale, since I have severe asthma, if someone smokes around me that is harming my health in a very direct, and very immediate way. Same with a car that belches pollutants: I\u2019m causing harm to my neighbor: this is inconsistent with my political beliefs as a conservative and libertarian, and it also violates my faith since, as a Christian, I claim to believe that the most important commandment is to love others as myself. Doing harm to my neighbor, as Paul would say, is violating the core of my beliefs (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14).<\/p>\n
The assumption, and perhaps it is a reasonable one, is that most conservatives would be the last people you would expect to see embracing solar power, electric cars, and recycling. Me, I think this is wrong headed. And yet, I must admit I\u2019ve seen a lot of criticism of the green movement among those\u2014conservatives\u2014who I think should really embrace it.<\/p>\n
So, this blog will now also include my journey of embracing being green and how much it has benefited me personally. Very Ayn Rand of me, I suppose: I\u2019m green because, selfishly, it benefits me. Perhaps most conservatives haven\u2019t noticed that they can save boatloads of cash by going green? I’ll be talking about some of the things my wife and I have done that have been very beneficial to our budget now and then in future posts.<\/p>\n
Update: corrected the typo that Eric Miller pointed out in the comment. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
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