Advocacy:

You understand the importance of protecting the environment, of reducing your dependence on coal and nuclear-powered electricity. Wouldn’t it be nice if the state and federal government cared as much.

The good news is that both state and federal government have become more concerned about the environment in recent years, and have begun thinking of how to promote a greener approach to government purchasing, for example. But not everything is green – our CAFÉ fleet mileage standards for cars, even with the recently passed increases, are still very low. Incentives are still overwhelming weighted to promoting oil and natural gas over renewable resources (though Presidential candidates of both parties are mentioning increases in support for renewable energy in their campaign pronouncements). We, as citizens, need to let the government know we want more protection for the environment, and more support for renewable energy.

The concept of “sustainability” is central to our thinking. We need to consider the impact of our choices on the future. If we use up the easily accessible oil of the earth (without regard to the environmental impact) are our children and their children going to be ready for the post-oil world. Why not begin the transition right now, and reduce our environmental impact as well?

We are also starting LARELLA, the LAkes REgion Living Lightly Association, to help better connect people concerned about living sustainably in the modern world. LARELLA aims to organize gatherings, and promote a simpler lifestyle, as well as helping people learn how to reduce their energy expenditures and their environmental “footprint”.