People Centered Environmentalism

If a green plane, flying through a green storm crashed into a green mountain and exploded into a green cloud, would the green cloud have a greenhouse gas potential less than, equal to or greater than methane?

I’m reminded of a winter trip I made as a young business traveler 30 years ago.  Visualize a twin-engine, 12-passenger commuter plane, a snowy evening and both pilots visible because the “don’t-scare-the-passengers screen” was missing.  And they had a flashlight!  They took off in the snowstorm and as we were gaining altitude, pilot/copilot passed the flashlight back and forth to inspect the wings for ice build-up.  Since all seats in a 12-passenger commuter are window seats, we each followed the light beam and ice build-up until the props began flinging ice chunks into the fuselage; it was then that praying seemed more interesting.

So?

So I’m thinking we’re flying through a green storm more dangerous than ice.

The USGBC has taken energy to the forefront, a position commensurate with the urgency of reducing consumption and the corresponding GHG.  We can change only what is, and LEED has documented the benefits of this change.  Flights to GHG have been rerouted to cooler climates.

Day lighting and views … great, as long as you don’t shine the flashlight out the window in the middle of a green storm.

Green storms occur when El Nino marketing winds sweep across the land stirring thousands of green dust devils forming green clouds that rise all the way to the boardroom.

The green dust devils are varied and many.

One is a multi-billion dollar manufacturer of international status that gives out business cards printed on green stock.  When asked about their environmental work they unabashedly throw green dust into the air and admit it’s just green dust, but the coolest shade of green you’ve ever seen.

The green dust of recycled materials filled with PBTs is more highly sought after than first generation materials with no PBTs.  Just don’t inhale.

Another sprinkles the green pixie dust of Corporate Social Responsibility in its ads as it restores the greener and taller prairie grass while showing their lawn service accelerating the process by spraying defoliant on the existing, no longer fashionable lawn. (Remember: The green pixie dust is meant to cover your mistakes, not highlight them!)

One manufacturer dusts itself with green toxic powder as it calls out its competitor for importing a plastic compound created without antimony on an otherwise loaded container ship as less “green” than their domestic material made with antimony.

So, if a green plane flying through a green storm crashed into a green mountain and exploded into a green cloud of dust, would the green cloud have a greenhouse gas potential less than, equal to, or greater than methane?

Answer:  Green dust is methane.

Are there any direct flights to where we’re going?  Commuters scare me.

Yes, there are and more travelers every day, and they fly above the green dust.