”Towns must be terminated and scattered.”

This is what a ”green radicalist” thinks according to an article in the latest issue of Image. The article sheds light on the Green party which is an enviromental and political organisation in Finland. The green party in the parliament has nothing to do with them: actually they disagree in most issues.

I like to think that I´m an environmentally aware person and I´d like to make a difference in the world. But after reading the article I find my recycling and vegetarianism pointless. It´s not going to advance the green revolution the Green party goes on about. It can´t be realised without getting rid of capitalism and abolishing towns: the society must be brought into accordance with the nature. In one hand I agree with them. The world today is greedy and the nature is only exploited. And we need to do something drastic to make the chance. But am I a horrible person if I also like urban culture? Imagine not being able to pop in a coffee shop or a pub in the end of the day. I would go home somewhere in the outback, light a fire and make that cup of coffee myself.

Extremely ecological way of life is a lot of trouble. It´s not realistic or possible to completely abolish the modern society. It´s the result of development. Do I have to be radical to save the planet? If we want to go ecological, why can´t we just develop more and find solutions with help of science and high technology? I think it´s a bit too late to go back to the time when people were self-sufficient. Althoug I´m also of the opinion that constant development(-> that only increases consuming) isn´t necessary.

I also believe in actions on the grassroots even if many people seem to question it. The leader of the Green party doesn´t even recycle because “the bins will mix eventually anyway”. A friend of mine finds organic waste recycling very amusing and even came up with an ironic slogan “saving the planet one bucket at a time”. I, however, think that these seemingly minor things count a lot. The power is in the hands of people, consumers. If you doubt the effect of everyday choices, imagine the whole population doing the opposite thing: eating meat everyday, not returning empty bottles to the shop, driving own cars... Of course it has an effect.

Sometimes people do these things just to buy a good conscience. But why does the motive matter as long as you´re doing the right thing? Radicalists in the Green party surely have the right motives and a real urge to change the world. I do admire them for being so brave and caring about the world but I find it too drastic to try to change the world for once and for good. I wish I knew who´s “right” in the end: those who raise funds for pandas and buy FairTrade or those who riot in the streets?

Edit: Watch while you still can this thought-provoking documentary about saving the world.