To convene is not green

Posted by JMG (Guest Contributor) at 12:31 AM on 07 Jul 2008

Read more about: politics | air travel | greenwashing

The Democratic Party, nominee already selected, has apparently noticed that flying thousands and thousands of people to a meeting with no purpose has some significant environmental costs.

So let the greenwashing begin!

For story: To convene is not green
9 Comments | Post a Comment

What's the point of this post?

Are you saying we must cancel all gatherings to save the planet?

Join the discussion on global warming, recycling, and organic beer at The Green Miles!

by TheGreenMiles at 10:18 AM on 07 Jul 2008

Not quite

But a nominating convention where the nominee has already been selected, yes, that should be canceled.

Edited out of my original post was a note that this applies to the GOP as well, but that the Dems, as the party of Al Gore, should be leading on this.

The 5% Project

by JMG at 10:28 AM on 07 Jul 2008

So by extension ...

All the green companies that are getting free promotion plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in business from the DNC should hope they find other customers? Barack Obama's nationally-televised address that will have 75,000 people thunderously applauding climate action -- the networks should just air re-runs of Wipeout instead?

We're on the same team, so I don't want to nit-pick too much. But saying you have to stay home to be green is not going to stop global warming. It will, however, succeed in getting people to tune us out.

Join the discussion on global warming, recycling, and organic beer at The Green Miles!

by TheGreenMiles at 11:59 AM on 07 Jul 2008

I'm sure ...

... the sheer moral righteousness of the Democratic Party's cancellation of its convention would have at least as much positive effect on the country's fortunes as the open-air, open to the public, 75,000 member audience, nationally televised, historical acceptance speech of the nation's first viable black presidential candidate.

grist.org

by David Roberts at 12:09 PM on 07 Jul 2008

Yeah,

Nothing really communicates that we have to get off the business-as-usual track like ... continuing on the business-as-usual track.

The 5% Project

by JMG at 12:36 PM on 07 Jul 2008

Traveling By Artificial Means Is Destructive

Yes Greenmiles, much travel in the U.S. must be ended if global warming is going to be solved or even curtailed. Americans don't travel by natural means or even by public transit for the most part; they travel by consuming and burning massive amounts of fossil fuels, both of which cause serious environmental and ecological harms.

My brother is a corporate executive for a Swiss import/export company. He travels extensively to meetings, often long distances outside the U.S. When I've asked him why those meetings could not just be held by teleconference, he replies that he needs to meet with customers and other people in person. So, while he agrees with me that industrial means of travel are environmentally destructive, his priority is business, not the environment, which is true for most Americans.

It would be far better for the planet for the Democrats and Republicans to call off their conventions, taking time to explain to the public on prime time TV the environmental reasons for doing so. Like everything else about U.S. politics, this is all about money, and those with the power to call off the conventions stand to gain financially by holding them, so of course they won't call them off.

by Wolverine at 12:36 PM on 07 Jul 2008

Purpose

Isn't the purpose of the convention to rally and continue organizing before the general election?

Flying is certainly extremely wasteful, but I think it is wrong to say that the formal crownings are the real purpose of national conventions.

a sibilant intake of breath

by sindark at 12:58 PM on 07 Jul 2008

Yes, the important convention business must go on:

Denver Post A 28-page contract requested that caterers provide food in "at least three of the following five colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple and white." Garnishes could not be counted toward the colors. No fried foods would be allowed. Organic and locally grown foods were mandated, and each plate had to be 50 percent fruits and vegetables. As a result, caterers are shying away. . . "Everything that the Democrats did got off to a late start," said Peggy Beck, a co-owner of Three Tomatoes Catering. "It was such an ordeal. We've jumped through hoops and hoops to bid on their stuff, and we had to have certain color food so the plates would be colorful." In the end, the parties that she had been bidding on were canceled to save money. "This was some of the silliest stuff ever," she added.

h/t prorev.com

The 5% Project

by JMG at 9:55 PM on 07 Jul 2008

Are you kidding?

That's just silly. There is a reason why the parties convene, outside of the obvious reasons. People need to be informed and energized to vote in whatever direction they decide. In order to do this, there has to be a certain amount of ceremony and ritual.

Are we all willing to live with the results of not convening? I think the number of people going to the voting booth is low enough as it is. Let's not think about jeopardizing those numbers by suggesting that folks don't travel to an event as important as this one. It only happens every four years.

People can be more creative about it, and make the event more sustainable as a whole. There are many, many ways to reduce the impact of such things. It's all about using our large human brains, putting them together, and agreeing on the terms of such a lofty endeavor - and then executing on them!

"Sustain or go extinct."

by verderocks at 10:05 AM on 28 Aug 2008

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