bemoreeco

Holy Moly, there have been so many dumb green ideas this week it’s hard to know where to begin. Not only have we seen dumb green ideas from the usual offenders, oil drillers and the US government, but now a whole host of newcomers are entering the fray. These new offenders includes truck drivers, Celebrity Chefs and a car which can never be built.

Dumb Green Idea: The green car that will never be built

This isn’t really a dumb idea. It’s just a little too utopian for it ever too be useful. Slovak designer Matúš Procháczka has designed a car powered by generating a magnetic field. I say ‘designed’ because it will never be built. It has to be said, it doesn’t seem like the most practical car for shopping trips. Read more on Inhabitat.

How Dumb? 3/10 (It’s just not going to happen, is it)

Dumb Green Idea: The plastic/urine pollution along Interstate 84 in Eastern Oregon

This gem was doing the rounds from AP this week. Law officials in Eastern Oregon suspect that the sudden increase in plastic-filled containers littered along the Interstate is a symptom of rising gas prices. They believe that rising oil prices are forcing lorry drivers to driver slower and thus be more efficient. To make up the time they are skipping bathroom breaks and rest stops.

How Dumb? 5/10 (I bet no-one saw this consequence coming!)

Dumb Green Idea: Advising people to poison themselves

This one came in from EarthFirst. Anthony Worrall Thompson accidenly advised people to poison themselves. Luckily it was never printed, but it still leaves a massive black hex against his name. So what happened? Well in an interview with Health and Organic Living Magazine Anthony advised readers that Henbane, a poisonous weed, was a delicious accompaniment to a summer salad. Anthony later said he mixed up henbane with a seperate plant, Fat Hen. Personally, after watching Into the Wild, i’ll stick to vegetables I know and trust for now.

How Dumb? 6/10 – marks reduced because it was never printed.

Dumb Green Idea: Lets just stop buying stuff

A number of people are engaging in an experiment to buy nothing but necessities for a month. Buying less stuff not only saves money, but also helps save the environment. It’s a tricky issue. On one hand consumption is a bad thing. Anyone that’s seen WALL-E knows that it creates waste, notably plastic, which pollutes the environment. On the other hand, if everyone stops buying everything but necessities, we’re looking at an economic catastrophe. Millions will lose their jobs, the world will slip into a far deeper recession and any funding allocated towards environment programs, will be cut. We will be forced to use the cheapest options, not the most environmentally friendly ones. The solution is to use your vote (money) to buy smarter, not less.

How Dumb? 6/10 (nice in theory, disastrous in practice)

Dumb Green Idea: Screw the polar bears, show me that oil!

Alaska is suing the US Government for listing the Polar Bears as an endangered species. True story. You see, because Polar Bears are now listed as an endangered species, companies are forbidden from drilling (and paying Alaska) for the oil beneath their furry paws. This means Alaska loses money, there is less oil available and I guess we’re going to have to find a better solution to our energy problem. And how bad does Alaska look right now?

How Dumb? 7/10 (Environmentalist groups were created for causes like this)

Dumb Green Idea: Senate refuses to extend energy credit

This one really rankles. Not just because it’s so obviously a money-orientated decision at the cost of our planet’s future, but because the US Senate is taking away one of the few things that the Government got right in recent years. However, despite 8th attempts it has still proven impossible to convince the senate to extend green energy tax credit for another eight years. This means; thousands of green energy projects will be stalled or scrapped, thousands of green collar jobs might be send abroad, and it still doesn’t answer the massive question over the American energy consumption.

How Dumb? 9/10 (It’s hard to justify this)

Have a good green weekend.