Far be it from me to associate myself with Roode or any of his articles, but I felt the need to expand upon his Earth Day piece (of shit). It got me thinking. No, not thinking about how Roode has kept out of prison for this long. Not this time. I started thinking about how, exactly, would society have to tackle environmental issues in a way that matters. Then it occurred to me, most of the big changers would never be done, because society is only willing to go so far. Sure, some will toss a plastic bottle into a recycling bin, but you bet your ass someone will drive a block to buy their lottery tickets and cigarettes instead of undertaking such an arduous journey of walking.
So, what would society REALLY have to do without in order to actually make an impact on the environment? Check that; a POSITIVE impact. My list of ways to make a negative impact is pretty much never-ending.

1. Make Country Leaders Give Up Personal Jets

General air travel has skyrocketed after that pesky Luftwaffe was grounded in '45. The "lower prices" and bigger airline fleets made air travel a practical reality. Until the early 21st century, that is. Now it's nothing more than nickle and diming, TSA strip searches, and big shiny targets for terrorist groups.
Our world leaders need to be able to travel at a moment's notice. They have to tour earthquake areas to acknowledge that, yes, buildings have been reduced to rubble. They need to attend state funerals for people they never knew for PR and, during election season, be able to drop themselves in whatever state they need to whore themselves in for electoral votes. But, isn't this all outdated and nonessential? Let me answer that for you. Yes. Yes, it is.
This is the modern age, you silly pillack. Everything's virtual or digital... and other things that end in "al" I imagine. First, invest in a Skype or WebEx account. You don't have to physically be everywhere to give your partisan speeches. Pipe that digital goodness into the Brazilian government's multi-purpose room. You don't see Bin Laden jetting all over the West to distribute his messages of death and infidel fueled rage. It's all recorded, baby, and posted online. Yes, he's got a blog and their whole operation is hiding in a cave!
Second, downgrade the bollocks out of the fancy pants transportation. Air Force One, do you really have to be the size of a jumbo jet? I'm thinking more of a Cessna or a Piper Cub. What? It's just as secure as a gigantic jet aircraft. In fact, it's even better. Everyone knows that small planes are infinitely harder to hit and easier to land when damaged (The Big Bopper thing was a fluke). Cram the president's entourage into one of those things with a WiFi ready system and, Bob's your uncle!

Alright, fine. I suppose some vehicles could be allowed. Service vehicles like, trash trucks, UPS vans, and pizza delivery wagons. But, in the spirit of maximizing efficiency and radically lowering emissions, they all have to be the same vehicle. Just think of all that o-zone we would save with our trash-UPS-pizza delivery trucks!

3. Stop using electricity. Everywhere.

Imagine the money your average Joe would save by jumping off the grid. Citizens of nations everywhere would save thousands of dollars a year without electricity bills! Alright, so some of that money would have to be invested in glow sticks. I suppose most households would have to find an alternative heat source, too. Our ancestors managed without electricity. They used fire for warmth, light, and cooking. What's that? Burning wood is still polluting the environment? For fuck's sake! You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Kicking electricity to the curb may even enrich our society. Without electricity there will be no computers. Without computers there will be no blogs. It will no longer be easy for any half-witted dipshit to vomit typed out retardation for the masses. It will be like the old days, the sheer expense and effort weeding out the posers. We'll have to go back to reading actual books and newspapers. I hear you, an increase in newspapers means the death of more trees, yadda, yadda, yadda. Well, society is going to need to wipe their asses with something. Newspaper is one hell of a multi-tasker! Just be sure to read BEFORE you wipe.
4. Wipe out big chain stores.

Well, I guess you're not really serious about healing the planet, then. These gigantic chain and bulk stores are generating enough waste and energy consumption to make Mr. Burns blush. According to this article, states have accused Wal-Mart stores of polluting their water with shitty construction practices. Do you know how much electricity retailers need to refrigerate food, to power lights, and operate the exit theft alarms that go off for no apparent reason? Our research tells us it's a shit load [citation needed]. Even when the store is closed the energy consumption keeps trucking on. Do we really want to hurt our environment for a cheap 12 pack of socks and a case of Dr. Thunder? Well, I'm fine with it, but that's just me.

5. No more concerts, rallies, or protests.



Protests pretty much cover the same ground. Perhaps, the pinnacle of contradiction is when thousands of people, rock bands, and politicians blow a million tons of fuel to attend some sort of global save the world rally. The environment would be better off if everyone stayed home and live streamed Bono's pretentious egotism on YouTube.