How contradictions are good sign for Earth Day.

Nothing scientific, or profound even, about this musing...but when you think about it, we've come a long way, baby. Little would I have known (hoped, maybe, but not known), while picking up roadside trash in rural Vermont on that first Earth Day, that we would find ourselves at such a sustained level of planetary awareness--and debate that goes along with it--in 2009. Sure, it's been a long time. But come what may as humanity muddles forward, our eConsciousness is here to stay and will henceforth never be far from the spotlight, regardless the distractions. 

With the clock ticking down to Earth Day the next, I find it gratifying and myself hopeful to see the amount of ink and pixels and decibels carrying forth much needed debate and study. Two bits I read today made the point clear in a timely way. One promotes the contentions of the University of Vermont's Gund Institute for Ecological Economics that "ecology comes before economics". The other decries this notion and promotes growth and nation-affluence as the true answer to our environmental ills. 

First, the Gund view, which notes that...

"The most obvious fact about ecological economics is that ecology comes before economics...There is abundant evidence that "further material growth no longer significantly contributes to improvement in quality of life...Yet our institutions and industries rush on "like a runaway train," pushing for greater and greater material production and consumption. They're driven by an underlying worldview that assumes growth equals progress." (I refer you to the full communique by graduate student Rachael Beddoe, and I apologize for my slight continuity edits.)

This in contrast to John Tierny's view in the New York Times dot com piece entitled...

"Use Energy, Get Rich and Save the Planet."  

Tierny maintains that "1. There will be no green revolution in energy or anything else. No leader or law or treaty will radically change the energy sources for people and industries in the United States or other countries. No recession or depression will make a lasting change in consumers’ passions to use energy, make money and buy new technology — and that, believe it or not, is good news, because...

2. The richer everyone gets, the greener the planet will be in the long run."

So...who to believe? How to figure who's right, who's wrong, and where the truth lies? That's, I'm afraid where I'm going to leave you hanging for now. But in doing so, I stress to point out that healthy debate, and the constructive learning that results are whirling all about us. If you're reading this, linking to explore further, or simply musing along with me, then be assured...your eConsciousness is calling. Listen. And follow it.