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How often do we hear—from all over the political spectrum—lines like "we will not apologize for our way of life" or "we must preserve our way of life"? News flash: "our way of life" not only needs to be apologized for, it needs to be permanently altered...in a major way.
Americans constitute 5% of the world's population but consume 24% of the world's energy. On average, one American consumes as much energy as:
- Japanese
- Mexicans
- Chinese
- Indians
- Bangladeshis
- Haitians
- Tanzanians
Ponder this: a person born in America will have, on average 370 times more of an environmental impact than a person born in Ethiopia. Let the president of Ethiopia eschew lifestyle apologies. Here in the United States of Consumption, we lack that luxury. As Paul Hawken says: "Really going green, means having less. It does mean less. Everyone is saying, 'You don’t have to change your lifestyle.' Well, yes, actually, you do."
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