Now, I consider myself a Greeniac. Really, at all of my friends' houses, I make sure that when I'm there, at least, that they recycle, cut down on water, refill water bottles, etc. Anyway, I was talking to my mom today about global warming, and she went on and on and on about that there is no scientifically proven fact that says that yes, the earth is warming, and that yes, it's because of humans, because we all know that the earth cools and warms by itself. In my defense, us humans do encourage it a little because of all the air pollution and stuff, but she made a really great point: we don't have to freak out.
I thought about it. She's right! Really, what we're doing right now is perfectly fine. She brought to my attention that, with the so-called "baby boom" happening, the world is at our full capacity right now, and that the only way to get it back to normal is to kill people, and NONE of us are going to do that, now are we? Anyway, my point is that, no matter how opinionated we are about this growing problem, it's best to do it conservatively.

You make a good and interesting point. I think it's important to consider the environmental impact of each specific action on its own, rather than simply following a set of prescribed practices that environmentalists promote.

For example, I do try to buy organic products when possible, because I know that conventional pesticides and herbicides have been shown to have deleterious environmental effects. However, a few days ago, someone mentioned to me that she was considering paying to offset her carbon emissions through NSTAR. She knows I'm an environmentalist and she expected me to argue passionately for the cause, but I held off, because I would want to know exactly how NSTAR uses the money they collect before arguing to support their program. For me, environmentalism is all about the specifics, although, for the purpose of promoting a movement that is largely in keeping with my values, I have chosen to label myself as an "environmentalist."

I've just started reading a book called Facts Not Fear: A Parent's Guide to Teaching Children About the Environment, by Michael Sanera and Jane S. Shaw. The authors point out that children are often taught scary, one-sided accounts of current environmental crises. On the one hand, I see their point, but, on the other hand, I think some environmental issues are serious enough to warrant "freaking out."

You're also right. See, now me being a 13-year-old teen, my parents aren't the most, well, "green" people, and I just all of a sudden started realizing all that's being done to the world around us, and my mom was talking to me about what i originally posted about in the car, and then she went into politics... anyway, what I was saying. You make a good point, too.

Thanks. I think you make good points as well. In general, it's important to strike a balance between wanting to show passion for an issue and wanting people to take you seriously. As an environmentalist, I strive to keep that balance in check. Congrats to you for being so thoughtful about environmental issues!