Questioning the premise of Earth Day is not permitted in polite company. So I hope no one will be disappointed in this blog. Though I hope its not because you are surprised I try to be patient and polite.
Speaking of politeness one exuberant Earth Day celebrant tweeted to me “if only that BASTARD @mrbinnion had the decency to be quiet on Earth Day. But no the shit shining goes on and on” Emphasis NOT added by me.
I imagine the irony is lost on him.
Margaret Thatcher said ‘Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.’
My Grandmother who died very recently embodied Christian values. She didn’t judge, forgave all trespasses and never criticized others behind their back. I have little doubt my Grandmother was a good Christian but I never heard her tell anyone she was, let alone tell others they should be, not even me.
So by my Grandmother’s example I could add to Margaret Thatcher’s aphorism that if you have to tell people you are a good Christian, you probably aren’t.
Needing to tell people you are an environmentalist probably means you aren’t one either. Perhaps you are just doing what you relish in calling others out on: #greenwashing .
If I wanted you to think I was an environmentalist I might tell you my 2013 Earth Day resolution, which is to improve our shared environment by replacing heavy fuel oil from Venezuela with natural gas from Quebec.
However, since I am not an environmentalist, a good Christian, powerful or even a lady, I will just have to go on and on with my ‘schiste shining’. Schiste shining according to my twitter friend involves distributing independent reports saying local natural gas will not only bring economic development but will result in cleaner air too. I doubt he sees the irony in that either.