By CAROLYN SZCZEPANSKI
To hear Pete Levi, the president of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, tell it, scores of local businesses are jumping on the green bandwagon. Corporations big and small are bulking up their bottom line by trimming their environmental impact and nearly 150 local companies have joined the Chamber’s Climate Protection Partnership, which aims to minimize global warming pollution.
While many are getting savvy about the benefits of going green, there are still plenty of science nay-sayers who want environmentalists to keep their costly “hoaxes” to themselves.
Last month, the Kansas City Business Journal conducted an online survey, asking its readers, “Are challenging economic conditions more of an argument for or against going green?” The results were pleasantly surprising. A slight majority, 54 percent, agreed, “The present situation shows why companies and individuals need to go green.” On the other hand, 46 percent said, “Now is not the time to take on any avoidable expenses.”
But what surprised some environmental advocates even more was the number and vitriol of some skeptical respondents’ comments.
“The idea that humans are the primary factor in ‘global warming’ and the belief that we could actually do anything about it are misguided hoaxes.”
“How about I think this green movement is really just a way to punish the US for being the greatest nation on the planet… There is no Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, tooth fairy or manmade global warming.”
“All the ‘Greenies’ can move to another continent… If you REALLY want to go green, dig an outhouse in your back yard, turn off your heat and air conditioning and go back to the 1800's, otherwise shut it up!!!”
If Kansas City is to become America’s Green Region, as an increasing number of city and community leaders are hoping, it looks like some residents will need a lot more convincing.
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