Great Plains Studies, Center for
Date of this Version
Spring 2012
Citation
Great Plains Research 22.1 (Spring 2012)
Abstract
It is no longer enough to grow your own food to be considered environmentally conscious. According to Emerich in The Gospel of Sustainability, being green means driving a hydrogen-powered car, patronizing businesses that sell free-trade coffee, and subscribing to the proper magazines. Emerich provides a backstage pass (as well as front-stage views in the form of quotes from conferences and media stories) where one can view how the conflicts around sustainability arose and are maintained as various actors try both to meld and tear apart capitalism and wanton consumerism, desiring to live lives that will translate into more resources for future generations. What may be more interesting to those studying macrostructures is the fact that even to have a movement as portrayed by Emerich-referred to as Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS)-there must be large amounts of capital that will bring media and big business attention to the demands being made. This is even more exciting if the demands are being made by the Walmarts and The Men's Warehouses of the world.
Comments
© 2012 Copyright by the Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln