I was really happy that they talked about the problems with using ethanol as a fuel source. Using corn to make ethanol for use in auto mobiles is a really bad idea. Using corn might have seemed like a potential solution to the pollution problems associated with fossil fuels but when you realize that it takes more energy to produce ethanol from corn than you can get from burning it, it doesn't have the same appeal. On top of wasted energy is inflation to the price of corn as a food crop. The major agricultural companies are able to obtain corn at such low prices that they pursued ethanol technologies without really thinking about how that might affect the average American.
The book gets a nice change of pace in the Why Bother? chapter. I felt as though the argument was lost a little on me when I was reading it because I already have a garden at home and try to be conscious of what I'm purchasing at the super market, but say that was not the case... they do a nice job of convincing the reader that a little bit might not seem like a lot, but if a lot of people do a little bit its possible to get big results. Many people do feel detached from what they're eating; everything we eat has become so inexpensive and commonplace that we just assume that everything is O.K. I think that this is what the authors feel is the underlying tone of the average American consumer. The chapter gives the reader hope that they can make a difference, even if they are doing good for goodness sake.
No comments:
Post a Comment