It's Easy Not Being Green

(2 of 2)

Begley thinks the only way to get us to really want to save the planet is to actually see the planet like he did when he was a Boy Scout in the 1950s and didn't own even one iPad. "Plus, I have the old-time religion I got from my Republican dad: 'Turn off the light! Turn off the water, boy!'" he says. Begley's dad, Oscar-winning actor Ed Begley, was of a generation so far removed from our current way of life that some actors were Republicans.

Even Jody Sherman, CEO of EcoMom.com which sells planet-friendly baby products, admits his moms don't really care about the eco. "It's very low on their list of priorities. The first one is doing something good for their family. The second is budget. It's probably fourth. Or fifth," he says. "No one says, 'I feed my kid organic baby food because it's keeping bad chemicals out of the water supply.' But it turns out that the stuff is better for the planet too. It doesn't matter what their motivations are." Even if their motivation, from what I can tell, is to tell other moms that their BPA-lined bottles will prevent their children from going to any Ivy League school besides Cornell.

We do stuff not to save the planet as much as to look as if we're saving the planet. That means I need to spend a lot more on my food, clothing and appliances and let everyone know about it. No wonder Gen Y is anti-green. They're so underemployed, they can't afford to be faux green.