The great green cover-up

There is an awful lot of homework involved in caring for the environment. Jonathan Self separates fact from fiction and debunks 10 of the most prevalent sustainable myths

- Jonathan Self

I WANT to do the right thing by the environment, and so do you. But, let’s face it: it isn’t always easy.

The moment one contemplates the sheer scale of the problem we face, it is difficult not to feel profoundly depressed. For example, in order to research this article, I visited The World Counts (www. theworldcounts.com), which offers all the latest environmental statistics, and it was enough to send me to bed for the day.

The thing I find hardest about trying to be greener is choosing between all the countless options on offer. Are bamboo toothbrushes better than electric ones? Do trains always cause less pollution than planes? Ought one to replace old (but perfectly usable ) domestic appliances with new, low-energy versions? There is so much information out there (some of it contradictory) to analyse. When I find myself in despair, I remember an essay by Loren Eiseley in which two men are walking along a beach covered by thousands of washed-up, dying starfish. One of the men starts throwing individual starfish back into the water. The other man points out that there are so many starfish in trouble, his companion’s actions will make no difference. But the first man replies that it will make a difference to each starfish he manages to save.

It is an oft-repeated story, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Clergyman Sydney Smith put it in a nutshell when he said: ‘It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little—do what you can.’

The top 10 myths

The green thing is to give up palm oil