The "greening of America" is a popular topic in the media. Constant barrage by folks like Al Gore present an "Inconvenient Truth". Well, here’s an inconvenient truth for you: Al Gore doesn’t practice what he preaches. (See "How Green is He?" for more info). But not to just pick on poor Al alone, the American public shows no real movement towards conservative lifestyles, which is the root of environmental conservation.
According to motherjones.com, "Since 1950, the average new house has increased by 1,247 sq. ft. Meanwhile, the average household has shrunk by 1 person." According to the 2005 census (see Table Average 1), the mean household is 2.57. Heritage.org reports, "At present, Americans have an average of 718 square feet of living space per person." This is the mean for all households in America. In my household, the square foot per person is 306. What’s yours?
Initiatives like recycling both business and residential is promoted as a way to be environmentally conscious. Recycling is at best, slowing the consumption of our resources. Which is better, recycling cans or not purchasing the six-packs of soda and beer to disgard once the product is consumed? Environmentalism is a popular topic in the media as long as you don’t talk about smaller houses and fiscal conservation (both commercial and personal). Yes, I believe that is the real "inconvenient truth."