Though yes, I do agree that switching over to the new light bulbs does reduce energy consumption. I also agree that the President isn’t addressing the fact that these new bulbs have dangerous components, such as mercury in them.

However, the President’s major job is to lead the people. I recently moved back in with my parents. They had a recycling garbage can outside, but only one garbage can inside, so a lot of materials didn’t get recycled. So I bought a second garbage can.

That worked until that can got full, and once again, recyclables went into the normal trash. I’ve had to make it my personal job to make sure the recycling can never gets full, cause if it does, garbage will be disposed of in the easiest way possible, even if that isn’t the most environmentally friendly way.

Now my parents are good people. Both are outdoorsy people. I grew up learning that you left a campsite better than you found it. Unfortunately, they grew up in an era where garbage just vanished magically when you paid the local waste company. They don’t always understand the way things work the way that our more global generation does.

People who don’t understand the impacts of their actions aren’t wrong, they are unaware. If we are going to work toward these new technologies, we need to look at them long term, and we need to educate people long term. If that means writing an editorial in the local newspaper, starting a blog, or just having that conversation with your parents and grandparents, then that is our responsibility as an aware generation.

I’m far from an Obama supporter, but I’m tired of hearing about how it’s his fault that he doesn’t do enough. Change happens “because of something collective,” not because we elect a dictator that is going to solve all our problems. How ’bout we focus our energies on getting the word to those who don’t know, instead of being pissed at those who are taking care of our responsibilities for us.