I’m doing my part.

I got into a bit of a discussion with grumpy old man earlier this week, regarding climate change initiatives.

Grumpy was somewhat disgruntled (I know, you may find that hard to believe!) over what he perceived as the hypocrisy of the ‘"Live Earth" Extravaganza.’ Our discussion began there, and meandered into the whole environmental 'movement' (Grumpy says he wants to type 'bowel' before that).

Grumpy has, as many of us likely have, been exposed to the views of a few extremists. ‘Tree-huggers,’ or 'Granola People’ (not the band!) some might call them. He is concerned because some have suggested rather draconian measures such as banning gas-powered lawn mowers and leaf blowers, and yet don’t seem to be giving their attention to more blatant wasters of energy, such as malls and retail outlets which are brightly-lit and heavily air-conditioned.

I must say that, for the most part, I see his point and I agree with him… to a point.

The environmental activists have chosen their targets carefully, as any activist would. They are constantly reviewing their tactics and focus, and making adjustments as necessary. Their current focus — the cause du jour — is the ‘carbon footprint,’ and specifically the contributions of fossil fuel-powered cars and household equipment, and residential electrical consumption.

The environmental movement has, in the past, focused their attention on industry and business, with some degree of success. The fact is that many malls, retail outlets and businesses have already embarked on conservation programs. Lighting levels have been reduced, and air conditioning has been set back a degree or two.

However the current feeling is that significant change will only be brought about through mobilizing the average citizen, building and growing support, and encouraging a grassroots movement which will demand change from business and industry.

The fact is, this method is proven.

Look at the introduction of the seat belt laws in Ontario. There was plenty of grumbling, and compliance — as measured through roadside spot-checks and reviewing accident reports — was somewhat spotty, initially. But as children became aware of the issue during safety presentations in school, they in turn prodded their parents into compliance. When they were old enough themselves to drive, they were already in the habit of buckling-up.

I believe the same is true of the environmental movement. Many activists are young people who themselves were first introduced to the issue during their school years, and now that they are adults feel compelled to act.

As for the hypocrisy factor of Live Earth, it would seem that eight day-long rock concerts would gobble-up a fair bit of energy, and concert-goers would leave a substantial carbon footprint as they traveled to and from the various venues.

To be fair, mass transit was available — and utilized — in the eight cities where concerts were held. And, according to the Live Earth website [www.liveearth.org] the venues were "designed and constructed by a team of sustainability engineers…" who would "…address the environmental and energy management challenges of each concert site."

Yes, it sounds like a bit of self-serving jargon, but the media has been paying a lot of attention lately to "sustainability" projects, from residential homes and condos to business and industrial operations, all of which have been designed to reduce their overall consumption of non-renewable energy and, in many cases, generate their own supplemental power.

So, I’m willing to give the Live Earth crew the benefit of the doubt, here.

Grumpy asked the question "Why should I 'care' if I'm doing all I can re- global warming? The 'Greenies' are Hell bent to 'change the world' according to them, yet 'them' are probably some of the worst offenders."

As I told him at the time, "probably" isn’t the basis of a sound argument, although there is likely to be a certain element of hypocrisy within the movement.

Still, my inclination is to strive for a balance.

I know some are advocating for a lifestyle that would make Charles Ingalls and his family look wasteful. On the other end of the spectrum are those who refuse to believe that humans have contributed in any way to the changing climate.

I suspect the reality is somewhere between those two extremes.

David Suzuki has appeared recently in two different commercials promoting Ontario’s energy conservation plan. In the first, ‘Bob’ finds Suzuki on his front porch, replacing the old-fashioned, wasteful light bulb with a new compact fluorescent model; in fact, all the people on Bob’s street are doing likewise.

I don’t mind this commercial. The message is both sound and practical: if everyone does their part, the sum total of energy savings will be significant.

The second commercial, however, is just dumb. Bob finds Suzuki in his basement, preparing to haul Bob’s beer fridge away. (I’m waiting for Rick Mercer to spoof this, and have Suzuki himself hauled-away by the cops for breaking-and-entering and attempted theft.) Suzuki convinces Bob that ridding himself of the power-gobbling fridge and replacing it with a new, efficient model will save him enough money in one year to buy three cases of beer. Ooooh!

Once again the sum total of everyone replacing old fridges would result in significant savings. Unfortunately, Bob has now caught what we’ll call "green fever" and is dashing about the house shutting off everything that uses electricity — including the TV his kids are watching and his wife’s hair dryer and the bathroom lights.

Well, yes… if we all used no electricity the savings would be tremendous. But we need to be practical. We need balance.

So, what can — should — we do?

There are any number of websites you can check which offer energy-conservation tips.

What’s important to remember is that we don’t have to turn the clock back to pioneer days and abandon all modern comforts and conveniences. But by exercising care in our use of energy, and reducing wastefulness, we can all contribute to the solution, instead of being part of the problem.

Most importantly, do not let the seemingly incessant message about energy conservation annoy you. If you are already doing what you can, then you deserve our thanks. Your effort is appreciated.

If you have not taken steps to reduce your energy use, or if you feel that you can do a bit more, then by all means… do so!