Pros & Cons of Going Green

Environmentalists are always encouraging people to "go green." There is a raging debate as to whether the current ecological state is a disaster or a part of natural cycle. Looking at the pros and cons can help you decide whether or not going green is for you.

Pros

• Going green is embracing a more natural lifestyle. Reducing your emissions actually fosters a love for the planet. Much more than this, going green means you become more self-sufficient, and ultimately that will save you money. If you're interested in getting solar panels on your house, the start-up costs will hit you, but after that the savings start to rack up.

Cons

• Going green means a lot of work. You have to separate your waste, buy more energy efficient appliances and carbon neutral products and reduce emissions when you travel.

Overall

• Going green is something like Pascal's Wager. If the environmentalism movement is nonsense and you actually reduce emissions, you would have wasted your time. Conversely, if you don't accept it and it is true, future generations will be born into a doomed planet. Looked at in this way -- environmentalism is a sensible choice. Even if it isn't true, it would be difficult to claim that pollution and waste don't harm the planet, so reducing your personal pollution is still a good thing.