I appreciate your thoughts.

Yes, I think most people will only make environmentally conscious changes in their lives if they are gently shoved. I do not think this is a conscious choice to harm the environment, but that people do not take the time to proactively make decisions to better the environment. Maybe it’s laziness or lack of education; we could speculate forever, but whatever the reason there’s a cause-and-effect disconnect.

Our government is beginning to take initiatives mandating these types of activities. The U.S. EPA facilitates the Greening Government Procurement program. Basically federal government agencies (i.e. Department of Revenue, Department of Defense) are required to purchase “X” amount of items containing “green” products. I’m far from an expert of the program’s specifics, but “green” products included in the program are recycled, biobased, non-toxic, etc.

Beth Davis

I was thinking of your examples – paying taxes, driving through red lights, etc., and why people follow those norms.

Could it be that people can see a tangible result of not acting that way and therefore have an incentive to follow? Dropping out of school, for example, doesn’t have an immediate consequence, which may explain why we still have up to 50% drop out in some major cities.
Left to our own devices, we don’t seem to be able to follow Kant’s First Maxim.
Do you think stricter legislation (without becoming draconian) with real and immediate consequences could be an answer?

-Victor V