on the "greening" of the lower class

This is not a rant. This is not a well-tested hypothesis. This is merely an observation, a "thought-experiment" if you will.

I think it is safe to say that the year 2007 has been the "Year of the Green." No matter where one looks they are sure to see the latest "green" fashions, the "greenest" celebrities, the "greenest" automobiles, how to "green" your home, etc. - I think you get the point. While I have many thoughts on this subject (green consumerism, green automobiles, really?), this one post will zero in on a specific subsection.

the preface
I am "in the process" of developing a sort of "everyman's guide to" environmental sustainability/earth friendliness/not destroying the only place we have to live - and by that, I mean, simply, that I ponder on the subject frequently. Much of the attention of the media or presidential campaign is focused on "climate change" and "global warming." The flaw of many of these efforts is that it is too dependent on the factuality of an actual change in climate or warming of the earth, and while I personally trust that the science is there to back up the claims, I don't need the science. To me, simply taking care of "this fragile Earth, our island home" is a responsibility that ALL humans share.

the observation
While it is nice that so much effort is being put into educating celebrities, upper and middle class citizens, it seems that a large percentage of the population is basically being ignored: the lower class. So much effort is being put into "greening" the high-end markets with energy-star appliances, eco-friendly building materials (which hardly anyone can afford), fashion trends, hybrid vehicles, etc., and I fear that this will not be a lasting strategy. First of all, for any effort to succeed in making an impact on behalf of environmental sustainability and earth friendliness, consumption itself must be reduced - not altered, reduced.

This thought is similar to a post I did a while back titled "How do we teach those who do not go to school?" in that it poses the question of how do we reach the part of the population that is not educated about environmental sustainability or even tuned into celebrity trends? For the xx% of our population (and I am just talking about in America, not to mention the entire world) that is considered "sub-middle class," a majority of their motivation is to attain a status of wealth that affords them the ability to live a life without sacrifice, or a life that does not require them to make the most of very little - basically, to reach a lifestyle that they see the wealthy live now, one of excess and lack of concern for the effects of consumption. I would think this is linked to the idea that as lower-class citizens they feel they are less successful than their wealthier counterparts, and that to attain a level of status that is governed by your clothes, your car, your jewelry, your house is the goal.

I assume that this is a similar situation to that of the post-depression era. A generation grew up having to live meagerly with no excess, and once the economy rebounded, they were jubilant in the ability to live flippant lives of consumption. (Note: this is not an attempt to blame that generation for anything).

While I cannot locate any statistics (but promise to look for some), I remember hearing that the first purchase a lower-class family makes, when their income affords the opportunity, is a bigger tv. Hopefully you get my point...