Green Fatigue

We don't have tips for buying Earth-friendly light bulbs, or a list of Alice Cooper's favorite ways to conserve energy. And we don't care if you put a brick in your toilet to conserve water or drive an alternative-fuel vehicle, because — get this — it really doesn't matter. As you'll learn from the stories here, we have no water shortage in metropolitan Phoenix — not now anyway. It's use it or lose it. And that natural-gas-powered Ford Expedition? It might impress your neighbors and get you access to the HOV lane, but it's no easier on the atmosphere than the gasoline-powered version.

The most inconvenient truth of all, it turns out, is this: The Green Movement might make you feel warm and fuzzy, but it won't stop global warming. Really want to save the planet? Don't drive across town to that eco-fashion show. In fact, don't buy those new hemp tennis shoes, or a hybrid car. Wear your old clothes, drive your old car, and save up for solar panels.

For this series, we made the ultimate sacrifice: Our writers put on their thinking caps, got out their calculators, and told the true stories about what it really means to be green in this corner of the desert.

1. Feature
   Farmer John Milton makes his own clothes and can show you how to do the same
   Steve Jansen
   Published: April 17, 2008
2. Feature
   Heidi Tourangeau knows how to save you from death by toxin absorption through living eco-friendly
   Steve Jansen
   Published: April 17, 2008
3. Feature
   Vegan Erotica's Camilla Taylor wants to get you into a vegan dildo harness
   Steve Jansen
   Published: April 17, 2008
4. Feature
   Recycling 101: What to recycle, what not to recycle, and does it even matter?
   John Dickerson
   Published: April 17, 2008
5. Feature
   Robrt L. Pela does not recycle
   Robrt L. Pela
   Published: April 17, 2008
6. Feature
   Alternative fuels aren't solving Phoenix's air-pollution problem, and it's doubtful that they will anytime soon
   Ray Stern
   Published: April 17, 2008
7. Feature
   No one is saying you should waste water, but in Phoenix it's hard to come up with a reason not to
   Megan Irwin
   Published: April 17, 2008
8. Feature
   We're all destroying the earth, and buying an organic handbag ain't gonna help
   Sarah Fenske
   Published: April 17, 2008
9. Sidebar
   Green Fatigue: by the numbers
   New Times staff
   Published: April 17, 2008
10. Feature
    Is anyone else sick and tired of eco-chic?
    Amy Silverman
    Published: April 17, 2008