10 Environmental Ideas That Are Actually Interesting

Here's the problem with traditional environmentalism: it's boring. That's not to say environmental protection is not worthwhile. It is. It's just also boring. Recycling is boring. Not building coal power plants is boring. Conserving land is boring. Protecting whales is boring (unless you're talking about the Sea Shepherd). Even a radical environmental action like sitting in an old-growth tree so it can't be chopped down is boring.

But it doesn't have to be this way. Ideas about the human relationship with nature can actually be really exciting. And we need them to be! There are massive problems with the way our current society uses and abuses our global home. But stories of climate change and species die-offs have to compete with the Kardashians and economic woes for mindshare. It's not that people don't care about the environment, it's that they don't think of it very often. Here are ten thoughts about green topics that are more interesting than your average Earth Day fare.