Boys vs. Girls - Which is the more eco-friendly gender?
QUESTION: I was in need of some new first-date conversation topics and I became curious over this question: from birth to age—oh I don’t know—17, is a boy or a girl worse for the environment? What are the differences between male and female impacts on the environment? Asked by Chris Fedor, Palo Alto, Calif.
ANSWER: “Red Rover, Red Rover send EMELIA on over.” Jaws clenched, knuckles white, the string of boys faces the string of girls. Pride is at stake. The winners will have lunch-hour bragging rights; the losers will wallow in shame as the subpar sex. Even the least athletic kids rise to the challenge. If a similar battle of the sexes is what it takes to inspire sustainable action on the environment, then bring it on.
Each sex can learn from the other, and the conversation could go on for a long, long time. Just to get it started, I will compare the environmental impacts of men and women in six areas, and I’ll focus on the teenage years and beyond. Before then, kids don’t have much control over their environmental impact and—assuming a 10-year-old isn’t yet wearing makeup or running up the credit cards for clothes—boys and girls likely have about the same impact on the environment until they reach the teen years.
