The Apathetic Goes Political

It’s election season — my favorite time of year. (Can you sense the sarcasm there?)

Yes, I’m a little apathetic when it comes to politics, but recently I finally found an article about the candidates that sparked my interest.

The cover story of the April 14 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands last week) featured a story about the “greenest candidate” entitled “Just the Tree of Us” by Jerry Adler.

While most of the article focused on the Republican candidate, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, there were some numbers that seem to represent a change in perception of many voters on environmental issues.

Here is a couple I thought I’d highlight:

• “The environment … has emerged as a leading issue in this election cycle; last year more than three voters in 10 said they would take a candidates’ green credentials into account … up from just 11 percent in 2005.”

• “The current tally shows that of 3, 231 questions by the leading political reporters from five networks, exactly eight concerned global warming.”

The most interesting and informative part of the article was the graphic (“Who Would Be the Greenest?”) — which I could not find online — that breaks down each candidates’ views on many different environmental issues. The topics included greenhouse-gas emissions, fuel-efficiency standards, renewable energy, biofuels, coal and nuclear energy.


The two Democratic candidates — Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama — have very similar stands on each issue, which reflects a main point of the article: Traditionally, Democrats are more open to implementing changes for the good of the environment.

On the other hand, McCain is on the fence on every issue, except for nuclear energy, which he is is favor of. He has said he supports changes but does not give specifics as to what he would do to implement changes.

I’m not the one to tell you who to vote for — believe me, I’m no expert. But if you’re interested in voting green, check out the candidates’ Web sites or Project Vote Smart for an unbiased opinion.

CHECK THIS OUT:

OK, so the article in Newsweek was informative if you're into politics. But for you're into shopping, the most interesting part was the opening advertisement.

The front and back cover of the issue is dominated by Target ads as part of its “Love your mother (earth)” campaign.

By just performing four easy steps, the company will send you a coupon for its “Retote,” no purchase necessary. Here are the instructions given by the ad:

1. Remove cover of magazine
2. Fold cover inside out and tape sides and bottom
3. Fill pouch with used Target plastic bags
4. Seal top of pouch and drop it in any U.S. Postal Mail Box by the end of May

Sounds easy enough, right?

Right now, it looks like the offer is only available in this issue of Newsweek.