Environmental Invisibility

In Chapter 7, Bell talks about theories of environmental concern; postmaterialism [shift from concern about health and nature, materialism to a post materialistic view or freedom of self-expression view] and ecological modernization [recognition of environmental problems and how we can make it a part of our everyday lives]. The main topic of each of these theories is materials and how we view materials. 

I personally believe that we, in the US, are a combination of post materialism and ecological modernization. We are both an industrial and an aware of ecological problems society. Also, we value materials differently than we have in the past. I think that we have changed over the past years due to change in materialism. We went from appreciating traditional things like: concerns about economic and physical security to wanting freedom of expression (Bell, 187). The problem with this is that we are not focusing on what is important, the environment. We chose to ignore what we cannot see or touch. As we have learned in Bell, greater power does not lead to greater concern. My question is, why?

I think that we could help share some of the advances that we have and work together with other countries in order to distribute environmental awareness and prevention of further destruction. We have so much wealth in our country that we do not see how desperate other countries are. We walk around with non- environmentally friendly items like phones, car [most], and electronics while others figure out a way to make it through life. How is it that we are okay with not helping the environment when other peoples' and our lives depend on it? It is ironic to me that we have so much wealth but so little concern for our own environment. Doesn't that bother anyone else?