Most in the Americas with some media exposure know about the ecological damage our society is causing to the Earth, yet we have accomplished almost nothing to mediate it. This gap between knowing and acting seems counterintuitive. Common sense tells us that once we know something is wrong, steps are taken to prevent it. Prevention is all the more important because the Earth is a dynamic system in which impacts on one side of the planet are felt on the other. As my mother always told me: “Common sense isn't that common.” This article examines the potential reasons why we often believe in the ecological damage we are causing, but fail to act to resolve it; the “Green Gap,” so to speak. A recent study was conducted by the Yale Project on Climate Change and George Mason University's Center for Climate Change Communication on Americans' views on a variety of "green" issues and the actions they have taken to address them. these problems: it's scary. So let's examine what drives us, citizens of the richest country the world has ever known, not to act. Change requires, well, change. People are not good at...