Five Ideas for Being an Environmentalist During a Recession
2 Comments Published by Seamus Ford January 9th, 2010 in Family/Children.
When you can’t afford to shop at Whole Foods anymore is it harder to be environmentally friendly?
If you are asking that question, you may discover that you have gotten into the habit of expressing your environmental values primarily though consumerism. As is the way of American business, marketers have jumped on the green bandwagon. While there is a genuine environmental ethic that has been adopted by business in recent years, the inauthentic “green washing” of some companies is pretty easy to spot. Consider the audacity of a certain car company attempting to associate the phrase “Eco” with an 8 cylinder engine on a passenger vehicle.
While our purchasing choices will remain important forces in causing a sustainable future, they are only a portion of what needs to be addressed. We all must be honest and confront the fact that we will not be able buy our way out of this.
Here are some ideas for deepening your environmental impact while on a budget.
1) Re-purpose as Family Project
There is no shortage of obsolete stuff (Junk) in a typical household. Create a contest with your kids and their friends to come up with the most valuable re-use of a piece of junk in the house. Let them vote and the winner of the contest gets to pick what is for dinner one night.
2) Start a garden or join a community garden
No matter how impractical or inconvenient it may seem to take a whirl at growing your own food, the rewards of learning, health and quality time with your family are profound. No matter what the scale you take on. Do it.
3) Turn your community into a Blue Zone
There are many places in the world where people regularly live to be over 100 years old. Researchers have coined the term Blue Zones to describe these areas. There are a number of common factors in each of these areas of the world that have been studied and put to the test in the town of Albert Lea, MN. The adoption of these virtually zero cost practices has raised the scientifically verifiable life expectancy of people in this town by over three years.
4) Walk to work, use public transportation or work from home
Walking to work can kill two birds with one stone (daily exercise and transportation). Using public transportation allows you to get things done while commuting. Working from home gives you more time with your family.
5) Make the next birthday gift you give with your hands
It may not happen often, but when you get a gift that someone actually made for you, it means something. (Ask any Mother) A gift that is handmade by a friend or family member carries special significance and will always stand out among things that are simply bought.
These are just a few small ideas. When applying creativity to the challenge of being green in a down economy, there is no shortage of options and in the long run it is a lot more satisfying than retail therapy ever was.
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Sorry for the seemingly crass name. But I feel very strongly that families need to get out of debt as soon as possible. I care a great deal about the environment and if we can’t fix our economy we are going to be ill prepared to fix the environment. You talk a lot on this website about the human component of the environmental movement. If people are dealing with debt they are not very likely to do much to change their bad environemental habits. Poor neigborhoods have more trash because poor people have other priorities. If you find yourself in massive debt, as myself and many people I know have, recycling is not as important as feeding your kids. Getting out of debt at the national and personal level are very important if we are going to have a chance to deal with the environmental challenges we face.
Good article. Let’s recall the three sides of the recycling triangle. REDUCE, RE-USE AND RECYCLE.
REDUCE comes first. Buy less, and, yes, this might help you to reduce your debt, too. Don’t become the dupe of green consumerism. My wife and I recently remodelled our kitchen. The old one was pretty worn out, 45 year old cabinets, 20 year old appliances. We used nearly all “green” materials, as best we could determine. However, it did occur to me that the greenest way to remodel is to not remodel, or do it less often, less extensively. Perhaps just upgrade appliances to Energy Star ratings.
You addressed REUSE in point number 2.
The idea of reducing debt is critical. The previous response is correct in pointing out that folks who are under water in debt will have trouble focusing on recycling and so on. The debt ridden people in our society are a symptom of a sick system. Some are paid too little to live decently. Some have fallen victim to consumerism. Some have been cheated by dishonest businesses.
We need to work on it all. Our own habits, as well as our sick system.