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Convalescence
Aug. 3rd, 2007 07:42 amIn the moments when I am able to do something other than listen to the radio or sleep, I am starting to read the book Small is Beautiful, by E.F. Schumacher. I'm not entirely certain where I got the idea to read this book, but I suspect it was recommended somewhere in World Changing, my handy encyclopedia for contemporary world issues. SiB, along with my recent travels to New England, have left me reflecting on the changing forms of the "Green" Movement, from their origins until now. To backtrack: SiB was written in 1973, a good 34 years ago, about many of the environmental/economic issues that grab mainstream attention today--for instance, the first chapter is about the problem of using capital (i.e. nonrenewable fossil fuels) to fuel our economy. It makes me wonder about the social environment when Schumacher initially wrote the book. At the time, I'm sure it received little attention from the mainstream public, but I believe it did get some attention from certain minority groups at the time, and in fact the book was re-published in 1999, suggesting renewed interest in its themes.
In contrast, it's now interesting to walk around and see products sold as "green" in all sorts of stores, ranging from hippie co-ops to places like Whole Foods or even Wal-Mart. There are so many things available now that try to convince consumers that they are environmentally friendly, but as with foods that are packaged as healthy, it's still important to be skeptical of such labels. While browsing through a new eco-store in Cambridge, MA, I came across a book that promised to prioritize changes that one can make to one's lifestyle based on their overall ecological impact (for example, I've read articles that claim that bringing one's own shopping bags to the grocery store doesn't really have that significant of an environmental impact--people might have other reasons for reusing shopping bags, but in the larger scheme, look to changing other habits first). In hindsight, I kind of wish I'd written down the title of the book, although I didn't have a chance to see how practical it was based on my lifestyle.
Consider this, for example. As I'm listening to NPR, they just mentioned receiving support from the auto maker Honda, which has been promoting an "Environmentology" campaign for quite some time now (whatever that means). But car manufacture and use is so destructive that choosing to purchase a Honda is really just the lesser of many evils.
I have to ask myself: am I grateful for the spread of the Green Movement? Well, yes. But only inasmuch as I continue to hope for the spread of good critical thinking skills and the spread of contemplative decision-making.
In contrast, it's now interesting to walk around and see products sold as "green" in all sorts of stores, ranging from hippie co-ops to places like Whole Foods or even Wal-Mart. There are so many things available now that try to convince consumers that they are environmentally friendly, but as with foods that are packaged as healthy, it's still important to be skeptical of such labels. While browsing through a new eco-store in Cambridge, MA, I came across a book that promised to prioritize changes that one can make to one's lifestyle based on their overall ecological impact (for example, I've read articles that claim that bringing one's own shopping bags to the grocery store doesn't really have that significant of an environmental impact--people might have other reasons for reusing shopping bags, but in the larger scheme, look to changing other habits first). In hindsight, I kind of wish I'd written down the title of the book, although I didn't have a chance to see how practical it was based on my lifestyle.
Consider this, for example. As I'm listening to NPR, they just mentioned receiving support from the auto maker Honda, which has been promoting an "Environmentology" campaign for quite some time now (whatever that means). But car manufacture and use is so destructive that choosing to purchase a Honda is really just the lesser of many evils.
I have to ask myself: am I grateful for the spread of the Green Movement? Well, yes. But only inasmuch as I continue to hope for the spread of good critical thinking skills and the spread of contemplative decision-making.
