In a world full of gadgetry, distractions, complexity and waste, I find myself wondering what is it we need to do in order to help humanity move towards a healthier and more caring future? We face a time that is the result of much pollution. Industry has made many abusive habits that society has become blindly addicted to. No matter who you are in this world you are a participant in the continuation of the destructive forces that threaten our own homes and all the homes of all of earth's inhabitants. So what do we do?
Well the answer is not so easy and the one that reverses our negative impact requires an effort that seems nearly impossible for all of us addicts out there. Let's look at our addiction to the destructive forces. Take for example the idea of a small organic farm. Sure the name almost immediately implies a beautiful image that could save the planet, however look closer and find that even such a pursuit in most cases is a participant in global pollution. Not to say that going organic is a bad thing at all, it's definitely a move in the right direction. The point I'm trying to get at is that even our best practices are dependent on industrial degradation of earthly resources. Organic farms are spending a lot of money on fertilizers that reek havoc on the environment. Example: Sea bird guano as a fertilizer, sure it works great and it is not a chemical so it fits into the organic movement. What we don't think about often is the process of how that guano got into the bag and then the store. The truth is the process was not so organic. It required large machines that invade sea bird habitat and stripped cliffs in a manner that could not be viewed as an environmentally friendly process. There's a good chance it was doing this in another country and that money is what made it possible. Money that comes from the people that demand the product, organic farmers.
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| Bergamont flowers |
That is one little example that isn't even that destructive in comparison to other products that the organic movement requires. Research blood meal, bone meal, potash, kmag, plastics etc. and you will find that it is not as organic as we would like to believe. Yes it is better than the conventional practice of using petroleum products as fertilizer but does that excuse it? Could there not be better alternatives that could be harnessed and utilized?
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| Mossy Oak Garden, Ruch, Oregon |
There are indeed ways to proceed towards even healthier growing practices that require less participation in industrial decimation of earthly resources, but it is so radically different from the world we are living in that it casts you far from the norm and enters you into the realm of freakdom. To be ethical enough to move in the direction of Earthly stewardship is a serious challenge in this time. It is a challenge we need to address and take on one step at a time. Now I could go on and on about what is wrong and believe me I have spent too much time already obsessed with such practices in my life, so I will spare you the ongoing rant of my youth.
So what are the steps?? There are no answers that will satisfy everyone at once. Everyone is on there own journey with life in this day and age. From people who don't even think anything is wrong, to those who believe we are doomed. Everyone has a right to there own idea's and beliefs. So here are some of mine that may or may not help, depending on who is reading.
One step I believe in is simplicity. The idea of simple living can begin to reduce our impact greatly. No matter where you stand in your beliefs about the world, politics and systems. One truth that most can see clearly is the modern world has become very complex right down to the very food we eat. Everything goes through a process that involves many complicated steps before it ends up at the store. This is why industry is so prevalent. The machines that are created to wrap let's say a bags of carrots, are big and complex and cost a lot of money. Are such processes needed? Well when there is demand for it, it will continue. The only way to reduce demand is to stop spending money on these products. The problem is most everything that is bought at the store is connected to a process that supports the world of mass production which in turn creates a demand for it to continue. It's hard to see this when we are in a hurry to finish shopping so we can pick up our kids at school. Even our most radical environmental protesters are participating in the demand for services that they are fighting. Does this invalidate their struggle? Well it sure doesn't help it, but it doesn't mean that what they desire is wrong. It is good to desire a less petroleum dependent way that aims to reduce pollution and overuse of finite resources. My point in this babble is that when we simplify by eliminating the need for these processes in our own life, we change the world that we exist in.
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| Tobacco flowers |
It is as simple as this example. Natural gas extraction (hydro-fracking) natural gas mining. Many people are fighting this process based on its potential threat to the environment. I surely am not a proponent that we continue to engage in practices that threaten our fresh water, however it is complicated because I have been a user of natural gas my whole life as has everyone else brought up in this world. The only way to fight this is to go on strike and stop creating the demand for natural gas. That is hard to do in the modern lifestyle because natural gas is so pervasive we can't even begin to see how much natural gas is connected to our daily life. If there is a demand for it there will be money and when there is money backing exploration it will continue. If no one used it the industry of it's extraction would not exist. So if you don't want it to happen don't use it. Find alternatives and promote them. But most importantly stop using. Sound simple? Yes it does, but is it simple? That's up to you?
Simplifying your life so you are aware of what you impact. If you believe cars pollute, do everything you can to reduce the amount you use them, and start planning for a lifestyle infrastructure that can reduce the need for them. Life is simple when your needs are in walking distance from home. For example instead of going to the store to get your food, walk to the garden. Reducing impact ultimately comes down to spending less. Every time we spend money we are voting for the processes that created what we spent our money on. Less spending equals less demand. In order to reduce spending we have to re-awaken to the world of the basics. Water, Food, Shelter, Love, and community. This is the focus we need to reduce impact. It is possible to acquire these basics without spending money. Grow food and trade with neighbors, eliminate the need for money to have to be involved in every exchange. Awaken the barter system and redefine value. We all know you can't eat paper money. Many hear this and think yeah right, no way. But I believe in it. I'm not saying stop all together, that may be nearly impossible but I am saying begin the reduction of impact by making little steps that lead to less demand for services we don't desire.
I am a proponent of reducing the value of money and putting value back into items that contain real value. We should rather desire a cellar full of food than a wallet full of money. There is too much value in money. I don't believe it is completely useless but I do believe it gets more attention than it deserves. Money is not simple, it is abstract because it contains no real value. Example, if all you had was money and no place to spend it would it, by itself, get you through a cold winter? It seems dangerous to put so much power into a piece of paper. A sort of false security that is too dependent on a system that is subject to failure.
Real insurance or security, to me, is wisdom of land and how to manipulate resources in a localized setting in order to ensure warmth, food and social stimulus. To be able to know how to grow food for the winter by using resources at hand, not from a catalog or store, is security. Basic living skills are missing, not gone completely but missing, therefore by regaining that wisdom through experience we can be prepared for running out of mined finite resources. This is simplicity, to know how to care for the basics is simplicity.
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| Odysseus |
We, as an environmental movement towards less pollution and over consumption, need to be strong now more then ever and take a stand. Do everything you can to simplify. Free yourself from being so dependent on the mega infrastructure that is the system. Stop blogging and start growing.
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