By Matthew Snope
We live in a hotel civilization… in which people are obsessed with comfort, contentment, and convenience, where the lights are always on. [We] don’t have time for questions. We don’t have time for such interrogations.
-Cornel West, lecture to Washington University in St. Louis, 2006
Punk band the Dead Kennedys once titled an album Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death, riffing on the well-known Patrick Henry quote. It’s important to remember that convenience has not always been part of the human adventure; in fact, much, if not most, of human history has been inconvenient. When I moved to the Atlanta area from California’s Bay Area (where plastic bags have been banned), I was amazed to see how much plastic packaging was used as the de facto policy of many restaurants, grocery stores, and retailers.
I have also found that while Southern hospitality and a general sense of politeness is indeed part of the culture, people act differently behind the wheel of their vehicles. I’ve experienced some close calls of almost being hit while walking around Decatur by distracted and aggressive drivers, most likely well-meaning people simply caught up in the furious acceleration of capitalism. While Georgian summers are particularly humid and brutal and I’ve suffered while walking around, consequently understanding the allure of an air-conditioned car, I’ve noticed that many people use their cars for absurdly short trips, such as a neighbor who drove her car from her home to the convenience store… one block next door. What all of this speaks to is a culture of convenience, but with such a culture comes a high cost. Plastic packaging ends up in landfills or, worse, in the ocean and then bodies of marine creatures; this reliance on cars means a reduced importance on walking, bicycling, and public transportation. Possibly the most shocking of all, I’ve even noticed police personnel leaving their cars running while dining at local eateries.
With the rise of both automobile and plastics in the 1950s, society was transformed. Now we have climate change, sedentary lifestyle-related health problems, and five distinct plastic garbage islands in the world’s oceans. Philosopher Paul Virilio once noted that the invention of the ship was also the invention of the shipwreck, but humanity has a tendency to overlook the disastrous consequences of new inventions until it is at a crisis stage.
The use of plastic packaging and hopping in the car for the shortest of trips, for many, has become entrenched, encultured. However, there is always hope. When I got rid of my car many years ago, I naturally had concerns about safety, getting around, moving, etc. Since then, I have found that light rail systems, walking, bicycles, and car-sharing are completely doable. Often, we know better but persist in acting in environmentally-insensitive ways, creating this culture of convenience that is entirely avoidable.
The interesting thing about Georgia is that, often, people don’t know any better – they don’t always realize that alternatives exist. I am not calling for the abolition of either cars or plastics; ultimately, however, the reduced use of both these conveniences could make a significant impact. As is often the case in the environmental movement, it begins with awareness, dissemination of information, and counter-intuitive changes to people’s habitual behavior. I really enjoy living in the South in general, and the state of Georgia and the Atlanta area more specifically. Moving forward in 2018, I hope to see us become even more progressive about environmental impacts and improvements, large and small.
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Interested in the topic of transit issues around the state of Georgia? The Georgia Chapter’s Regional Action to Improve Livability (RAIL) Committee advocates for transportation choices, such as mass-transit and biking, and transit-oriented development in Georgia. We believe that traveling by car should be just one of many options available to Georgians.
In 2015, Americans drove enough to travel to Pluto and back 337 times. Now, burning oil is the #1 source of climate-disrupting pollution in the U.S., and most of that comes from cars with only one passenger. Burning oil to power vehicles harms our air quality and public health. That's why our goal is to cut oil use in half in Georgia by 2030.
We work to reduce dependence on cars and trucks by securing more funding for sustainable transportation choices like mass transit, biking, walking, and electric vehicles. We encourage walkable community development for a better quality of life in Georgia, and oppose bloated road projects.
To get involved with our RAIL Committee, visit: sierraclub.org/georgia/rail