By Ron McLinden, Transportation Smart Growth Chair
One of the discussions going on within the Sierra Club right now is about how to address the issue of consumption, and our responsibility as individuals to make personal choices that will reduce global warming and other impacts on the planet. It’s a difficult discussion – in part because a lot of us live relatively comfortable lives. We don’t want to offend our members by being preachy, yet we can’t ignore the fact that, to some extent, part of the problem looks back at us from the mirror every day.
In July, the Missouri Chapter adopted a resolution on consumption and sustainability, and forwarded it to the Council of Club Leaders for consideration. That resolution reads: “The Missouri Resolution: The Council of Club Leaders reaffirms that global warming is the highest priority issue for the Club, and acknowledges that energy efficiency and renewable energy are critical components of the Club’s campaign to address this issue. We ask that the Board initiate a high-profile campaign in support of “sustainable life choices” as a co-equal part of the Club’s response to global warming, and that a sustainable life choices message be incorporated into communications from the Club related to global warming.”
The Council of Club Leaders adopted our resolution on September 28. Following is the beginning of a discussion we want to have with you, our members. We invite you to submit your own thoughts. Perhaps a word of caution is in order This is written with just a bit of “attitude.” We hope you’ll give it careful consideration. You’ve heard about sustainability. By one commonly accepted definition, it means meeting our needs today in such a way that we don’t compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. No doubt you’ve seen pitches for products that are “sustainable.” Unfortunately, many such products are simply “less un-sustainable” than a conventional product. Let’s face it -- We can’t consume our way to sustainability.
World population is approaching 6.7 billion, and headed toward 9 billion by mid-century. Meanwhile, aspirations for the material elements of a “good life” are rising throughout the developing world. World oil consumption is over 85 million barrels per day and demand is growing, even as industry experts caution that oil production is at or near the peak of what’s possible.
Oh -- and the climate is changing as rising CO2 levels contribute to the warming of the atmosphere and the oceans.
You’ve read all of that and more. Yet, you feel powerless to do anything about it -- except to maybe write to an elected official asking them to please do something. And maybe you’ve checked your own environmental footprint using any of the several on-line tools.
Taking personal actions is hard, however, because it seems everybody else is doing nothing. And there’s no leadership from the one place that we Americans traditionally look to for leadership -- the Oval Office. The message from the White House is “go shopping and keep the economy strong.”
Unfortunately, conspicuous consumption is always going to get more attention than personal responsibility and restraint, but don’t let the seemingly endless self-indulgence of others keep you from acting.
It’s time to get radical, responsibly radical – especially if you have kids or grand-kids who will live into the second half of this century. So much consumption is linked to major life choices. You make one seemingly simple life choice and instantly find yourself sucked into a whole pattern of consumption based on the expectations of the peers you’ve unwittingly joined. Consider just a few of life’s major choices, along with some of their associated and unintended peer-pressured consequences. Living arrangements. Two can usually live more efficiently than one since so much of the home and its “machinery” can be shared – but this has to be a highly personal decision.
Procreation. Having kids – whether natural or adopted -- leads immediately to consumption patterns that you didn’t plan on. The extra room and bathroom and TV and mediahyped toys and school activities and soccermom syndrome driving and... You get the picture. This is not to say you shouldn’t have kids -- in fact, if you are reading this you might be a more responsible potential parent than a lot of other folks.
When to have kids also matters. Deferred childbearing is almost always a good thing. Imagine how many fewer people there’d be in the world – and how much better off the kids would be -- if teen mothers had waited until they were 25 or 30.
Shelter. A new house in a new suburb is nice, but chances are it’s bigger than you really need, and it carries with it a lot of social norm pressures about what kind of car you drive, how aggressive you have to be at eliminating all but certain species from your lawn, and whether you can line-dry your laundry. What’s more, in a new suburb the chances are lower than you can walk anyplace – to a store or library or park, or even around the block for exercise.
Deciding where to live is a complex matter. While some people live in the same place for decades, a lot of households relocate every few years. It’s these households that have the best opportunity to lower the impact of their housing location decision. What kind of shelter. A condo or loft or apartment in a multi-unit building, may meet your needs at least as well as a house in the suburbs, while also relieving you of the obligation to own a riding mower and fertilizer spreader and snow blower. What’s more, your heating and cooling bills will be lower since your neighbors help shelter you from extreme temperatures.
As household demographics change and the housing supply adjusts to offer a broader range of choices, the most common reason to purchase a single-family home – easy marketability – is actually declining. (Yes, that’s a radical notion since it might threaten the industries that build and sell and re-sell single- family houses.) Alternatives to the singlefamily house deserve a second look. Location of shelter. Consider where to live. The farther away you choose to live – from work or play or where you socialize or worship – the more time you’re likely to spend getting there. What’s more, it’s more likely you’ll have to drive alone because transit service isn’t available and there are no coworkers with whom you can carpool. If there are two wage earners in the household, look for a location where at least one of you can ride transit, or drive a short distance to a parkand- ride lot.
Achieving life satisfaction. For some people, it seems, conspicuous consumption is the road to happiness. It might be a big house and expensive car and big-screen TV. It might be a second home on the lake with a boat. On the other hand, you might find satisfaction through socializing with friends, reading, engaging in cultural activities, and pursuing other less material interests. These can be far more satisfying and infinitely less resource consumptive.
These are just some of the life decisions each of us makes. Driving a Prius and screwing in compact fluorescent bulbs and buying toilet tissue made from 100 percent recycled paper isn’t going to save the planet from climate change.
We literally have to re-evaluate our lives and our priorities, and resolve to make better life decisions. Then we need to let our friends and relatives know – without being sanctimonious, of course – that we’ve made conscious decisions to make our earthly existence less hostile to that of individuals not yet born. There’s no escaping the fact that, no matter how old we are right now, we might not get out of this life without seeing some really unpleasant consequences of climate change. We can be part of the problem, or part of the solution.