Re: Walking gently - what does it take? | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Alexander Robin A (alexande.robi![]() |
|
Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 15:36:34 -0700 (PDT) |
Excellent point, Racheli. So something might be cheap because resources were used efficiently in its production in a "good" way. Factory farms are "efficient" but only because many of the real costs are hidden (poor quality of the food, damage caused by chemicals, use of antibiotics, etc.). As you point out, it might be cheap because people are being exploited in its creation or "free" materials are being used again with hidden costs such as loss of forests, etc. It's a pretty complex issue and, except for the easy choice of farmers' markets, shopping has become almost a career in itself! Robin Alexander ________________________________ From: Racheli Gai [mailto:racheli [at] sonoracohousing.com] Sent: Sun 7/1/2007 1:20 PM To: Cohousing-L communities Subject: [C-L]_ Walking gently - what does it take? Brian B. wrote (in part) : "Walking gently means walking *cheap*." How is that the case? For example: Is buying the cheapest food (conventional, sold at WalMart) the environmental thing to do? Or does one walk gently by contracting with a farmer and paying her way more than what they would get in the store, so that she can actually make a living? As Lisa pointed out, much of what we buy for little money is based on the exploitation of other humans and limited resources. In what way is it gentle? -- It seems that it isn't even necessarily "gentle" for the consumer, since the real full costs simply shifted to a different - invisible - place. It creates an environment which makes us sick, or supports companies which are becoming more powerful and centralized as time goes by, meaning that our ability to have a voice in decisions crucial for our lives and the life of the planet is diminished. It's important to remember that "cost" isn't only financial, and that sometimes by paying more we "buy" more than what's directly visible, if we care to look at the larger context. This doesn't mean that paying a lot necessarily entails walking gently. Obviously, many if not all of us buy things we don't really need, and some very expensive items have great environmental cost. Learning to live with less is certainly a part of task: Less square footage in our houses; less flying; smaller/more efficient cars (or no cars at all where/when possible), and so on. Racheli. _________________________________________________________________ Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at: http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
-
Walking gently - what does it take? Racheli Gai, July 1 2007
- Re: Walking gently - what does it take? Alexander Robin A, July 1 2007
- Re: Walking gently - what does it take? Racheli Gai, July 2 2007
-
Re: Walking gently - what does it take? Lia Olson, July 1 2007
- Re: Walking gently - what does it take? Saoirse, July 1 2007
- Re: Walking gently - what does it take? Saoirse, July 1 2007
Results generated by Tiger Technologies Web hosting using MHonArc.