Re: Walking gently - what does it take?
From: Lia Olson (liajosbcglobal.net)
Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2007 19:47:05 -0700 (PDT)
Just wanted to second your excellent reply, Rachel.  When I was a young thing
in the sixties and early seventies, 'cheap' really did mean a  minimalist but
still lush lifestyle that benefitted the environment.  As I reintegrated into
mainstream society, I found that cheap meant subsidizing entities like Walmart,
and I chose the more expensive options provided by Farmer's Market's, etc.  I
don't like the physical/emotional and costs of needing a higher income in order
to live, but at least my ethics can still dictate my decisions about where to
spend my money.  

If we could, in cohousing communities, address these dual issues -- how to live
lightly on the land and reduce our dependence on the mainstream economy, we
would be doing an incredible service.  I don't know if it's posssible, but if
we find a way, we'll have a social revolution on our hands. 

Lia

 
--- Racheli Gai <racheli [at] sonoracohousing.com> wrote:

> 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.
> 
> 
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