What drives your decision?

[bluesman423]

Not sure if this is truly the right forum for the following topic and, if not, I apologize.

One of the primary factors that caused me to down size and drop out of the consumer nightmare was the amount of damage done to the earth and many subcultures by excessive consumerism. We in the USA are guilty of fueling this damaging whirlwind of destruction more than most countries and, once I became aware of the consequences of my actions, the decision to stop was easy. Actually stopping, or should I say slowing down, has not been easy and is still a work in progress.

Seriously, how many televisons can we watch at one time, how many pairs of shoes can we wear or does a family of four REALLY NEED all of those cell phones plus one or two land lines? Really? How many vehicles do we NEED to own and how far do we NEED to drive? Realizing the harm done by pollution plus the fact that every dollar spent on gasoline and oil just makes the oil companies richer and more powerful, wouldn't it make more sense to walk or even ride a bicycle if possible?

I can go on and on but will stop now and ask.

Does the ecocide being wrought by excessive consumption have an effect on your way of life? If so, how?

[Spartana]

Welcome to the boards!! Definetly the right place for your kinds of thoughts.

I'm definetly driven by environmental factors as well. I also "dropped out" when I was 42 and have choosen to live a fairly small life. But instead of living in a remote community off-grid and self sustaining which may require the use of alot of natural resources (water, time, etc...) to maintain, I 've choosen to live in a tiny apt in a smallish city. I am able to walk or bike everywhere, use minimal utilities to heat and cool, have no lawn or large garden to water and maintain, can buy locally produced products and food from the farmer markets, etc... I am a pretty hardcore minimalist and own very little, as well as use very little. I don't have cable for my one 32 inch TV, I don't have home internet access (using the free library one now). I don't have an "I"- anything - just a pay-as-you-go tracfone that costs about $7/month I use for emergencies. I don't buy books, DVDs or CD's - just borrow then free from the library. I don't spend much on clothes, being work-free I live in shorts and tee shirts (less laundry to do too!!). I eat a mostly vegan raw foods diet that doesn't cost much to produce and is less degrading on the environment, uses no packaging, and also doesn't need much prep - if any - to eat so uses very little energy and resources to cook, clean, store food. I think my last electric bill was less than $10/month :-)! I do some things that aren't environmentall friendly for sure - like do long road truips in my V-6 truck with a shell (TERRIBLE gas mileage!). But I generally find a campsite somewhere close to everything I want to see and do so can ride my bike and leave the truck undriven for the most part once I'm there.

[Gardenarian]

I've always been a nature girl, and I think my outdoor interests (exploring, hiking, kayaking, birding, stargazing, gardening, etc.) led me to both voluntary simplicity and to environmentalism. This is who I am, so it's sort of a chicken-and-egg thing. It's been a learning and adapting experience all around - observing the environment, considering what's best for the planet, learning and investigating, changing habits, and back to observing again.

How does it effect my life? No tv, practically no lights at night, drive as little as possible, eat/grow organically, got my permaculture certificate and am spreading the word about that, composting, using graywater, sharing with neighbors and friends, buying little, the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) and avoiding what I tell my kid is the worst sin - waste. (Waste of time, energy, resources. In my view, simple living is all about reducing waste.)

[catherine]

Yes, I agree that wasting resources drives many of my decisions--although I'm not as extreme as a lot of people. But for instance, I consciously do not drink bottled water--I drink out of my refrigerator's filtered line. I do not drink soda of any kind, or any juice either. The amount of bottles that are disposed of is horrific in my opinion.

I drive a Prius, and I fill it up with gas once a month. That does me for the month.

90% of my furnishings are second-hand, and again it was both a financial consideration and an environmental one to keep things out of landfills.

If a want to go to a big box store I really consider if I NEED what I'm buying or if can I do without it.

I do watch TV, but we only have one, and it was given to us by my son whose friend was moving and had to get rid of it.

I have dreams of downsizing into a Tumbleweed House (http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/) or something like it.

[SteveinMN]

Yes, I hate to waste, as well. But I must say I am not quite as effective at it than some posters here. As an example, I used to drive myself to work (just about 10 miles each way) but did so partially because my work hours often didn't match the bus schedule (leaving me try to bum a ride or to take a taxi home) and my workplace in suburbia has the "last-mile" problem -- no sidewalks for the half-mile between the bus stop and the building I worked at, in an environment that is sometimes dangerously cold and frequently icy and slippery. But at least I drive a car that gets 45 mpg and, once I got to work, the car stayed parked. No quick lunch runs or trolling the lot for spaces. And, if I had errands, I ran them on the way to or from work. You have to pick your battles.

We tend to buy our food at our local co-op and buy with packaging in mind (I'd rather buy a bunch of carrots and cut them up than those plastic-bagged "baby" carrots. We bring our own containers (even reusing the coffee-bean bag until it no longer closes reliably). I tend to be a "buy-and-hold" guy -- when I buy something, I research it as much as I can, so once something gets here, it's usually used until it no longer can be. I like to think it makes up for some of the compromises one must make when living with others.

It figuratively kills me that the U.S. is so weak-willed about waste and pollution. But most folks just don't seem to care until it hits them in the wallet. And I've given up on our government being any kind of model of efficiency.

[pinkytoe]

Somewhere in my brain is the "knowing" that pooping in your own bed is not a smart thing to do. Without our beautiful natural home, Earth, nothing else really matters. So yes, these days most of my simple living decisions are environmentally motivated.

[redfox]

As the economist Herman Daly said, " The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Environment, not the reverse." And, " There is something fundamentally wrong with treating the Earth as if it were a business in liquidation."

[Mrs-M]

First things first, a big warm welcome to you, Bluesman423! So happy to see another new face/member join our happy family!!! Super-nice to have you! http://www.iheartpaws.com/forums/images/smilies/hugsmile1.gif

Oh, yes, absolutely. I had a head-start Re: simplicity/frugality, and that, ultimately (in itself), helped curtail the actions and ways that I live-by and practice to this day. Adding, the perfectly good, usable material and goods I see being tossed, turned-over, and replaced with such ferocity, equates to a large clock, a clock determining the borrowed-time we are now running on, living under... A clock, that will (one day), line-up it's hands (accordingly), marking an end to our very existence.

This conversation provides an excellent passageway, opening-up a telescopic view as to the way people used to live, and we don't have to go back very far to examine that time/era. (Thirty years will do). Second and third homes were unheard of, as were second and third vehicles, and if you had a television and stereo in your home, you had all that you needed. However, somewhere along the way, fast-forward to where we are at, today, people have lost sight of all that, and that's the part that gets under my skin.

As a result of excessive consumption, I find myself (more and more each day), pushing the limits (envelope) as to how long I can reuse things, and how few trips I allow myself to make Re: walking to the garbage can/pail with something or another in hand, that I can honestly say has seen it's day, lived-out it's time, and is truly/honestly ready to be sent on one last and final journey, regardless of whether or not my efforts are bettering the already doomed and bleak prospects of a planet that continues to cry-out and moan in pain, as a result of all the hurt we have imposed upon it.

[sweetana3]

I think if more people would study and/or visit India and China, they would realize that the USA is only the literal tip of the iceberg in ecological issues. The creation of American like middle classes in those countries who want what they see on the global media will reduce our planet to crumbs and dust eventually, perhaps sooner than we would like. I believe water will be the gold in the future. This does not take an advanced degree to understand. Study the purchases of China that now circle the globe.

If it is not the usage of resources, it will be the spreading wars of mainly uneducated populations who are trying to survive or gather their own resources.

Tell me how my buying a Prius or even growing all my own food will have an impact on these mass global issues. Sometimes these thoughts are such downers. I am glad I did not have any kids (to add to the population).

ps: I have been to both India and China. Thailand is its own lesson in the misuse of ecology.

[Yossarian]

Tell me how my buying a Prius or even growing all my own food will have an impact on these mass global issues.

Emotionally I lean toward trying to do my part to conserve, but intellectually I believe it doesn't really matter- if I don't use it now eventually someone else will.

[razz]

Philosophically, I believe very fervently in mindful living. I am grateful for all I get to see, hear, enjoy, assist, nurture, create and supply. I strive to do this with the minimal impact. While I do shake my head sometimes at the abuse, excessive use or greed of others, I am not responsible for their choices, only mine. That is what governs my decision.

[artist]

We too are driven by environmental factors. We don't own a television set. Own two computers (Dh's desktop and one netbook that I use). We ride bikes to the library, restaurants, gym and grocery store when weather permits. We have no land line and one basic cell phone each. We own only the clothing we actually need and use regularly, we have shoes for weather/activites but they are worn all the time. Make meals from scratch, grown and dry herbs, shop at the farmers market downtown and do repairs until they can't be repaired. Then see if we can go without before replacing an item. We also shop local small businesses rather than box stores.

[ctg492]

I have gone from the extreme of make choices strickly because I thought I could save the world. I would hop on my soap box(homemade of course) and preach the dangers of this that and everything else. Then one day through a sad event with a loved one I realized I could not save anyone let alone the world, well DAH there was an eye opener for me :|( Now I am more relaxed about my choices, knowing that I make the best choice I can with the info I have. I am not going to change my hubby on his choices and since he is the other half of the house, I just do the best I can. I call myself an eco dreamer.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Clearly some people change the world (yes think Ghandi) so it's not really that an individual can't change it, but it takes a certain type to even become an activist etc., and most people are not that type. I think perhaps that like aquiring great riches it probably also takes a certain amount of luck (right place at the right time etc.), and that's assuming the world is still changable, which is afterall of course taking the optimistic position, I don't know.