disproportionate footprints

"To consume also carries the implication of waste, of destruction..."

This quote taken from Chapter 4 of Saving Place is a realization that we must all come to. Consumption is viewed as economical success but, in the realm of ecology, it can be a failure of epic proportions.

Everyday I consume food, naturally. But that food comes from a grocery store and was sent there from far away by a plane or semi-truck. That food is packaged in various materials, some of which make it to a recycle bin and some of which don't.

Everyday I use paper, I take notes which I could otherwise type on a computer. Except if I did type on a computer, I would need a lot of electricity to power my laptop because the battery can barely hold a charge.

Everyday I make enough phone calls or send enough text messages that I need to recharge my phone every night. More electricity.

I live in a fully-carpeted, heated two-story apartment. My roommates both have space heaters. More electricity.

My roommate is not comfortable unless the house is heated to 67 degrees. Besides being expensive, that seems wasteful. Indigenous people were a lot colder than that and survived and we can too.

Our culture is, if not materialistic, definitely centered around being comfortable. Maybe we want to be more than comfortable even; our culture seems to be looking for a cushy and easy life. We can be lazy and are definitely wasteful because caring takes that extra effort that few are willing to give.

Since reading the bell hooks piece, I have been seriously considering growing a vegetable garden. I think that is going to be my summer/lifetime resolution. It just seems so healthy, cost-effective, and it completely cuts out the middlemen - the grocery story, the packaging company, the semi-trucks, the garbage trucks, etc.