Living Lightly on the Earth
I like the creature comforts of my middle class lifestyle. At the same time I believe in global equity. I’m sure that I’m using more than my fair share of the world’s resources and that the planet could not accommodate 7.8 billion people consuming as much as my neighbors and I do.
I’ve written about many climate action steps we can take — many of which won’t require much change in our lifestyles. Today I want to invite you (and me) to consider the almost certain reality that solving the climate crisis will require reduced consumption and reduced energy use by most of us in the so-called “developed” nations.
So many of us have been conditioned to believe that more is better, that it can be challenging for us to think in this area. I’m hardly an expert. Rather than trying to provide answers, I’d like to share three experiences. I hope that reflecting on these experiences can create some space for you (and me) to think about consumption, lifestyles, and our positions in the world — a world with 7.8 billion people and a climate crisis.
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First experience – Live lightly on the earth
A couple of years ago I participated in a weekend group retreat where we tried to put together a summary of the key actions that humanity needs to take to address the climate crisis equitably. We made a long list — from ending fossil fuel extraction, to mass transit, to international finance, to dismantling racism, etc. What I’ve never forgotten though, came from two of our members, one an indigenous woman and the other a man who had lived and worked with indigenous people. They said that the key to everything we were talking about is learning to “live lightly on the earth.”
I’m still thinking about what that means. I know it means lowered consumption, fewer possessions, less travel. I’m sure it will mean using the things that we have for a long time and rarely getting new things. I’ve found it a useful idea to hold in my mind. It is a concept that is important for individuals, but it also must be implemented through social and governmental policies and practices that help wean our society from our addiction to consumption and always having to have more.
Second experience – Prosperity without growth
Not long after the Green New Deal (GND) came out, I had the opportunity to hear a talk by Rhiana Gunn-Wright, the young Black policy expert who was a lead designer of the original GND proposal. She is brilliant and engaging. I got to speak with her briefly after her talk and asked her about the extent to which the GND seemed to call for a lot of economic growth and whether that was consistent with ending climate change. She immediately agreed that was an issue and said, “We’ve got to learn how to think about prosperity without growth.”
The idea that those two could be de-coupled did not fit easily into my mental structures. Growth has been the primary goal of economic policy in this country for years. What type of changes will be necessary in our economic system to keep things going without endless growth? Our current system doesn’t give most people a fair share of the economic pie. It also fails to leave people feeling secure or feeling a part of a unified society. Clearly some big changes are needed. How do we move toward an economic system that works for everyone and doesn’t destroy the planet by needing endless growth?
Third experience – Doughnut Economics
Just recently, as I was surfing the Internet trying to keep up with news about the climate crisis, I clicked on a link to something called “doughnut economics”. I listened to a TED talk by Kate Raworth, the originator of this different way of thinking about economics. It has nothing to do with sweet pastries. It gets its title from the shape of a diagram used to explain its basic premise. Here was an economist talking about growth not being the goal!
I’ll write more about this in my next post, but the basic idea is that our economies need to be designed, as Raworth writes, “to meet the needs of all within the means of the planet [emphasis added]. In other words, to ensure that no one falls short on life’s essentials (from food and housing to healthcare and political voice), while ensuring that collectively we do not overshoot our pressure on Earth’s life-supporting systems, on which we fundamentally depend.” The doughnut economic folks don’t yet have a blueprint for accomplishing this, but they do have some very promising ideas.
Meanwhile, I invite you to reflect on these three little stories. What thoughts do you have about how your lifestyle fits on a planet with finite resources and lots of other people? How do you feel about being invited to consider the need to limit our consumption, not for personal financial reasons, but because of planetary limits? Please leave a comment below.
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Photo above is a brook in western Massachusetts, USA. Photo by Russ Vernon-Jones
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I think the key about the quote: “We’ve got to learn how to think about prosperity without growth.” is the definition of prosperity. Is ‘prosperity’ living a fulfilling life? or is ‘prosperity’ accumulating things (like houses, cars, and security). Maybe I’ve traded one abstraction for another. What is a ‘fulfilling life’? I think it does take for granted the basics- enough food, safety, housing, and security- to consider ‘fulfilling’. But the fulfilling part for me is community, and peace- coming from a faith journey. I’m not talking ‘religion’ here, but maybe I am. Who am I, what fulfills me… tough questions.
all true yet I don’t have much faith that the average American is willing to consume less…and the Amazon trucks just keep on coming…
Russ, I agree with you. We need to find a way forward that fits within the means of the earth. Which means less growth. And possibly lowering our population. I feel somewhat powerless in the face of those forces. Meanwhile, I move forward by living more sustainably, using fewer resources, traveling less, buying less, growing more, producing less trash, reusing more, talking with friends and family. Etc., and I have a long way to go! That feels good and right. I don’t think it will solve climate change, so that is not where I’m putting my political energy. I’m not even sure the work I’m doing politically is the most effective way to end climate change. After reading Solomon Goldstein-Rose’s book, I’m thinking maybe I should be reaching out to connections I have with scientists/wonks in the field who may not be putting their energies to ending climate change, and see if I can influence them to join the work. Meanwhile I keep doing whatever i can locally and at the state level. I’m glad to see more and more people acknowledging the crisis, and a national government that might be taking positive steps. And I know our climate justice goals won’t be reached without a strong grass roots movement to push for it. (One caveat—I do know some people who believe that living more sustainable on a personal level is the total solution to the climate crisis, in addition to their personal spiritual growth practices that “influence the field”. I’m a little frustrated by that—maybe I don’t understand it well enough).
Hi Russ,
I listened to Kate Raworth’s TED talk with interest. Thank you for posting these questions. It’s uncomfortable to think about giving up our middle class comforts for the benefit of a livable planet. I have thought about it quite a bit over the years and have ended up feeling guilty about my consumption (which does no one any good) without being able to make much headway except for the fact that I do a lot of shopping at thrift stores.
The issues always seem too big for me to get my head around.
I hope you are staying healthy.
Take good care,
Emily
So glad to read this post! Agreed that it is a tough issue for us privileged and comfortable people in the rich nations to grapple with. Back in the ’90’s one expression of this principle was “A sustainable sufficiency for all.” I would love to hear about “doughnut economics” and talk more about what “living lightly on the earth” can look like. How we get there from here.
Oooohhhh, I want to hear more about “doughnut economics”! The idea of growth growth growth has disturbed me for a long time….looking forward to your next blog!
I will email you a song that I wrote last year that goes with your thinking today!
In a comment above, Dorothy Cresswell mentions a song she wrote about a year ago. She sent me an audio file of her singing it. It’s called “Use Less, Re-Use More”. It’s quite clever, she sings it well, and it may help us remember some key practices that can help us live lightly on the earth. It’s now available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rx-A9WtzxAbeYyJD3zpiQW0fJ_Kby21_/view?ts=6057cdae
Thank you, Russell, for starting such an important conversation. I have wrestled with the same questions and feelings – knowing I have way too much stuff, enjoying the comforts and pleasures of a consumptive lifestyle while knowing on a deep level that this is not how we are meant to live. I can only begin where I am and try to live a little more lightly day by day. I love some of the terms you put forth here – progress without growth, and meeting the needs of all within the means of the planet. I appreciate all suggestions of how to make even the smallest changes that will contribute to the greater good and the goals of such sustainability. One issue I struggle with now is dietary. I know that meat-eating contributes to environmental problems and yet I stick to a low-carb diet, heavy on meat and vegetables and cheese, because I don’t want to gain back the weight that came with starches and fruit. I probably ought to work harder on increasing vegetable consumption to replace the meat, and I do more of that than I used to, but it just feels incomplete without it. And though the pandemic has kept me much more local this past year, I am eager to get back to regular drives to see family and a 2-3 plane trips per year for vacation. I’d like to think I am willing to sacrifice, but I wonder how I would respond if faced with some sort of mandate or restriction on the things I want to have or do. Its complicated, for sure. I look forward to hearing from others.
Dear Readers,
Thank you for all these great comments. As challenging as this area can be, I’m glad we are in it together, trying to figure out a sustainable way forward. Please keep writing!
Gratefully,
Russ
I find – not things, but experiences worth collecting. Concentrating on relationships has been the up most pleasure in all this. Community building, sharing, simplifying, dialogue (2 way give’n take of info), problem solving (esp, human, plant or mechanical systems), and presence with ‘nature’ – these represent health, growth, and prosperity to me.
Let’s have a circular waste stream (recycle) instead. Join us at Zero Waste Amherst:
https://zerowasteamherst.wixsite.com/home
https://www.facebook.com/ZeroWasteAmherst/