Purpose Articles Books Websites -NEWSLETTER- Subscribe		May 22, 2005 www.SustainableWays.com Newsletter #24 In This Issue: -A New Phase -What I've Learned ::A NEW PHASE:: Some of you might’ve noticed that I’ve skipped an issue or two lately…Not only was I incredibly busy (working towards finishing up a degree in Environmental Science), but I also began to sense that my direction in life was changing. I started SustainableWays.com two years ago, during a break from college, when I was deeply troubled by the things I was seeing and the path I was heading down. I wanted to stop and think before it was too late; before the momentum of my life was so strong that I felt like a prisoner of my own choices. And so that’s what I’ve been doing. Thinking. I went back to school, but this time with my attention focused inward, on the questions I wanted answered before I could move on. Questions like: Why does it seem that no matter what I do for the environment, nothing seems to change? And why do I feel like I’m the only person in the world who seems to notice that something’s not right? Each question led to another, and then another, and I often ended up going around in circles, each time getting closer to understanding what the hell is going on these days, and why I’m not okay with it. Some of you invited me to take a more active role in applying my thoughts, and perhaps you noticed that I respectfully declined. Don’t take it personally. After many years of acting without much thinking, I wanted to think without much acting. I knew that if I started doing one thing, I’d want to do everything, and without a clear mission in mind, I’d get lost and eventually, burnt out. It happened before; I didn’t want it to happen again. So here I am now, nearly 4 years later. Not much has changed on the outside. But at some point over the past few months, something in me clicked into place, and I knew I was ready to move onto the next phase in my life. Do I know exactly what that is? No. But I do know that I’ve learned a lot over the past few years, and that I’m confident enough to become a more active agent of change without losing myself in the process. Unfortunately, this new phase in my life doesn’t leave much room for sitting in front of a computer screen (or at any kind of desk, for that matter). Writing has always been a catalyst for learning for me, but now I’m yearning for a hands-on education. I want to apply everything I’ve learned about ecology and sustainability; more importantly, I want to have my hand in creating places where people aren’t pitted against the environment on which they depend. So what does that mean for SustainableWays.com? It means I’m taking an indefinite break from the newsletter. It means that the time I normally spent articulating my thoughts with my fingers on a keyboard will hopefully be spent with my hands in the dirt somewhere. And probably, after a few years in the “real” world, I’ll hole myself up again and return to this website…Or start a new one…Or (gasp) write a book. Until then, I’m archiving all my past newsletters so that anyone who wants to read them can. ::WHAT I’VE LEARNED:: Here’s a basic overview of what I’ve learned over the past 4 years. Some of these things might connect with you, reflecting an understanding that you’ve already digested but just hadn’t articulated yet. And some of these things might make you shake your head and mutter, “no, no, NO!” But hey, take it or leave it; I’m not trying to ram this information down anybody’s throat (or pass any laws based on these understandings, FYI). If you find it useful, cool; if not, feel free to move on…I won’t take it personally =) The simplest way of articulating the emotion at the basis of most all of my environmental musings is this: I want to take care of what takes care of me. It’s a good principle to live by in general. It seems like common sense, but most people don’t follow this line of thinking even with their own bodies, nevermind the environment. There’s this delusional idea that we can do whatever we want to any living system and always get away with it. And that often means ignoring long-term effects, and subtle symptoms of distress, until it’s too late. I believe that in order to live sustainably, an individual has a responsibility to be sensitive to feedback, and to never take the resiliency of living systems for granted. That includes the human body, which is an ecosystem unto itself—the most crucial one for our survival. In other words, YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. For me, that means staying healthy. That means not smoking, not drinking alcohol, and avoiding anything that jeopardizes my body’s ability to function properly. I really want to change things, and I want to keep as many of my lung cells and brain cells working towards that end as I can. I’ve also realized that the way we humans relate to each other has a profound influence on the way we relate to the non-human world. If all people see, from the day they are born, is that society is organized like a pyramid—with a small, privileged elite at the top and the working masses at the bottom—they’re bound to think “Well, that’s just the way the world is. One level uses and abuses the next, which in turn uses and abuses the next, and so on. It’s the natural order of things.” And at the bottom of this perceived hierarchy just so happens to be the natural world. On the other hand, a person whose daily, interpersonal experiences reflect the idea that all relationships are a two-way street, will carry this attitude of give-and-take (rather than just take, take, take) with them and apply it to their interactions with the environment. In world that is becoming more centralized, stratified, and specialized by the minute, communities that treat their members as stakeholders rather than cogs in a machine are increasingly rare. People who work together as equals are more likely to be invested in the success of the group, and to make responsible, sensible, and sustainable decisions. My favorite example of this is that of the Netherlands, as described by Jared Diamond in Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Since the Netherlands are well below sea level, all Dutch people, rich or poor, have a common interest in maintaining the flood gates that keep their country from going underwater. This shared concern translates into some of the most successful environmental policies in the modern world. Generally, as long as the people with the most power to change the world are insulated (by their power) from the negative consequences of their lifestyle, things will never change. So rather than become another cog in a machine, I want to bring as many aspects of my life as I can into the sphere of small, voluntary associations that work. That means getting to know people who share my values (and not just with regard to the environment), and who I can interact with on a complementary, mutually beneficial and synergistic basis. Finally, I’ve come to understand that nothing’s ever going to change if people don’t start seeing things differently. As summarized by Daniel Quinn’s wise gorilla friend, Ishmael: “As long as the people of your culture are convinced that the world belongs to them and that their divinely-appointed destiny is to conquer and rule it, then they are of course going to go on acting the way they’ve been acting for the past ten thousand years. They’re going to go on treating the world as if it were a piece of human property and they’re going to go on conquering it as if it were an adversary. You can’t change these things with laws. You must change people’s minds. And you can’t just root out a harmful complex of ideas and leave a void behind; you have to give people something that is as meaningful as what they’ve lost—something that makes better sense than the old horror of Man Supreme, wiping out everything on this planet that doesn’t serve his needs directly or indirectly.” (p249). In other words, showing people the negative consequences of their actions (namely through scare tactics) or creating artificial consequences (with laws and punishment) is not and never will be enough. This method is fear-based and sacrifice-driven. In addition to pointing out the drawbacks of an existing lifestyle, I have a responsibility to educate people on the benefits of the alternative. And it’s not enough to TELL them; if I really want to get through to people, I must SHOW them. For this I like to use the example of Monty Roberts, the well-known “horse-whisperer,” who, by observing the community dynamics of wild horses and by maintaining an attitude of respect and humility, has been able to rehabilitate unruly horses that no one else could tame. Monty Roberts got results…Results that no one can deny, and that make people question their own approach, treating animals as unfeeling machines that must be broken and conquered and ruled. Gandhi said it best: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” For me, this means: Don’t be a poverty-stricken hippie who smells bad and eats only raw vegetables. Be a healthy, happy human being who draws fulfillment from a wide variety of balanced, mutually beneficial relationships, both with other humans and with the natural world. SHOW people the benefits of your choices, and how and why they outweigh the negatives, as tangibly as possible. Be honest and genuine; don’t be a recruiter. Your attitude should be: “Look, this is how I choose to live my life, and I love it. Let me show you why. If this is the kind of thing that floats your boat, wonderful. I’d be more than happy to try and find a way that we can do this together. If it doesn’t work for you, that’s fine, too; I wish you the best of luck in finding something that does.” Ultimately, I want to show people that living sustainably is about improving my quality of life, not sacrificing it. There’s this idea that in order to do anything honorable, you have to give up stuff you like, and you have to be selfless. I say, if you want to live sustainably, you’ve got to be selfish. You’ve got to know who you are and what you want, and be ready to give up the things you want less so that you can get things you want MORE. And you can’t do that if you don’t take the time to think about what you really want out of life, which is no easy task. Do whatever you have to do to figure it out. And then go after it. Nothing is more destructive, to people AND to the environment, than a mindless drone who doesn’t know what he wants. Or a perfectly capable person who knows what she wants, but is too scared to go after it. So, I close by saying take care of yourselves, everyone, and feel free to stay in touch by e-mail. I hope you find everything you’re looking for. Best Wishes, -Krystle This is an opt-in newsletter. If it's not working for you, or it's been sent to you in error, please reply to this e-mail and write "Unsubscribe" in the subject area to be removed from the mailing list. All content is protected by copyright law. Do not copy or redistribute without permission.