Eco-Act 21:09: checking in as we journey

This week, with May approaching, we check in on our Union Gardens project with a mixture of gratitude and anticipation. Then, we revisit two previously discussed components of our work to live more eco-friendly lives: recycling and our food consumption. First, Union Gardens ….

As the photo at left shows, radishes and arugula, sown just a few weeks ago, are growing nicely. And look carefully center-right to spot some butterhead and romaine lettuces sprouting. It won’t be long now….

At this point, just about everything can be safely sown or transplanted into outdoor gardens. For us, this means adding tomatoes, peppers, onion sets, carrots, bok choy and beans, as well as succession-planting lettuce. Our hope is that, by the end of May and early June, we will start to have some produce to share. If you have been thinking about joining the Union Gardens project, this is a great time to get started—in your back yard or a nearby pea patch, or on your deck, porch or windowsill.

Perhaps you have noticed and been encouraged by the recent wave of good environmental news. Ford, GM and Volvo, for example, have announced timelines for going all-electric. Tesla founder Elon Mush is financing a $100 million competition for the creation of solutions that remove carbon from the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency plans to allow California to resume setting its own (rigorous) vehicle emissions standards. And last week, the Biden administration joined with other world leaders to announce a focus on a clean energy future. These and similar developments are exciting in part because of the scale on which the players operate—far beyond what any individual can achieve. And with governments and corporations signaling they will do the “heavy lifting,” we have an opportunity to fine-tune the work we continue to do as individuals.

Recycling

We all dutifully follow the rules: buy-use-recycle-done. We’re environmentally responsible consumers, right? We do our part, and then pass the baton to our municipalities so they can finish the job properly. But is this approach really working? Or are we deluding ourselves? Maybe we as consumers have some opportunities to focus our efforts for better results, for example:

• avoiding products that come in plastic containers or multi-material containers (e.g., foil-lined chip bags)

• buying foods in bulk, using our own containers

• using Ridwell to dispose of plastic films

Such actions, over time, signal manufacturers that we want their help in eliminating plastics from the environment.

Food consumption

What we eat, particularly red meat, impacts the environment: raising/feeding beef, for example, accounts for perhaps 6% of greenhouse gas emissions annually. As the world’s population grows and becomes more affluent, demand for meat will increase, leading to deforestation to free up more land for grazing and feed crop production—creating more greenhouse gas emissions. How do we help avoid this problem? We don’t need to become vegans or vegetarians; we just need to eat less meat, substituting chicken, fish and plant-based proteins for a portion of our current meat consumption.

So what can we take away from our journey to this point? Governments and major corporations appear to be stepping up to fight global warming on a scale only they are capable of—encouraging news. Furthermore, much

remains that each of us can individually contribute—more good news. And seeds + earth + water + sun still yield food to enjoy—and share. Good news indeed!

Eco-Act 022: A bit of sacrifice, with purpose, in hope

Imagine “a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts.” In this system, supplies of goods exceed demand, so tools such as planned obsolescence and advertising must be employed to create demand and sustain economic growth. What would you call this system? It’s consumerism, of course, and it’s linked to climate change. Or, as a June 2019 New Republic article title states succinctly: “Climate Change Is the Symptom. Consumer Culture Is the Disease.” And it’s a disease we need to cure if we’re serious about the health of our world.

But how can one person take on consumerism? The answer is complex—but positive, and urgent. It starts by understanding who that “one person” is in the context of economic power. According to James Dyke, writing in inews.co.uk, ”If [your household has a net annual] income of at least £30,000 [$38,700], you are one of the richest 10 percent of the global population and can row back on your consumerism. It’s those households … that are responsible for 52% of the carbon that was emitted into the atmosphere from between 1990 and 2015.”

fight consumerism

one decision at a time

So not only can we do something, we MUST do something, because we are dealing with a global economic/ecologic imbalance, and we’re on the side with influence. The “10%” described above fuels consumerism and enjoys its benefits, driving carbon emissions. The remaining 90% of the world’s population deals with varying degrees of poverty and enjoys less or none of the consumer lifestyle. To achieve quality-of-life gains, they actually need to consume more. As new Oxfam research states, climate change is associated with growing consumption among the “have’s,” not by poor populations rising out of poverty. It’s we who must act. What to do? In posts 016 and 018 we talked about the circular economy as an earth-friendly alternative to the linear “take/make/dispose” model that contributes to climate change and threatens our world. Our contribution to “circularity” includes recycling, but vital as this act is, even consistent, disciplined recycling cannot by itself compensate for the excesses of consumerism and address climate change. So we humbly offer "5 R’s” to prompt some thought about additional actions each of us might take:

1. Refuse/reduce: do I actually need that? Can I delay buying it, or buy less/fewer? Can I rent or borrow or barter for it? Can I take fewer/longer vacations instead of shorter/more frequent trips? Can I substitute a vegetarian meal for a meat-based meal once a day?

2. Reuse/repurpose/reclaim: can worn-out sheets or draperies become rags, towels or rag rugs? Can I build my deck with reclaimed lumber? Am I doing everything I can to stop wasting food? Can I walk or bike more to reduce driving?

3. Repair: can an item’s life be extended through careful repair? Do I know someone who can reweave a tattered wool blanket, for example?

4. Recycle/return: am I doing everything I can to responsibly recycle? Can I return an item, clothing or electronics, for example, to the seller or through a city program?

5. Relocate: okay, it’s a stretch, but it’s an “r,” and it’s meant to suggest relocating something I own to someone else via sharing or donating.

You get the idea. My small sacrifices joined with your small sacrifices, made with purpose, in hope, can moderate consumerism and make a difference.

A final thought: businesses, especially profitable ones, may not rush to change what works for them just to benefit the environment. We, as consumers, acting responsibly, intentionally, collectively, have to tell them to do so by what we purchase or decline to purchase. We can do this!

Eco-Act 016: Joining the Circular Economy

In past weeks, we’ve focused attention on recycling as a way we all can help protect and restore our environment. This week, we look at how recycling actually fits into a much larger picture.

Our existing economic model is often referred to as linear, characterized in this CNBC article as “take—make—dispose.” We all know this model can cause environmental damage in all three phases: destructive raw material acquisition methods … manufacturing processes that create air, land and water pollution … and the mountains of waste that we as consumers create when we dispose of our purchases as they wear out, break or no longer meet our needs. Our recycling efforts help moderate this third phase of the linear economy …. But what can we do about the “take” and “make” phases?

enjoy it

& pass it on (or not!)

We can migrate toward a different kind of economy—a circular economy—that addresses all three phases.

In a circular economy, producers of goods TAKE less: they use recycled/reclaimed/repurposed materials to the greatest extent possible. This behavior can reduce raw materials mined, milled, extracted, harvested, etc. And it can reduce deforestation, ruined landscapes and global resource depletion.

Manufacturers in a circular economy MAKE increased use of recycled materials. They make things that last longer. And—very important— they take back their products when we’re done with them (think of your smartphone). And note that returned products become raw materials in the next “make” cycle.

All of our efforts to properly recycle help in the DISPOSE component of the circular economy. But we can do more if we’re up to it. For example:

• Instead of buying a product, we can intentionally rent, lease or borrow it—and avoid the disposal problem altogether. For inspiration, check out what’s on the horizon at Philips.

• We can consciously buy from companies like Patagonia or Girlfriend Collective that use recycled/reclaimed/repurposed materials and repair their products for us when we damage them.

• We can choose companies like H&M that take their products back when they’ve served their purpose or no longer work—in other words, companies that follow a make/use/return model.

• We can buy used items, and share, sell, or donate things we no longer need.

How close are we to converting the old linear economy to a more earth-friendly circular economy? Judging from the wealth of articles and videos available online, we can be sure that the concept is wellestablished. And the links above demonstrate that the world is actually moving from theory into practice. In fact, real progress is being made in countries such as Sweden. But here’s where we come in: companies will behave the way we motivate them to through our actions. If we want less “take— make—dispose” and more earth-friendly circularity, we can be intentional, eco-conscious consumers. We have the power to move this migration along!