Be lazy! Buy nothing! Do less!
Posted on | July 27, 2009 | 1 Comment
While it’s not exactly a winning strategy if we are going to get our depressed consumer economy at least partly back on track, I have to say I agree in principle with this article by Matt McDermott on Planet Green. Simply put, the consumer economy is, itself, largely to blame for many of the problems facing our environment. Consumption of electricity via coal and fuel, like oil and gasoline, causes pollution; consumption of plastics and other non-natural materials creates toxins and also causes pollution; consumption of unhealthy foods causes obesity and creates a drain on our resources, and so forth. So when Matt says in his article to “be lazy, buy nothing, and do less”, the point is, the less you consume, the better. And I wouldn’t recommend being lazy, necessarily, but there are very few activities that don’t involve contributing to consumption.
One that I can think of that might not be so bad is hopping on your bike and riding to a movie theater to see a film. You aren’t wasting any fuel or creating carbon emissions! (Although if it’s a Michael Bay film, let’s be honest, the environmental damage is probably already done.) In any case, treat yourself to some popcorn for burning those calories on your bike ride there. Maybe you’ll even see Food, Inc. and you’ll learn about corn, and the problem of ethanol (I haven’t seen the movie yet, do they talk about that?)… oh well, you get my point.
In conclusion, maybe the next time you think, “I need a nap”, you should just go ahead and nap, and you can feel good about it, because think about how you are NOT contributing more greenhouse gases to global warming! Score. 
Tags: carbon > food > globalwarming > goods > health > materials > money > saving
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August 11th, 2009 @ 3:38 pm
Hello, thanks for the post. I could not agree more in that a pentultimate way to serve our surrounding environment best is to consume less. It is truly that simple. In a waste-producing and materialistic society we have a choice every day to consume and buy something. Each purchase is a choice and a personal stamp of approval of yours on the way that product was made, will be used, and will be disposed of. Before you buy, ask yourself “Do I really need this?”
Matt