Worldsaving

ms_danson posted about an unpleasant experience with a (supposedly) environmental group's representative and their current scam. She noted in a comment that: The actual green industries are not demonstrating any self-preservation instincts at all. "You should do it because its right and not because we are marketing it right or you want it" and the "It isn't us so it isn't our problem" and in the act of hiring these assholes to represent them... leaves me with the impression that the green alternative companies are idiots.

I pointed out that most people are idiots, so it would follow that companies would follow that trend. Large corporations just suck. Really. It's inevitable. It reminded me of something that most people want to ignore, because it's not romantic or dramatic. Good, lasting change must happen slowly and individually. It's great when a company creates a product that helps an individual improve his life and the lives of those around him. But those products are rare. Very rare. It's more effective to simply change one's own personal habits. And nobody makes any money off that. In fact, the opposite usually happens.

Over the past couple years I've tried to reduce as much as possible the amount of packaging I use. I buy my milk from a local dairy that uses glass bottles. For Xmas, I'm getting a yogurt machine so I don't have to purchase yogurt anymore (and can use the milk in the glass bottles--a double whammy!). I use cloth shopping bags for all store purchases. When I buy herbs and spices from the Mercantile, I take my empty jars to refill instead of using plastic bags. I don't buy individually-wrapped anythings if I can help it. Etc., etc. You're not interested in all the details of everything I'm doing. Believe me. Yet I'm still horrified at the amount of stuff in the recycle bin every week. I'm pleased that it's a rare week when we produce more than one bag of garbage--and that includes litter-box cleanings. I'm still trying to minimize on the planet the burden that is myself (I'm sure there are people who have other, more dramatic ways to achieve this, but we'll ignore those suggestions).

But of course people are much more intrigued by things they can buy in order to do good. Because buying is easier than doing. And once money enters the equation, the assholes arrive in droves.

There's this kinda cheesy book called X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking. The book has a lot of problems. But he highlights individual change and mocks the idea that anyone can save the world. Despite Margaret Mead's overused rallying cry, there is no way to save the world. We can only save ourselves and maybe convince a few others to save themselves along with us.

Have I said this before? Hm. Probably. Okay, so go check this out. It's new. And also via ms_danson.

Twenty-four days until vacation.