My mother washed aluminum foil and plastic bags. She recycled clothes, bicycles, paint rollers, broken jewelry and anecdotes about being thrifty. As a woman who washed some of that foil; in my own house, I had disposable everything. If I had leftovers loitering, I used to throw those out too, containers included.
Mother, grandmother and great-grandmother were glad when it was winter in Michigan and leftovers could go on the back porch, or they knew exactly how much of the meal they were preparing to make. There was little waste, there was just enough.
I witnessed all these economies of scale, but having a bigger income than my ancestors changed those good practices learned from their households. Millions of people abandoned the sensible policies of previous generations, understandably happy to be rich enough not to have to wash aluminum foil.
The luxury of enough has expanded, but individuals, acting together and redefining “enough” can contribute to preserving our beautiful Michigan, and her Great Lakes. Tiny steps can lead to bigger strides and then to huge leaps, in company with like-minded Michiganians.
Grocery Bags and Water Bottles
Carry your own grocery bags to and from the store, and refill water bottles. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, but every successful effort adds to sustainability. I can send you a PowerPoint presentation of plastic mountains washed up on shorelines around our earth, if you are in doubt about plastic’s impact on the world.
Reuse Washable Containers
We have a couple of dish covers from prehistory that look like shower caps. My fastidious side got twitchy about the plastics involved, but these don’t touch the food, so I started using them again. Beats throwing away all those disposable plastic tubs that are tantalizingly convenient, as expensive as healthcare reform, and end up in landfills. Warning: if you reuse commercial containers, you need to remember what’s in them. My sister’s homemade macaroni and cheese was in the refrigerator for weeks before I figured out it wasn’t butter.
Plan Driving
Organize trips in the car: save errands that aren’t urgent to travel the least amount of miles. My personal guideline is to have at least two stops to make before I get in the car. Walk to destinations reachable by foot or bicycle. I used to drive to the park every day to walk because I preferred the scenery. Now I walk on our county path across the road. A trip to the park then is a luxury to enjoy exponentially.
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Create Other Environmentalists
If you are mindful of your ecology footprint, help neighbors to do better. There are laws in Michigan about littering, dumping and other environmentally bad behavior. It gets easier to gently remind others when you are doing your best, too. Get Involved
Plan actions from the chair you’re sitting in now. Start with tiny steps like turning off the water when you’re brushing your teeth or doing dishes. Think weekly about what small changes you can make in your lifestyle to help nurture Michigan and our Lakes.
Take a big step: get involved with your local watershed council, propose a fundraising recycling program if your community does not have one. Buy locally grown and produced foods. Cut back on buying plastic that you will throw away. Support products that are sustainable, environmentally friendly and honest. Watch what you buy, and eliminate the metal, plastic, petroleum byproduct as you’re able.
These are small, but critical measures. You can make giant strides by downsizing your house footprint when possible, living closer to where you work and conduct commerce, and by thinking about what the luxury of enough means in an economy that has been devastated by the recession we’re wading through. We cannot continue to support the consumerism that has changed our watershed, polluted our streams and rivers, and is modifying our Great Lakes to the point that we may not be able to reverse some permanent destruction.
When you’re ready, take earth-changing action. When you do consume, buy from companies that are reaching toward a sustainable future by making their products in a “cradle to cradle” way, rather than a “cradle to grave” way. Corporations that are heroically working to create manufacturing processes that damage the environment less than their counterparts exist and more are adapting earth-friendly processes. Do some research, and support those companies. If you have the means to buy stock, invest in “cradle to cradle” technologies. We have green companies in Michigan that are to be applauded and supported in growth.
Reward your environmental consciousness by admiring the waterways, fields and nature of Michigan that you have helped sustain. Your contribution to our magnificent State is the penultimate luxury of enough!
Linda Robinson is an author/artist/virtual creative assistant, living lifelong in Michigan. Her work can be viewed at www.58moon.com, and her novel Chantepleure is available at www.lulu.com. |
