A change in thinking is in order

My uncle was “green†before the term was invented. Moving to Vermont in the early 1960s, he settled into an old farmhouse that was simple and utilitarian. He kept farm animals and had a garden. The kitchen was heated with a wood-burning stove. His mission was minimalism, which in this day and age translates to being ecologically conscious.

Visits to my uncle always included household chores. He found the presence of guests an excellent time to get at the labor-intensive items, such as washing windows. But no paper towels and Windex for Uncle Brian; he used old newspapers and a solution of vinegar and water.

Dinner pretty much came from the garden, the roast chicken probably a hen that had ceased laying. Breakfast was eggs, which we loved going to the barn to collect. Bacon, which came from the pigs he raised and slaughtered, was set out on grocery store brown paper bags to absorb the grease; and of course, he composted or fed the vegetable scraps to the chickens. Paper trash was tossed in the wood-burning stove. Beer bottles were recycled, even then.

Items didn’t get replaced because they were old. They were refurbished or repaired. Uncle Brian still lives in that farmhouse. He even owns and uses both a computer and a cell phone, but he still lives very much the same way. It’s not so much that he’s in step with the times, but more that slowly, very slowly, society is beginning to take a step back in time and relearn old truths.

Of course, there is a dichotomy and it will continue to exist for a long time. On a global level, as developing nations reach for the modern conveniences much of the world has long enjoyed, some of us in that world are beginning to scale back our excesses. Nationally, many groups that champion the environment are shining a spotlight on our uber-consumerism and rampant wastefulness. There’s “green†this and “slow†that. There’s a quieting down of the “gimme, gimme†entitled world of the last 25 years or so.  

A few years ago, there was a seemingly sudden interest in home gardens and raising chickens. This trend has now coincided with a huge financial crisis. Families who took a lot of their lifestyle for granted suddenly have to reconsider how to spend fewer dollars. And while the slow-food movement has been around for a while, our changing times have more people appreciating the multiple benefits. Grow your own food or buy locally, spend less, feel better, help the environment. Who would want to argue with that?

Well, big business for one, and unfortunately, a lot of people who still put convenience over conservation. Remember thermoses and lunchboxes? Workers who knew they would be on the road or out in the field all day would fill up the thermos with coffee and the lunch pail with real food to get them through the day. How many people leave for work, knowing that they will stop at the mini-mart to pick up a cup of coffee on their way in, where more likely than not, there is also a coffee pot in the lunchroom?

The mini-mart is the perfect emblem for our “can’t wait†society. Rows and rows of refrigerated soft drinks, shelves of plastic-encased food products; it’s all individualized convenience. Not a single item in these stores is a product that is fresh or doesn’t require packaging. Here, you can poison yourself and the environment at the same time! (Occasionally you’ll find a place with bananas at the counter, but that’s as close as you’ll get to finding something without packaging.)

Some coffee shops reward patrons who bring their own travel mugs. My friend Joe, who owns a coffee shop, charges his customers up to 25 cents less, depending on the volume, for their coffee. He also serves coffee in ceramic mugs for his customers who stay in-house. The other environmentally conscious choice he makes is to serve the to-go coffee in cups that are fully recyclable and bio-degradable, so they can be composted. I hold on to mine, rinse them out and reuse them four or five times before they go to my compost.

They are other efforts happening that are proactive attempts to respond to our times. Major cities are allowing residents to compost their trash and to raise chickens, neighborhoods have turned vacant lots into community gardens, New York City is lifting a ban against keeping bees. Every little bit helps, not only physically but because it contributes to a change of attitude and thinking. These things can happen in a city, and they should be a de facto way of life for all of us living in the country as well.

Tara Kelly, copy editor at The Lakeville Journal, is an avid follower of social trends. She may be reached by e-mail at tarak@lakevillejournal.com.