Living Locally
Many people have cottoned on to the idea of eating locally, and acting locally ("think globally, act locally"); now many people are beginning to consider living locally. The idea may sound strange at first. How else does one live?
"Peak oil" has been a term that's been around at least since the 1970s with the first worldwide oil crisis. People began considering the possibility that oil demand would outstrip supply. Several people have written books on the subject, some posturing that peak oil has already happened. Discovering new sources of oil is no longer occurring at often enough and of enough substance to sustain our current oil use. The world is awakening to the idea of global warming, and many people are concerned about reducing their "carbon footprint", recycling, reusing, and cycling more. Celebrities are no longer the only ones planting trees when taking airplane flights around the world. Towns and cities are beginning to refuse to use plastic carrier bags, and many families now compost and produce vegetables on small garden plots. Some people have begun to combat potential "peak oil" in a wholistic fashion, by turning their local community into an oil-independent area.
"Transition towns" have been springing up throughout the UK. They gather community support, and begin to take steps to ensure every aspect of life, from food to shelter to transport to clothing are all sourced as close to home as possible, with the benefits recycling back into the community life. Some towns have even developed their own trading currency, not based upon gold, silver, or other wealth, but a currency based on goods and services - allowing all to trade and serve the community for the greater good. Many of these are pioneering projects and we are still a few years away from seeing the cost-analysis drafts suggesting success or failure, but the early signs are quite positive.
I had discovered the transition town movement in the UK just a few months before Haringey, my London borough, had a community gathering meeting to try and become a post-oil sustainable community. The ideas are catching fast and the energy is exciting as individuals and families come together to make positive movements towards a sustainable society, promoting health and wellbeing for all. In the U.S., relocalize.net has been promoting "going local".
For the first time in nearly a year, I turned on the television to watch a re-run of a Daily Show episode. While watching, we of course had to endure the commercials. Usually I mute the commercials, but for some reason, the volume was on this time. An AT&T commercial came on, and showed a young adult male explaining how the new gadget from AT&T made it easier for him to connect with his friends in Philadelphia, Delaware, Prague, and Chicago. Although most of those cities are in the states, I immediately registered connection with his world-wide network of communities and friends. I realised in an instant that my dreams of world-traveller were no longer possible in this world. I realised that we cannot continue living in this fast-paced, the-world-is-mine mentality pretending we don't know better. We have spread ourselves thin. We "commute" from Germany to Britain, from New York to Hong Kong, from Florida to Virginia (maybe). We shop where our money is strongest and holiday where the water is warmest. Our world has shrunk as we interact daily with people whose ancestors come from all parts of the globe. In the few seconds of the AT&T commercial, I realised that my world had also shrunk, and that my connections were more and more global. I also realised in that instant that I was going to have to choose to live locally. To live close to friends and family, and settle where I could make roots in my community and live sustainably. The world cannot support 6 billion people travelling the globe on fuel-guzzling airplanes. The world cannot even support the 60 million rich folks who can now afford it. As I am one of those 60 million rich people who has access to money, resources, and opportunities, I have a choice to make - a choice which is not made in a vacuum. We must all choose against this selfish lifestyle, and decide instead to be conscious of our brothers and sisters around the globe suffering from our selfish habits and unable to participate in the "fun". I dreamt, and still dream, of travelling to exotic places like Bhutan, and learning about the culture and living there. I fear, however, that I know too much now. When I travel, I must appreciate it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, not as a once-a-week necessity.
The world is begging us to take notice. As I believe in a Creator whose dream is for wholeness and love throughout all of creation, I must take heed to be a fair steward of this land, which does not belong to me, but belongs to the Creator, and by extension of the Creator's love, to all of humankind.
"Peak oil" has been a term that's been around at least since the 1970s with the first worldwide oil crisis. People began considering the possibility that oil demand would outstrip supply. Several people have written books on the subject, some posturing that peak oil has already happened. Discovering new sources of oil is no longer occurring at often enough and of enough substance to sustain our current oil use. The world is awakening to the idea of global warming, and many people are concerned about reducing their "carbon footprint", recycling, reusing, and cycling more. Celebrities are no longer the only ones planting trees when taking airplane flights around the world. Towns and cities are beginning to refuse to use plastic carrier bags, and many families now compost and produce vegetables on small garden plots. Some people have begun to combat potential "peak oil" in a wholistic fashion, by turning their local community into an oil-independent area.
"Transition towns" have been springing up throughout the UK. They gather community support, and begin to take steps to ensure every aspect of life, from food to shelter to transport to clothing are all sourced as close to home as possible, with the benefits recycling back into the community life. Some towns have even developed their own trading currency, not based upon gold, silver, or other wealth, but a currency based on goods and services - allowing all to trade and serve the community for the greater good. Many of these are pioneering projects and we are still a few years away from seeing the cost-analysis drafts suggesting success or failure, but the early signs are quite positive.
I had discovered the transition town movement in the UK just a few months before Haringey, my London borough, had a community gathering meeting to try and become a post-oil sustainable community. The ideas are catching fast and the energy is exciting as individuals and families come together to make positive movements towards a sustainable society, promoting health and wellbeing for all. In the U.S., relocalize.net has been promoting "going local".
For the first time in nearly a year, I turned on the television to watch a re-run of a Daily Show episode. While watching, we of course had to endure the commercials. Usually I mute the commercials, but for some reason, the volume was on this time. An AT&T commercial came on, and showed a young adult male explaining how the new gadget from AT&T made it easier for him to connect with his friends in Philadelphia, Delaware, Prague, and Chicago. Although most of those cities are in the states, I immediately registered connection with his world-wide network of communities and friends. I realised in an instant that my dreams of world-traveller were no longer possible in this world. I realised that we cannot continue living in this fast-paced, the-world-is-mine mentality pretending we don't know better. We have spread ourselves thin. We "commute" from Germany to Britain, from New York to Hong Kong, from Florida to Virginia (maybe). We shop where our money is strongest and holiday where the water is warmest. Our world has shrunk as we interact daily with people whose ancestors come from all parts of the globe. In the few seconds of the AT&T commercial, I realised that my world had also shrunk, and that my connections were more and more global. I also realised in that instant that I was going to have to choose to live locally. To live close to friends and family, and settle where I could make roots in my community and live sustainably. The world cannot support 6 billion people travelling the globe on fuel-guzzling airplanes. The world cannot even support the 60 million rich folks who can now afford it. As I am one of those 60 million rich people who has access to money, resources, and opportunities, I have a choice to make - a choice which is not made in a vacuum. We must all choose against this selfish lifestyle, and decide instead to be conscious of our brothers and sisters around the globe suffering from our selfish habits and unable to participate in the "fun". I dreamt, and still dream, of travelling to exotic places like Bhutan, and learning about the culture and living there. I fear, however, that I know too much now. When I travel, I must appreciate it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, not as a once-a-week necessity.
The world is begging us to take notice. As I believe in a Creator whose dream is for wholeness and love throughout all of creation, I must take heed to be a fair steward of this land, which does not belong to me, but belongs to the Creator, and by extension of the Creator's love, to all of humankind.
posted by Sharon at 8:57 PM
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