A disruption in conspicuous consumption?

The Great Disruption

It's heartening to see that two of the "Most emailed" columns of the New York Times were right in line with Living Green Living Good. First, Tom Friedman's article titled "The Inflection is Near?"

What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a deep recession? What if it’s telling us that the whole growth model we created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically and that 2008 was when we hit the wall — when Mother Nature and the market both said: “No more.”

and he concludes:

In the meantime, says Gilding, take notes: “When we look back, 2008 will be a momentous year in human history. Our children and grandchildren will ask us, ‘What was it like? What were you doing when it started to fall apart? What did you think? What did you do?’ ” Often in the middle of something momentous, we can’t see its significance. But for me there is no doubt: 2008 will be the marker — the year when ‘The Great Disruption’ began.

The End of Conspicuous Consumption?

I'm sure it's not really the end of conspicuous consumption, but it's heartening to see that more people are starting to question our "more and more," "bigger and bigger" lifestyle. (See Extravagance Has Its Limits as Belt-Tightening Trickles Up.)

To many, the adjustment feels less like a temporary, emergency response than a permanent recalibration, one they view in terms of ethics rather than expediency.

“It’s kind of like we all went overboard,” said Ms. Taylor, 33. “And we’re trying to get back to where we should have been.”

Let's hope it this catches on!

An inflection of conspicuous consumption?

The Great Disruption

It's heartening to see that two of the "Most emailed" columns of the New York Times were right in line with Living Green Living Good. First, Tom Friedman's article titled "The Inflection is Near?"

What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a deep recession? What if it’s telling us that the whole growth model we created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically and that 2008 was when we hit the wall — when Mother Nature and the market both said: “No more.”

and he concludes:

In the meantime, says Gilding, take notes: “When we look back, 2008 will be a momentous year in human history. Our children and grandchildren will ask us, ‘What was it like? What were you doing when it started to fall apart? What did you think? What did you do?’ ” Often in the middle of something momentous, we can’t see its significance. But for me there is no doubt: 2008 will be the marker — the year when ‘The Great Disruption’ began.

The End of Conspicuous Consumption?

I'm sure it's not really the end of conspicuous consumption, but it's heartening to see that more people are starting to question our "more and more," "bigger and bigger" lifestyle. (See Extravagance Has Its Limits as Belt-Tightening Trickles Up.)

To many, the adjustment feels less like a temporary, emergency response than a permanent recalibration, one they view in terms of ethics rather than expediency.

“It’s kind of like we all went overboard,” said Ms. Taylor, 33. “And we’re trying to get back to where we should have been.”

Let's hope it this catches on!

An idea for Monday's Day of Service

We wanted to participate in Monday's Day of Service, but 1) we're swamped, 2) there weren't organized events that fit our interests and we didn't want to initiate one, and 3) most everything we do all year is service-related. It occurred to me, though, that one way of participating while "living green" and "living good" would be to spend some time going through our house finding things other people could use, including some winter clothes. We'll then take them to somewhere like the Rescue Mission.

Voila! Declutters our home, provides something someone else can use, and participating in this historic week!

January Meeting

There were 12 participants - not bad for a first meeting. Here are some of the ideas/questions mentioned. (With some of my comments mixed in.)
What do we mean by "sustainable"?
In terms of things we buy, what is necessary? Hasn't much of what people want become viewed as needed?
If you were brought up to be frugal (in some cases as a result of the Depression) that tends to stay with you. The worrisome flip side of that is that if your parents provided everything you wanted that might also tend to stay with you.
We used to use things until they gave out. Now technology improves so rapidly that we throw away perfectly usable items (cell phones, for example, and computers). One thing I have noticed is how much shorter appliance lives seem to be. We recently replaced a refrigerator that was barely over five years old because the cost to replace the gaskets would have been astounding and the fan sounded like it was on its way also. These repairs would have been about 75% of the cost of the new one.
Society tends to affirm those who spend - bigger houses, bigger cars, bigger TV screens, etc. How would we get society to affirm sustainable actions instead?
Some decisions seem to create conflicts. If we replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs (which use a lot less electricity and create less pollution) what do we do with the perfectly good bulbs. [My answer is that it isn't necessary to replace all the incandescents, just the ones that are used the most. Keep those bulbs to use when your other incandescents burn out - the ones in closets or in the attic or other places where the light is not frequently used.] Similar conflicts arise with old refrigerators. If you replace it with an energy efficient refrigerator (which is the smart thing to do because of the big difference in efficiency) what do you do with the old one. To many of us it seems wasteful to just throw away a functioning refrigerator. So do you keep it until it dies? Give it away? There is an economic issue, a waste issue, and, of course, an environmental issue with respect to the additional pollution created if you keep running the inefficient refrigerator. Perhaps finding the balance in these conflicts is part of the function of this group.