Seattle Press on Line - Living Together On Just One Planet

Living Together On Just One Planet

By Roger Faris

Oct 11, 2001 -- It's difficult to focus on issues of home maintenance, repair, and improvement when the world seems to be coming apart. My lightweight article about living lightly on the water came out just two days after the tragic events of September 11. I have to wonder what will happen between submitting these words and seeing them in my favorite newspaper late next week.

I should probably stick to dispensing advice about weather stripping windows or cleaning gutters. October can sometimes be cold and wet. Angry reader responses would be highly unlikely, even if someone should fall off a ladder while following my instructions. It's tempting, though, to stray into the realm of more important topics, such as how to maintain, repair, and improve conditions on our planet Earth.

In nearly ten years of writing mostly uncontroversial columns for this community newspaper I've had only about three letters from you readers. Two of them were positive and full of praise for my stories and ideas. The third was from someone who meant well, but allowed dedication to a cause to take precedence over standards of fairness and accuracy.

In terms of getting a rise out of readers, I've cut it pretty close a few times. On one occasion I was less than kind toward people who see water-saving toilets as a threat to The American Way of Life. In another column or two I wrote somewhat bluntly about that Mukilteo resident who works so hard to promote unhealthy transportation choices. I usually sprinkle in enough humor to diffuse serious anger. Today, it's harder to be funny, but I hope not impossible.

Now, after the long-winded introduction, today's topic: How are we to sustain life on our planet. My proposition is for us to think and act more carefully when we interact with the natural world and with each other. Bumper sticker slogans rarely provide real solutions to complex problems, but the one that urges us to "Live simply so other may simply live" has obvious merit. If we suddenly and drastically cut all sorts of consumption, the national and world economic systems would probably come crashing down. It's clear, though, that many of the Earth's resources are finite, and we could do a much better job of preserving and protecting the essential requirements for life.

Could we all take moderate, but deliberate steps toward living more lightly on the land (or water), leaving fewer footprints (or wakes) and no ugly scars (or oil spills)? Perhaps this will be the moment in history when we begin to plan ahead, show some restraint, and set a good example.

Another popular bumper sticker states that "The mind is like a parachute, it only works when open." I'm convinced that we need to listen to each other in a way that's not practiced by many people. When we argue or debate an issue we're far more likely to find the truth if we acknowledge and explore all the facts and perspectives. It's particularly hard to be civil and take time to listen and agree with good points when we're confronted with insults or aggression. In some extreme situations it may not even be appropriate to be calm and reasonable. Usually, though, the right thing to do is to remember and practice what most of our mothers taught us when we were very young: "Be nice."

I'm ready to enter this new age and do my part to save the world. My goals will be to live in a smaller space, use less fuel, and try to refrain from personal attacks on people who have spectacularly warped values (e.g. Tim Eyman). When I debate issues of the day, I'll remember to acknowledge the other fellows good points (e.g. "I agree, Tim, that our tax system could be much more fair, blah, blah, blah..."). Finally, when I backslide into the bad habits of cynicism, sarcasm, or dark humor, I'll remember to find targets that, due to incredibly thick skin, probably won't really mind (e.g. Tim Eyman).

Now a final exhortation to my fellow earthlings: "Visualize Ballard"!

Roger Faris is the director of the Phinney Neighborhood Association Well Home Program and Project Impact Earthquake Retrofit Program. He can be reached at (206) 789-4993.

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Peter Robinson	Jun 02, 2003	Surrey, UK	Receptionist / Admin assistant
BioRegional (www.bioregional.com) work on ways to reduce our planetary consumption to a one planet level - if everyone were to have a fair share of resources. It's interesting that if everyone on Earth led the same lifestyle as in the USA, we would need six planets to support us (for the UK it's three). It's a challenge to find ways to sustain the same quality of life and yet reduce our consumption to a one-planet level, but it's pretty easy to reduce our consumption substantially. Take for example energy efficient light bulbs, fuel efficient cars, and the water-saving toilets Roger Faris suggests. What's great about many of these small and deliberate steps, is that not only are they easy but they also save the consumer money - which is what many people hold as their bottom line. One argument sometimes proposed against these simple measures (and outlined in Roger's article as belonging to his opponents) is the 'altruistic economic' argument - that increasing your consumption is good for the economy, so one should spend more of their own money for the greater good. I don't believe this argument is sound, not least because a high level of consumption effectively harms the environment - and with the effects of a degrading environment (increasingly turbulent weather, rising seas, decreasing biodiversity and resources) it will be increasingly difficult to have a well-functioning economy for people to live off. The concept of sustainable development then, is the idea of maintaining a compromise between these two - so that future generations may live just as well as we do, on one planet. It would seem presumptious not to suspect that Americans would wish their descendents to be able to follow "the American way of life" (as you call it) in future.