Positive Lifestyle Elements
Posted on January 21, 2007
Filed Under Uncategorized |
I have, of late, been thinking a lot about my lifestyle, and of the lifestyle that I may be living in the next few years. I’ve been trying to think about what elements of my lifestyle are positive. Which elements are conducive to a healthy planet, a healthy city/community, and a healthy global community. I’ve come up with a brief list (which is probably too brief to ultimately effect a change, but I hope to expand the list over time) of the lifestyle choices that I believe are positive.
Man-Powered Appliances: As a general rule, I try to avoid electrical appliances when a man-powered version is available. This generally applies only to small appliances. I’m not going to pedal a bike all day to keep my fridge running, for example. I’m taking about little things like coffee makers (I use a French press instead of an electric percolator. It uses no electricity, and it makes better coffee), and can-openers (though, with a lefty in the house, this may change for her convenience and comfort). These are small things, but if everyone followed suit, it would do at least a small part to reduce the amount of electricity we use and, in turn, reduce greenhouse gases.
Fair Trade Coffee: I like a good cup of Joe as much as the next person. What I don’t like, however, is knowing that my morning fix is coming from the hands of beaten and abused wage-slaves in South America. I prefer to drink the blackness with a clear conscience. Toward this end, I have decided to start purchasing fair trade coffee whenever I can. It tends to cost a bit more, but I think it’s worth it. Additionally, if enough people demand fair trade coffee, the supply will increase to meet that demand, and the price will drop accordingly. It’s another simple thing we can do to create a better world. I’m thinking of trying Kicking Horse Coffee; they have a wide variety of blends, and they’re a Canadian company.
Fuel Efficient Vehicles: I drive a car from the 1980s. It is not the most fuel efficient machine on the planet. Still, compared to the off-road monsters that are becoming increasingly popular (despite the fact that most of them never actually go off-road), I’m doing good. And, I plan to continue doing good in the future. When I can afford to buy a newer vehicle, fuel efficiency will be one of my top concerns while I’m shopping. Even if you ignore the fact that better fuel efficiency is better for the environment, you have to admit that it’s better for the pocket book. That’s something we can all appreciate.
Central Living: I am a strong believer that people should try to live in communities that are as walkable as possible. I also believe that we should be working on in-fill development, rather than continually expanding outward into the boonies. I would much rather live in a 1940s bungalow in the city’s centre than in a 2007 McMansion[1] in Ellerslie or Terwilliger. Compared to the new suburbs, homes in older, more central communities tend to be closer to amenities, and are often within walking distance of the nearest grocery and/or drug stores. As long as people actually make the effort to walk, instead of driving the three blocks to the grocery store, this makes a big difference in the quality of life in a community. I’m not saying don’t drive when you know you’re getting 25 bags worth of groceries. But if you’re just going to pick up a carton of milk, use your feet instead of your auto.
Buying Locally: I like to buy local products, when I can. This isn’t always easy, as we live in a global community. In fact, it isn’t always sensible. If I can get a better product imported from China than I can from Edmonton, I will likely buy the Chinese version. I don’t buy local for the sake of buying local but, if the quality is there, I like to support the local economy. Especially when it comes to things such as produce, I try to buy locally. I like to buy vegetables from the local Farmers’ Markets[2]. In addition to supporting local growers (and, thus, the local economy), buying local produce is better for the environment. When you consider the amount fuel alone that is required to transport food grown in California, for example, up to Edmonton, buying local is the greener choice. There a lot of other factors beyond the fuel that add together to make the carbon footprint for a non-local vegetable become a lot larger than you’d except. Simply put, buying locally grown food is more environmentally friendly.
These are just a few of the things I do that I think are positive lifestyle elements. I plan to try and add more to this list as time goes on. What are elements of your lifestyle that have a positive impact on the community, either locally or globally?
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[1] Credit for this term goes to Douglas Coupland.
[2] Downtown’s City Market, and the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market are the two I attend most often.
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2 Responses to “Positive Lifestyle Elements”
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I watched David Suzuki when he came to GMAC City Centre almost two years ago now. What you’re talking about in this entry in exactly what he’s encouraging with his “David Suzuki Challenge.” To find out more about it the link is:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/
I haven’t started it yet myself, but I plan to when I can.
Spencer
Wow, apparently I’m following a lot of those steps, at least to a certain degree. I’ve actually wanted to do the one meatless meal a week thing for a long time, but for some reason never got around to it. I heard him talk about that on TV quite a long time ago, and it sounded like an incredibly simple way to make a surprisingly large impact. Plus, it’s better for your health.