Last night I went to a friend’s for dinner and a movie.
However, it was not your standard eat-pizza-and-watch-Dumb-and-Dumber evenings.
My friend and her friends served a lovely array of foods, and we watched Escape from Affluenza.
Afterward, we had a discussion.
If you are reading this blog and visiting this site, you are
probably someone who cares about living a “greener” life. As a group last
night, we realized that all of us should want to do this, even if we are
extremely dissimilar people. You can choose to reduce your consumption and cut
back on your disposable lifestyle because you care about the earth, because you
want more money, because you want to spend more time in your community, because
you care about mankind, or even because you are just plain selfish! Whether you
are Republican or Democrat; Christian, Buddhist, or atheist; adult or child;
man or woman; you can have a better life if you just get out of the habit of
being thoughtless. We were a diverse group of people, and in a way, it bonded us
to watch the movie together.
I highly recommend watching this movie with your family,
your neighbors, your religious group, your friends, or whomever! Then, get
beyond the theoretical, and make a plan for how you can adjust your lifestyle,
and make it more satisfying. Allow yourself one quick laugh at the
ten-years-ago styles of the people featured in the movie; then move on.
Some thoughts our group came up with after we watched the
movie:
-If something costs you less, it probably costs someone else
more, someone who is likely already worse off than you.
-Emotional spending, wastefulness, and other common habits
are often just results of our own immaturity
-If you need something (a bike, a lawnmower, a babysitter),
and simply ask around, there will be two benefits: you may not have to spend as
much, or any money, and someone will have had the chance to help you. Moreover,
it may give those around you the courage to ask for your help in return!
-Instead of throwing things away, look for a way to reuse
them. Hold a naked lady party. Donate things to the Goodwill (and buy things
there! They are cheaper, and sometimes better quality than you would find at
Wal-Mart!). Post an ad on Craigslist. Put them on your curb with a sign. You would be AMAZED by how quickly free things can go!
Here is a link to more ideas: http://www.pbs.org/kcts/affluenza/escape/action/index.html