E.F. Schumacher, author of the 1973
classic Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered, wrote, “[A modern economist] is used to
measuring the ‘standard of living’ by the amount of annual consumption,
assuming all the time that a man who consumes more is ‘better off’ than
a man who consumes less. A Buddhist economist would consider this
approach excessively irrational: Since consumption is merely a means to
human well-being, the aim should be to obtain the maximum of well-being
with the minimum of consumption.... Modern economics, on the other hand,
considers consumption to be the sole end and purpose of all economic
activity.”
Schumacher was on to something there, and the rest of
society is just now catching up. The small housing movement, which is
featured in this issue, is a good example: Some people are realizing the
environmental, economic and social benefits to be gained from dwellings
that have a small footprint.
Unfortunately, the bigger is better notion dies hard.
Large houses, large vehicles continue, for many people, to be a measure
of prosperity and success. In fact, consumption itself remains important
to our society. Even the current climate change-driven burgeoning level
of awareness of the need for environmental stewardship seems to be based
mostly on substituting so-called green purchases for not-so-green ones,
rather than not purchasing at all.
Nor do governments seem yet to understand the
relationship between economics and eco-friendly lifestyles. Some
politicians are still using the fear of economic hardship as a reason
not to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The reality is that economic
prosperity and sustainable practices are compatible, as our “Climate
Change Economics” news roundup in this issue suggests.
Politicians only change when pushed to
do so. And there is lots of push happening these days, as citizens and
businesses take on the task of saving the Planet. An Ipsos poll shows
that the rate of recycling has increased almost ten percent in less than
a year. A recent international agreement called the Vancouver Accord
incorporates sustainability into how property values are assessed. Food
system debates have hit the floor of the supermarket with the organic
versus local discussion, which even made the cover of Time
magazine. Other mainstream consumer magazines have featured green topics
recently, including People, Sports Illustrated and Outside.
The City of San Francisco will be the first in the U.S. to prohibit
plastic bags in supermarkets and pharmacies. This Spring’s round of
consumer gardening shows featured rain barrels, backyard organic
vegetable gardens, living plant walls and native plant landscaping as
up-and-coming trends.
We’ve seen a lot of fads and fashions,
as well as serious trends over the past 30 years of publishing
Natural Life. But never have we seen so many people focused at the
same time on green living. If each of us keeps this momentum happening,
we might be able to push the corporate world and the politicians, both
left and right, to an understanding that small is, indeed, beautiful. To
borrow a phrase from the conservative 18th century British philosopher
Edmund Burke, “Nobody did a greater mistake than he who did nothing
because he could only do a little.”
Wendy Priesnitz, Editor
Read Editor Wendy Priesnitz's blog
