The global warming warnings are getting heavier by the
moment now. In response, conscientious people like Natural Life readers
(not to mention owners and staff!) are responding to the growing sense
of urgency by lightening up our respective footprints. And much of the
rest of the world’s population – with the notable exception of North
American political leaders – seems likewise engaged, if polls are to be
believed. A recent BBC poll of 22,000 people in 21 countries found that
four out of five people are ready to make serious changes to their
lifestyles to address climate change – even in the United States and
China, the world’s two biggest emitters of carbon dioxide.
In the U.S., that’s a sea change in
public opinion and it’s backed up by a study conducted by Yale
University, Gallup and the ClearVision Institute. In that poll, 62
percent of respondents said that they believe life on earth will
continue without major disruptions only if society takes immediate and
drastic action to reduce global warming.
Then why is my biggest problem not
lightening my footprint but my mood? I keep wondering if all the
sacrifice individuals are making really matter if governments and
industry don’t stop dithering. And the greenwash gets me down. The other
day a PR firm sent me a whole case full of water in plastic bottles
sourced from a spring in Fiji…accompanied by a press release telling me
how it is the first bottled water brand to go carbon negative! Then I
read about how an eight-passenger SUV won the “Green Car of the Year”
award at the Los Angeles Auto Show. California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger was quoted as drooling, “They’ve proven that they can
make beautiful cars, strong cars, keep the size, keep the safety, and
all those kinds of things, and at the same time be more fuel efficient.”
Maybe his heart is in the right place. After all, it is Hollywood. And
Hollywood, says American author, columnist and blogger Arianna
Huffington, “has gone from the capital of conspicuous consumption to the
cutting edge of conspicuous conservation.”
So I’m trying to keep my senses of humor
and perspective. One of the ways I’m trying to stay hopeful for the
future is by writing and reading. One of the writers whose books I’ll be
exploring more thoroughly this year is a Tibetan Buddhist nun named Pema
Chodron. She is a teacher at Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia,
the first Tibetan monastery for Westerners. Her books have titles that
are well suited to these times, including No Time to Lose, The Places That Scare You, When Things Fall Apart, and Start Where You Are. And what better place to begin than with a quote from the
latter title: “The best gift you can give yourself is to lighten up."
Enjoy the year and keep a
light heart to accompany your lightened footprint.
Wendy Priesnitz, Editor
Read Editor Wendy
Priesnitz's Weblog
