Well said Karl. Thanks Tony Del Plato On Sun, Jun 15, 2008 at 10:35 AM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Hi Elan, > > I strongly agree with your advocacy of personal sustainability. You > suggest, however, that policy changes are not the main way to solve the > problem: > > On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:01:44 -0400 Elan Shapiro > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > when we face vast challenges like global warming, habitat > > destruction, growing income inequities, rising fuel and food costs, > > and social fragmentation, it's easy to assume that policy changes are > > the main way to deal with the problems. It's also easy to feel > > isolated, overwhelmed, and "too-busy-to-deal-with-it-all;" unable to > > afford the more expensive aspects of green living; and trapped in a > > culture where our car, computer, and media dependencies encourage us > > to live at a frenzied, self-destructive pace. It's easy, in short, to > > feel powerless. > > I propose a different interpretation, one that includes yours, but > recognizes that we are not only "trapped in a culture" (a set of values > and beliefs) but also trapped in a political economy (and the policy > framework that sustains it) that makes significant personal change > impossible without great personal sacrifice. Individuals will make only > so much sacrifice unless policy changes reward and enforce lifestyle > changes across the whole society or at least the local community. Policy > changes are necessary to reconfigure the economy to eliminate the > dependencies you point to, on social structural elements like car > transport, suburbanism, the distance food system, and what Wendell Berry > long ago called the colonial economy. This last element of our political > economy creates inequality, then poverty, then social conflict, crime and > the prison industrial complex. > > Sufficient policy change will occur only if forced on governing elites by > mass movements. Political education creates mass movements. This is where > your personal sustainability comes in. People who are willing and able to > model at least some of the necessary changes in our lives (that the end > of cheap energy will eventually force on everyone) AND DO IT IN WAYS THAT > MAXIMIZE POLITICAL EDUCATION, can make personal sustainability serve the > ultimate goal of restructuring our economy and resource use. > > A local example is our Ithaca Farmers Market. Only a tiny fraction of the > food consumed in the Tompkins County foodshed comes through that market. > After all these years it has had little impact on the local food system. > I believe that is because we built the institution to serve limited > goals. We should have built it as part of an aggressive political > strategy to build a local mass movement. Those of us who did think of it > in political terms assumed that this food production and market model > would simply proliferate once we showed the way. How naive! As soon as > our farm was involved in the development of the market 20 years ago, > people would tell me, "We can't afford that food!" > > The point is, it is unfair and unrealistic to expect individuals to > change significantly without policy changes that enforce change on > everyone. Moreover, without structural changes in the political economy > to pave the way and make lifestyle change fair and accessible for > everyone, little will happen until the shit really begins to hit the fan, > and cause great suffering. > > My two cents, > > Karl North > Northland Sheep Dairy, Freetown, New York USA > www.geocities.com/northsheep/ > "Mother Nature never farms without animals" - Albert Howard > "Pueblo que canta no morira" - Cuban saying > ____________________________________________________________ > You'll never get over going Down Under. Click now for great Australia > travel deals! > > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3nvNiqhCLR5xeQ1SrSobbfTLfB27Ve7On5POxRiK7A01PrAJ/ > _______________________________________________ > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, > please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > -- "Justice is what love looks like in public." ~ Dr. Cornel West _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
