What this blog is for

I consider myself something like an environmentalist, but not a very good one. I’ve never marched on Washington or chained myself to a tree. I’m not very eloquent or convincing in arguments about environmental policy and its relation to economics or individual rights. What I have done is tried to do right by the environment—I ride public transportation, plant a garden, and avoid stepping of cryptobionic soil in national parks. Not exactly universe-altering, revolution-inspiring kind of stuff.

But to be honest, I think that’s where the real change is going to come—in the accumulation of small changes on a large scale.

My version of environmental responsibility echoes Adlai Stevenson’s definition of patriotism: he said what we need is “not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” I’m not naive enough to believe that if everyone starts using fluorescent light bulbs and flushing only for number two then we’re going to undo the global environmental chaos we’ve caused. But I’m also not naive enough to believe that some scientific advancement like electric cars or bioagriculture or nuclear fission or fusion alone is going to solve our problems. I have no doubt scientific miracles are coming that will help reverse the destructive trajectory we’re on. But that’s not going to be enough—we’re going to have to change the way we live. I can’t do much to advance solar-cell technology, but I can learn how to use less, and use more wisely, and share what I learn.

And maybe it’ll start catching on. In my neighborhood, people are crazy about Ragnar, a grueling 24-hour relay where teams of 12 people run legs of 3 to 10 miles each. I submit that this is slightly crazy - much more than living an environmentally just life is crazy. It’s difficult and time consuming and inconvenient, and there’s nobody at the finish line with a big wad of cash. But one or two people start, and they find it meaningful and fulfilling. So they talk it up to their friends and pretty soon there's a grassroots movement that eventually leads dozens of people from the neighborhood to push themselves to the limit so they can feel a sense of contribution and camaraderie. I think living a sustainable life can bring the same rewards.

I want to take the next year poking into the way my family lives and see where we can make meaningful (and sane) changes. So each week I’ll take on a project and report on whether it really makes a difference, compared with how much money and time it costs. Sometimes it will be hands-on, like building a clothesline, and sometimes it will be more like a research project, such as figuring out if it really makes a difference to ride the commuter train instead of driving to work. Each post will include the following rating system, on a scale of one to five:

= How much of an environmental difference does this make? And of course it’s all relative. My family is not going to save as much water in a year as a small farm uses in one day, nor are we ever going to save any more than a hundred-thousandth of the energy consumed just by our hometown. But this rating will be on a scale of how much good our personal consumptive choices could do.

= How much does it cost/save? Red means money lost, green means money saved.

= What’s the time investment? Again, red means time lost, green means time saved.

In all this, my wife is good enough to come along for the ride. And as you’ll see from the next post, she’s going to be shouldering a lot of the impact of these projects. Thanks for being adventurous with me, Mich.