If I can indulge in a little bit of self-publicity, a review I wrote of a Resources for the Future book called Scarcity and Growth Revisited has been posted at the Environmental Economics blog. At the end of it, one of the things I mention is that there's a burgeoning subfield of study called "time affluence," or the way that people's well-being increases more when they have lots of time than when they have lots of money and stuff.
I mostly let lie low the consumerism side of sustainability, but that's not because it's unimportant. Rather, it's maybe even more important, but also even trickier to get a handle on since you're dealing with people's hope, fears, aspirations, and identities.
One knock against a lot of the lifestyle sustainability issues that swirl around in environmentalism is that they're elite re-creations of older ways of doing things. I think this is true, to some extent, though not always for the reasons people think. (For instance, carey, in comments below, notes that you can't use food stamps at the farmers market.) Generally, though, I think that liberal and environmental elites have been in the vanguard of sustainability, and that's reflected in what sustainability is, as it's portrayed in the media.
But that "is" isn't what has to be. Conservative Rod Dreher wrote a book about "Crunchy Conservatives" (crunchy like granola; the origin of the book is probably this column in the National Review). That's a way into sustainability for conservatives.
Alternately, for the even more traditional-minded among us, The Two Income Trap offers a sustainability-friendly paen to the single-income family (based on the reasoning that one-income families are more resilient to economic shocks and more self-reliant).
With all of this in mind, and with the recent buzz about Bike to Work Day, allow me to point everybody to Take Back Your Time Day, which is October 24 this year. If you're interested in this sort of thing, I flipped through the book list at TimeDay, and pulled out a few that are available at our library:
Graceful Simplicity (decatur; requestable)
Living the Simple Life (Segal)
The Art of Doing Nothing (Vienne)
The Overworked American (Schor)
Simple Living Guide (Luhrs)
Comments (6)
Excellent! I highly recommend taking back time. After a few years unjobbing, I can finally wear a watch all day and not look at it compulsively. When I was a full-time worker I had to stop wearing my watch in order to free my mind from it (a tiny bit).
Posted by Hakim Baker | May 21, 2007 8:01 AM
Posted on May 21, 2007 08:01
I was just looking at the Take Back Your Time site, and they have an EXCELLENT selection of posters for download. Love it!!
Posted by Hakim Baker | May 21, 2007 8:08 AM
Posted on May 21, 2007 08:08
Agree, there's more to sustainability than buying the latest green gadgets and putting up solar panels. We live a very simple lifestyle, in what is referred to as "deep poverty", but it doesn't feel bad at all. We have enough to pay all our bills and are starting to save. Consumption is over-rated. Having time to spend with friends and family is wonderful, time well spent in reinforcing the ties that bind our community together.
Posted by carey | May 27, 2007 1:35 PM
Posted on May 27, 2007 13:35
Forgot to say, I recommend the book Unjobbing by Michael Fogler if you are looking for ways to increase your time and decrease your wage-slavery.
Posted by carey | May 27, 2007 1:38 PM
Posted on May 27, 2007 13:38
If something is an "elite recreation" of a better way of doing something, that's no reason not to do it - just to address the elitism of it.
To wit:
"Ypsilanti's Downtown Farmers' Market will be open Tuesday from 2-6 p.m. in the Key Bank parking lot at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Hamilton Street.
"Purchase fresh fruit, vegetables and baked goods, and enjoy nutrition and cooking demonstrations, local music, and games.
"Vendors will accept credit cards, cash, and Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT/food stamp cards). Details: Growing Hope: 734-786-8401."
Posted by Murph | May 29, 2007 4:05 PM
Posted on May 29, 2007 16:05
After a few years unjobbing, I can finally wear a watch all day and not look at it compulsively.
Heh. I don't wear a watch, but I find that I can maintain compulsive time checking with just all of the clocks around me.
If something is an "elite recreation" of a better way of doing something, that's no reason not to do it - just to address the elitism of it.
Right. All I mean to say is that there's a way into sustainability for everybody. I'm starting to toy with the idea that sustainability means making choices matter again. I think a lot of 20th century consumersion and culture has been about "having it all," which just isn't viable anymore.
Posted by Greg C | June 4, 2007 7:33 AM
Posted on June 4, 2007 07:33