So it is a very very dark time in Myanmar–with tens of thousands dead from Cyclone Nargis, which made landfall on May 2nd.
Along with all the dark truth about how this is going to very negatively affect rather a lot of people in Burma, which is #132 out of 177 on the Human Development Index, especially in light of the current developing world food crisis, as well as some truth about the extent to which such a storm is a result of climate change, I think there’s a lot of puzzle pieces which point to hope:
See for instance, this list in the International Herald Tribune, with pledges of US$12 million and lots of logistical aid from 15 different nations. Here’s the really crazy thing. The population of Burma in 1900 was 10 million. Now it’s 55 million. If the disaster had taken place in 1900:
I don’t have the beginnings of an answer to any of these questions (ask someone with an appropriate Ph.D.). But I have a strong suspicion that the changes between the answers for “In 1900″ and “In 2008″ are solid grounds for a little joy and hope in the midst of heart-wrenching disaster.
Last November, we wrote about Consumer Consequences, a online game you can play which will give you an idea how your consumption levels match up with the planet’s resources. It takes about seven minutes to complete, and at the end it gives you a rating of how many earths we would need if everyone consumed at the same levels as you. In November, I was kind of bummed out to learn I was consuming 3.5 earths worth of energy, food, stuff, etc.
In the last 3 months, I’ve made a few relatively minor changes, and I’m yotta stoked to report that my consumption is now down to 2.3 earths.
If you pop over and play the game, let us know how you did. I promise no one will criticize you–if they do, I’ll just delete their comment =) (God I love that lovely all powerful blog host feeling =)
The things I worked on over the last 3 months were food and lighting and buying green. So I’ve been gradually switching to flourescent screw in light bulbs in the house. It works better for me anyway, since we’re in this ancient house with an ancient electrical system which kind of surges a little, and always makes the normal bulbs blow out really fast anyway. And I’ve been working on smaller food portions, and not driving so much, and less air travel. =) And buying just a few greener things–like greenish dish detergent and laundry detergent.
Share with us how you did, and what you have worked on, or plan to work on, to lower your consumption! And take part in the new poll on the sidebar!
Posted in Economics, Environmentalism, What can we do? | 19 Comments »First in a six part series. You can see the rest here
Posted in Economics, Environmentalism, Videos, technology | 2 Comments »Guest columnist David H. has been a newspaper editor and reporter for more than 20 years and now works for a large daily in the New York/New Jersey metro area. He also regularly attends a small Mennonite church, where there is frequently a focus on social needs and Christian-service responses.
During a Sunday School presentation I was made aware of another unintended consequence of the short-sighted US effort to produce more ethanol. It seemed like something we might want to discuss at this blog.
The United States is the world’s largest corn producer. According to an industry organization, this country produced nearly 257 million metric tons of corn in 2003. Nearly 20 percent of that crop was exported, making the US by far the world’s largest corn exporter as well (we account for nearly 65 percent of the corn exported around the world).
While 2007 is shaping up to have a larger export than 2006, the world reality is that corn prices are climbing because of weak crops in countries like China and Brazil, but especially because of US demand for corn to meet the exploding demand for ethanol. President Bush has called for the U.S. to be using 35 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2017. A lofty goal considering U.S. ethanol production in 2006 was less than 5 billion gallons.
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So recently I found this little exercise from public radio called consumer consequences. It’s a sort of a game you play where you enter various data about yourself, like how much you drive your car, how many miles per gallon it gets, how much you fly every year, how much food you eat, of which types, how much garbage you throw out every week, how much you use public transport, how much your electric bill is on average, and so forth. Then it gives you an estimate of how many earths we’d need if everyone were consuming at the same level as you.
I was kind of bummed ’cause I got rated at 3.5 planets. Yikes. But I don’t think it took certain thinks into account–like what percentage of my food comes from food sources that would otherwise be thrown in the garbage (like dumpstering or gleaning). Ah well.
If you play, why not come back here and leave a comment about how many planetus worth of consumption you are engaging in, and how you felt about it. And any ideas you have for reducing consumption. It took me about 12 minutes.
Posted in Economics, Environmentalism, What can we do? | 10 Comments »Inspired by the Summer 2007 issue of Creation Care magazine, our family has set a goal of significantly lowering our electric bill. We started with a family meeting, where we agreed that we need to reduce our use of electricity to be better stewards of our financial resources and of God’s creation. We came up with the following ideas:
1. Use the heater less - this one will be toughest for me as I am constantly cold and I find it very easy to just turn on the heater every time I go into a room, I’m working on wearing a sweater and using lap blankets more
2. Add more compact fluorescent light bulbs - about half the light bulbs in our house are still incandescent so we will purchase several more “twisties” and work toward 100% fluorescent
3. Turn off the heated dry on the dishwasher - this will require some towel drying but it will save a lot of electricity
4. Taking shorter showers - or using less water for a bath Read the rest of this news item »
In the October 2007 issue of Christianity Today, missiologist John Rowell warns North Americans about The Dread Cancer of Stinginess. Rowell critiques the “dependency school” of thought which argues that receiving outside funds is usually harmful to indigenous movements.
In my view, dependency concerns have driven the church to spend too much time and energy explaining why we should give less when we ought to have been exploring how we could give more…
I admit that dependency is a real possibility in any relationship of unequal wealth and power. Historically, one root of unhealthy dependency has grown from the Western presumption that because we are often more wealthy, we are somehow more worthy to hold positions of authority over national leaders. This presumed connection between giving and governing is a uniquely Western contribution to the degrading dynamics of dependency.
Posted in Economics | 13 Comments »
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Gratitude as an Act of Defiance
Monday, September 24th, 2007I am currently reading Brian McLaren’s new book Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope (stay tuned for a book review) and I was struck by this passage:
Catholic philosopher Josef Pieper remarks that happiness is indeed to be had from things, but only things that are contemplated or appreciated. The pursuit of more things - to the point of “gaining the world” - distracts one from contemplating what one already has, and therefore guarantees that one lacks happiness…
So in this regard, gratitude becomes an act of defiant contemplation, expressing rebellion against the thousands of advertisements a year that tell you to want what you don’t have, and not appreciate what you already have. Instead, gratitude becomes a celebration of what you do have, an exercise in contentment. It turns possession-without-appreciation into possession-with-appreciation, which produces happiness.
Posted in Economics | 12 Comments »
- Do you agree with McLaren that gratitude is a subversive act in a consumer culture?
- Do you experience primarily possession-without-appreciation or possession-with-appreciation?
- How would your life change or how has it changed as a result of practicing gratitude?
"The Commons"--two world views.
Wednesday, September 19th, 2007I recently finished Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s recent book Failing America’s Faithful: How Today’s Churches are mixing God with Politics and Losing Their Way I found it very readable, and I wanted to share a couple fascinating quotes which she shares. They touch on something my lovely Australian wife, Meg, has said to me countless times since we moved back to the U.S. in 2001. Meg has said innumerable times “People here just don’t understand the concept of the commons.”
In 1968, the British journalist David Frost interviewed my father [Robert Kennedy] and aksed him, “What do you think we are on earth for?” My father answered,
Posted in Book Reviews, Economics, Interviews, Nationalism, United States | 9 Comments »Read the rest of this news item »
The Pursuit of Happiness
Monday, August 20th, 2007“According to a global survey, three out of four of the happiest people groups in the world are not rich consumers. Using a scale where 7 marks the maximum of happiness, Forbes magazine’s richest Americans came in second (5.8), tied with the Pennsylvania Amish. Close behind them (5.7) were the Masai of East Africa, a tribe without electricity or running water who live in huts made of dung. Happiest of all - ahead of America’s richest - were the Inuits of Greenland (5.9).
All this research suggests that a climate of warm, cohesive community and its attendant values are more important than material comfort or other external factors (like climate - in view of the Inuits!) in producing happiness.
Even seeing the numbers, though, how many of us believe what they’re telling us?”
– Brian McLaren, from a preview of Everything Must Change
Posted in Economics | 6 Comments »