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The
Global Cookie Jar
by
Chuck Hall
 I
grew up on a farm in rural Upstate South Carolina in the late 1960s.
I remember the chores around the farm, but more importantly I
remember the connection with nature I developed from living in the
country. I’ve watched my children grow up in a suburban existence
and sometimes I wonder what they may have missed out on. When I was
a child I played in the woods. Nowadays it takes an act of Congress
to get the kids away from the Playstation. What would it take to
reconnect the latest generation with nature?
Growing
up as I did, I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in
sustainable living. When you live on a farm it is a necessary way of
life. You learn to take care of the land. Water conservation is a
habit because you don’t want the well to run dry. Energy
conservation is a habit because you don’t want any surprises on
the power bill. You don’t throw anything away if there is a
possibility of fixing it. In short, you learn to be conservative
with resources.
Somewhere
in the 1970s sustainable living came to be seen as the realm of
‘hippies,’ but I don't see taking care of the environment as the
exclusive domain of people with a more liberal leaning. I know that
such a lifestyle is often seen that way in America, but I think
that's unfortunate. Ultimately, sustainability is about conserving
resources. When you conserve resources, you save money while making
sure there’s something left for future generations. What could be
more conservative than that?
I'm
sure you’ve heard the adage that 'if you give a man a fish he eats
for a day, but if you teach a man to fish he'll eat for a lifetime.'
Well, that's where we are right now as not only a nation, but as a
global community as well. It’s simple, really. If we keep eating
all the cookies without putting anything back into the cookie jar,
eventually we’re going to run out of cookies.
If
we are to survive on the Earth, we will have to start putting the
cookies back. I think we have to learn not to define ourselves by
how much stuff we own or by how many resources we consume. I have a
lot more ‘stuff’ now than I had back in my days on the farm, but
it hasn’t made me any happier. In fact, when I think of happy
memories, they all revolve around that farmhouse in rural Abbeville
County. I can’t speak for everyone, but personally the things that
make me happy aren’t ‘things.’ Hiking in the woods with the
kids is a lot more fun than sitting in front of the tv all day.
Picking fresh vegetables from the backyard garden is a lot more fun
than standing in line at the supermarket.
Perhaps
we could learn to define ourselves by what sort of people we are
instead of by how much we own. I for one want to be the sort of
person who isn't robbing my children of a future. I think the best
way to do that is to learn to replace what we've taken from the
Earth so there will be something for future generations. That's what
sustainability is all about.
Chuck
Hall is a Sustainability Consultant and author. His latest book, Green
Circles: A Sustainable Journey from the Cradle to the Grave, is
now available at Booklocker.com.
You may contact Chuck by email at: chuck@cultureartist.org or visit
the Culture Artist Web site at www.cultureartist.org.
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