Well, we all have, or many of us, even many of us who try to live in a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly way.
I've just finished reading the book Confessions of an Eco-Sinner: Tracking Down the Sources of My Stuff by Fred Pearce (Toronto: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2008). In it, Pearce traces his "stuff" -- from the food he eats to the clothes he wears, to the things he possesses. He tracks down the prawns in his curry, the cotton in his clothing, the coffee he drinks, the beans he eats, and he lays out the consequences and effects of the commerce of all of these items (and more).
Much of this is stuff I've either read before, or seen on television (the section on cotton I'd seen in a report on French television, though I'm wondering if it's Pearce who was involved in that one -- I seem to recall a British connection). Some of it (particularly the eye-opening section on prawn fishing) was new to me. All of it is written in an easy, affable style that is easy to follow and read.
What Pearce does do, successfully I think, is point out some of our misconceptions -- about fair trade (better than no fair trade, but essentially only fair enough to slow down the inevitable decline and not stop it); about eating local (some of those small farmers in faraway places actually grow vegetables in a reasonably sustainable fashion, and the carbon footprint of imported beans, say, can actually be smaller than buying local beans grown in a greenhouse, something I've often wondered about); about how successful recycling really is (all too often, not very).
Pearce doens't offer solutions per se to many of the problems he outlines, though he does offer up food for thought and, in some cases, he recounts what decisions he's made as a result of his research. Pearce encourages us to think about our personal footprints -- our social and ecological footprints. He challenges us to think about where our own stuff comes from, and how the decisions we make can have huge impacts on the lives of other citizens of this planet.
By the by, I borrowed this book from the library. Now, there's a trade-off that serves as a perfect example of the kind of thinking that Pearce's book encourages us to undertake. By borrowing the book, I reduce the number of trees that are cut down to make the paper it's printed on. It's one less book for me to have to dispose of if I need to clear space on my shelves (not likely -- I only buy books that I really, really, really want to use or read over and over again).
But Pearce gets a smaller royalty cheque as a result, possibly having some impact on his livlihood. I'd like to think he won't hold it against me. But I encourage you to read his book (whether you borrow or buy it -- and if you buy it, maybe pass it on to someone after your finished).
Recent Comments