Is It Worth It?

If you're wondering where this question comes from, you can start by reading things like this:

http://motherjones.com/rights-stuff/2010/07/bp-cleanup-women-oil-wrestling (which shows that toxic physical environments lead to toxic community environments)

http://motherjones.com/environment/2010/07/big-oil-makes-war-earth (which discusses the environmental/community hazards of oil consumption around the world)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hnRc-COAnkwXl4pq3IR3420c9jQQD9H43N500 (about the oil spill in China-- also note that it's being cleaned up by people wearing latex gloves as their only safety gear against the oil)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch (the plastic problem in our oceans)

http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/ar4-wg1-spm.pdf (keeping in mind that this IPCC report on Climate Change is 3 years out of date and a new one should be published soon).

This is what we're learning about our modern life, our energy consumption, our material consumption, our throw-away culture of disposable products. This is a partial glimpse at the net sum of who we are, what we do, what we buy, what we use, and what we think about while doing it. The main point is that while we are creating a toxic world, we are thinking about the ease of use, the sanitation of disposable items, the convenience and comfort of our preferences. We are not thinking about the overall outcomes.

I hold that this needs to change. Yes, individual changes are not enough. Yes, legislation is not enough. Yes, corporate environmental restrictions are not enough. Yes, alternative energies are not enough. Yes, there is no one thing that will ever be enough. I hear infuriating arguments that "we are addicted to oil" which translates into "this is too big to overcome so why bother?" or "the Pacific Gyre is already clogged with plastic" (it's too late to boycott plastic now) or other calls for inaction. The world is too big and the problem is too great. What could I possibly do about it?

So where do we start? Everywhere. Any place you are interested in starting, I can guarantee you there is already a group or many groups that have started there. Join them. And in the meantime, my little piece that I am adding today is a call for a change in mindset. I call this the "Is It Worth It?" Campaign.

The steps to take:

1) Spend a day or a week thinking "Is It Worth It?" for everything you do. Every decision you make no matter how minute-- the energy of the elevator versus taking the stairs; the use of a plastic grocery bag instead of canvas; the purchase of a disposable item versus a long-lasting one; the purchase of an item versus no purchase at all; the car versus a bike or bus; local fruit versus grown across the world; etc. Everything. I mean, everything. Your entire day should be filled with the moral quandary, is this thing I am doing right now worth it, given the long-term costs to the environment, the current costs to poor populations around the world, the health costs to humans and communities? Is It Worth It?

2) Live purposefully, making decisions accordingly.

The purpose of this campaign:

The purpose is not to fill your consciousness with guilt about who you are or how you live. Guilt can bog us down with self-doubt and criticism, and it's not your fault the world is how it is (which is not to say that you should not try to make positive changes anyway). The purpose is to pay attention to how you live and the large-scale costs/benefits of people living this way. I believe that as long as we (all people) live without consideration for the rest of the world and for tomorrow that these problems will continue to get worse. We need a change in mindset about the interconnectedness of our global economy. We need to think about what we do and why. We need to opt in to our energy consumption and purchases from third world nations as opposed to joining by default.

The Is It Worth It campaign is internal. This is about you. What do you think about your life? And what will you do next? The answers will be different for everybody. But we should at least have some answers.

So schedule a day (or a week) to ask yourself repeatedly, "Is It Worth It?"