The stories and conversations in this section prove that people can clean up noxious corporate practices. Yet despite all the inspiration they offer, these tales remain “end-of-pipeline” politics. That is, they are cleaning up the waste after it leaves the factory. A more long-term strategy is to prevent the pollution in the first place. And the best way to do that is by making polluting factories obsolete through the coordinated act of refusing to buy what they’re selling.
Planning the obsolescence of the industrial economy lies at the center of the local green economy movement. If you don’t want to campaign against field applications of sewage sludge, then buy organic food. If you don’t want to fight against the pollution of a paper mill, lower the amount of paper you use. Get the PVC out of your house—and fast.
“Live simply so that others may simply live.” That bumper sticker wisdom reveals what’s required to reduce the toxins that poison us, especially our poorest communities. The way to fulfill that goal is by cutting back on the amount of stuff in our lives and clearly distinguishing between “needs” and “wants.”
When it comes to your daily life, the three Rs of environmental sustainability are a helpful checklist for limiting your impact on the environment.
Reduce. Do you really need more clothes? A bigger car? More gadgets to put in the junk drawer? Americans are the biggest consumers on the planet, and research shows that most of what we buy ends up in the trash within just six months. The most effective way to shrink your ecological footprint is by consuming less. Just cut back on the things you buy; it will leave you with more money and more time for your loved ones. At the same time, share. Does every home on your block need its own lawn mower, or can the neighborhood make do with one, fully employed? If we can find a way to use our scarce resources collectively, we won’t need to use so much of them in the first place, and we will get to know our neighbors better.
Re-use. Before throwing something into the garbage, take a minute to think about whether you can employ it for some other use. Turn the yogurt container into improvised Tupperware. Rinse out your plastic produce bags, take them back to the grocery story, and use them again. Also, trade, barter, and swap. Surely someone somewhere wants your sweaters and books—and they probably have a novel you’ve been dying to read or a blouse you’d love to wear. Check out freecycle.org for giving things away. Hold a garage sale or donate to charity. Give your possessions a second life.
Recycle. Sorting your office paper into different recycling bins will not save the ecosystem, but it can save you money. (White paper separated from colored paper can be sold.) A sweeping ethic of recycling that looks at how to extend the cradle-to-grave life cycle of every product is not only possible, it is becoming increasingly necessary. By all means, deposit your cans, plastic bottles, and paper into the right receptacles. At the same time, think about how you can recycle your computer, the batteries you use, the parts in your car. Don’t let anything go to waste.
Let’s make it part of human culture to pay respect to nature’s gifts by not wasting them.