Practical Sustainability

Let’s not go crazy and stop eating chicken wings now…

I was having a conversation with a friend recently about the merits of standard vs. automatic transmissions.  He is a fan of standard transmissions for various reasons, and I absolutely hate driving them in town.  Growing up in Oklahoma, everything was at least 30 miles away, so I didn’t mind driving a stick.  Now that I live in town, however, I want my commute to be as simple as possible, and to that end, I prefer driving an automatic.  He challenged me that if I really cared about sustainability, I’d drive a stick because they get better mileage.  This brings me to the crux of my beliefs about sustainability.

“One man’s battleground is another man’s luxury”

While nebulous and unquantifiable, I am hoping to live and promote practical sustainability.  I believe firmly that if everyone just indulges a little bit less, we will see a great difference.  The above quote from another friend of mine says it well, and points to the mental flexibility required to bridge two groups – - those who are die hard “greenies” and those who are turned off by any talk of sustainability.  The fact is, I LOVE chicken wings, which is not exactly the most sustainable food.  But I’m also trying to purchase most of the rest of my food locally (or grow it).  I love driving an automatic, which does get a little less MPG, but I also carpool with my wife to work, and we are currently living with one car (which takes some scheduling gymnastics, let me tell you).  My point is that I am committed to living a more sustainable life today than I did yesterday, with tomorrow being even more in line with my values, but I am also willing to accept some things as luxuries that I will happily enjoy.  I love beef, but have decided to eat it sparingly because I wholeheartedly disapprove of the way beef is raised/processed today.  Also, I typically choose grass fed beef when shopping for a steak - which is more in line with my values regarding sustainable farming.  To anyone reading, my desire is for everyone to enjoy their lives – - and show a little bit of restraint.  Your choices won’t look like mine, but I personally think that’s a good thing.  It keeps us thinking and challenging ourselves to do what we believe is important, not what’s easy.

jeremy.

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