100 Million Solutions
I'm new to this forum. I watched "What Would Jesus Buy" this past summer and it fit right in with a lot of the thoughts churning around in my mind already - thoughts produced by reading magazines like "Adbusters" and "Geez", and books like _Being Consumed_ and _Buying In_. I hosted a screening of "WWJB" at our church in November and have continued to circulate the movie among friends. Now I'm trying to find a new way of living, more than just reading, watching and talk.
But speaking of reading, I recently finished the book _X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking_, by Jeff Gordinier. Great book all around, but I was especially struck by a line from Cameron Sinclair, the founder of Architecture for Humanity. Gordiner says that Sinclair believes in the "small-batch microbrew approach to doing good", and Sinclair is quoted as saying,
"What you need is not one solution, but a hundred million solutions."
Amen.
So I want to hear other people's solutions. Not grand plans, necessarily, because most of us in the real world are not grand people. Just give me baby steps. "Experiments in truth", as Geez calls them. I'm a slightly off-kilter homeschooling mother of 5 living the middle of America. I know that the issues and options vary according to our circumstances. But here are a few of my baby steps, so far:
- I've been composting for about a year, though I've yet to plant a garden (fingers crossed for this spring)
- For the past year and a half I've been purchasing almost all of our clothing second-hand, to diminish my involvemnt in the sweat shop economy
- We radically reduced our Christmas spending this year, and even gave our children some hand-me-down gifts
- My husband researched his 401K to make sure that we weren't enmeshed with the World Bank, after I learned about it's disastrous policies
As I said, just baby steps. I have a few more things I'm working on, both independently and through the community of friends in my church. As I said, I'm just one small person, trying to raise my children to live joyfully and responsibly. I want to learn from the rest of you. I want to hear what others are doing, how your lives are changing. In the churches I grew up in, that is what's called a testimony service. So come on, brothers and sisters! Testify!
But speaking of reading, I recently finished the book _X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking_, by Jeff Gordinier. Great book all around, but I was especially struck by a line from Cameron Sinclair, the founder of Architecture for Humanity. Gordiner says that Sinclair believes in the "small-batch microbrew approach to doing good", and Sinclair is quoted as saying,
"What you need is not one solution, but a hundred million solutions."
Amen.
So I want to hear other people's solutions. Not grand plans, necessarily, because most of us in the real world are not grand people. Just give me baby steps. "Experiments in truth", as Geez calls them. I'm a slightly off-kilter homeschooling mother of 5 living the middle of America. I know that the issues and options vary according to our circumstances. But here are a few of my baby steps, so far:
- I've been composting for about a year, though I've yet to plant a garden (fingers crossed for this spring)
- For the past year and a half I've been purchasing almost all of our clothing second-hand, to diminish my involvemnt in the sweat shop economy
- We radically reduced our Christmas spending this year, and even gave our children some hand-me-down gifts
- My husband researched his 401K to make sure that we weren't enmeshed with the World Bank, after I learned about it's disastrous policies
As I said, just baby steps. I have a few more things I'm working on, both independently and through the community of friends in my church. As I said, I'm just one small person, trying to raise my children to live joyfully and responsibly. I want to learn from the rest of you. I want to hear what others are doing, how your lives are changing. In the churches I grew up in, that is what's called a testimony service. So come on, brothers and sisters! Testify!
... as to the small stuff
I try to keep it simple.
BUY LESS
BUY LOCAL
SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES
KEEP MONEY IN THE LOCAL ECONOMY
I have a small plot in the community garden, which is close to our local farmer's market on Saturdays. I shop at thrift stores a lot. I borrow tools that I would only need once. I don't own a car and use public transportation. Once in a while I might rent a car. I read labels to see where my stuff is coming from, including food.
I will not get myself caught up in the dispair of trying to think up 100 million solutions. A person would not take the first step if they thought like that. If we change 1% every day, in 100 days we would not have 100% change. We would have a LOT more than that because it compounds every day.
Baby steps count!
sweat the small stuff