Conservation and comfort
We had a conversation last week, a dozen or so denizens of the residence hotel where I stay in Bozeman, a group that meets weekly to discuss the state of all things political, environmental, scientific, medical and, for comedy relief, the supremely goofy.
The group, a few younger and many far older than I, includes retired professors of chemistry, engineering and mathematics, a few preachers and the widows of farmers and ranchers. They come from Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, California, (from Berkeley to San Diego) and a few were born and raised in Montana. Some had retired to the Sun Belt, Arizona and Florida, both grossly overpopulated, but returned to Montana at the behest of their adult children. All together, they are a pretty good cross-section of the country.
Most are living on combinations of Social Security and various pensions, retirement savings accounts and proceeds from sales of real property. Or more accurately, they live on the interest from such investments. Needless to say, they find Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s lowering of short-term interest rates, possibly necessary for the general economy, an unwelcome burden to seniors.
Many are survivors of medical hell. And while they’re grateful to the skilled surgeons and procedures who saved their lives, they have plenty to say about healthcare and the way it’s delivered and administrated in this country. That always seems to be in the news, particularly in this election year.
Anyway, what surprised me is how many are seriously concerned about degradation of the environment, climate change, unfettered development, lack of government leadership on air and water pollution, and the mining and burning of fossil fuels; this in a state that borders Wyoming and Idaho. Amazing!
Recently, a new resident joined the group. He’s bright, outspoken and convinced that what’s wrong with this country is its reliance on economic growth spurred by consumerism. He advocates not buying anything new that you don’t absolutely need or that can’t be found at a local thrift shop. In this way you save both packaging and the fuel used to ship new goods long distances. And the money you save generally goes to poor families struggling with high rents or bad mortgages.
One woman, however, injected a different thought. She said, “Well, I’ve worked hard my whole life and I think I deserve to have some comforts.” He replied, “It all depends on how you define comfort.”
He has a point. I define comfort as being warm when it’s 20 degrees below zero outside. Whether you achieve that by putting on another sweater and adding a log to the fire or by turning up the thermostat is a choice. Comfort is having enough to eat. Whether you buy locally grown produce in season or fruit shipped from Chile is a choice. Do we really need to eat a peach in January?
The moderator of our little panel occasionally reminds us that over-population may be the root cause of the world’s ills. But at our ages, this is no longer a choice. He also suggests that our refusal to consume excessively may harm the economy and cost jobs. Oh, well.
We also discussed ways to control the use of fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. Now this is a debate worth having though most of us aren’t in a position to support alternative fuel production. We could vote for those who would, or we could just use less.
During fuel shortages in the ’70s, many folks began carpooling when lines at gas stations stretched for blocks and where service was abruptly cut off when supplies ran out. Often at the car just ahead of you after you’d waited in line for an hour. Frustration drove people to share rides. That worked. Carpooling was later mandated in Los Angeles for large companies. Many, from Boeing to UCLA, encouraged workers to take advantage of employer-sponsored vanpools and preferred parking spaces.
Electric companies, hoping to avoid building new power plants to accommodate peak usage, paid for billboard advertising suggesting people use appliances only in off hours. I remember one with just the gas company logo, showing a man’s torso and head, mouth open, in the shower. The message: Sing shorter songs.
Our discussion turned to water rights, pollution of underground aquifers and dwindling snow packs that now melt a month early and run off too quickly.
Having lived through serious droughts in Southern California, I learned many ways to save water besides singing shorter songs. Water is the necessity for which there is no alternate source. Conservation is key and everyone may have to save in simple ways.
Some suggestions: Turn on taps only half way, or less, and don’t leave water running while brushing teeth, shampooing hair or doing dishes. Keep a dishpan in sinks, or stopper in tubs, to catch water that can be used elsewhere, as the first cycle of the washer, particularly with heavily soiled laundry. Or turn off the water intake and fill the toilet tank with used water. This also solves leaky toilets that waste gallons a day.
A good source for conservation gadgets is www.realgoodscatalog.com where one can find a water-saving toilet-lid sink and a Smart Power Strip that automatically cuts off power to peripherals when you turn off your computer or TV. More of this another day.
Meanwhile, the consensus of our little group is that the occasional comfort is not a problem. It’s the choices we make every day that count.