Earth Day 2007: Happiness Is a Smaller Eco-Footprint
BROOKLIN, Canada - Today’s children will live in a new world of climate change and greatly diminished natural resources, which may give way to a nightmarish reality, or it could give birth to a happier and lighter way of living on the Earth, say environmentalists.The scientific evidence for environmental troubles — from rising sea levels to species extinction to desertification — sends a clear signal that we are running into the limits of spaceship Earth to support us as it has for millennia. 
“This world is ending; we need to lay the foundations for a new world,” says Alice Klein, a magazine editor and documentary filmmaker in Toronto. “We have a great opportunity to make a better world,” she told IPS.
Klein’s film “Call of the Hummingbird”, to premiere on Earth Day — Apr. 22 — at Toronto’s Hot Docs film festival, tracks the 13 days when some 1,000 teachers, eco-activists, farmers, Mayans, Rastafarians, holistic health-workers, non-governmental organisation executives, student leaders from all over Latin America and a few from Europe and North America camped out together in central Brazil in 2005.
Their purpose was to live on the land and co-create a temporary peace eco-village in harmony with nature and each other.
It wasn’t easy or harmonious. There were problems with garbage, sanitation and, not surprisingly given the diversity of their backgrounds, simply getting along with each other.
“There is very little training or study in our formal education systems about conflict resolution and how to get along with each other,” says Klein, noting that, instead, we are constantly exposed to violent and conflict-ridden programming in our media.
Another fundamental issue in modern culture is separation from nature,” she says. “We don’t see that we are connected to the natural world.”
With more people living in cities than in rural areas for the first time in human history, the delusion of separation is likely to worsen.
A recent scientific study found that more children knew the characters of the video game Pokemon than could recognise an oak tree or an otter, according to the Ecological Society of America, a Washington DC-based organisation of 10,000 ecological scientists.
Visits to national and state parks in the United States have declined by as much as 25 percent in the last decade, while kids remain indoors watching TV and playing computer games. And yet there is ample evidence that children who connect with nature perform better in school, have higher academic testing scores, exhibit fewer behavioural challenges, and experience fewer attention-deficit disorders, the ESA said in a recent statement.
The organisation is promoting the “No Child Left Indoors” campaign to challenge all citizens — young and old — to take a child into the natural world for a shared educational experience on or around Earth Day.
There is also ample evidence that more material things — toys, games, computers, TVs, designer clothes — do not make children or adults happier, says Sam Thompson, researcher at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), an environmental think tank in London.
“People in many Latin American countries report that they have a very good quality of life but use only a fraction of the resources that Europeans or Americans do,” Thompson said in an interview.
The foundation has compiled data about the ecological footprint, life-satisfaction and life expectancy for people in countries around the world to develop what it calls the “Happy Planet Index”. This index reflects the average number of years of contented living produced by a nation or group of nations, per unit of planetary resources consumed.
In other words, the Happy Planet Index reveals the efficiency with which countries convert the Earth’s finite resources into well-being experienced by their citizens. The people of the United States and Germany are at the same level of happiness and life expectancy, but the U.S. population uses far more resources and is thus much less efficient at producing satisfaction.
“The evidence is unequivocal that a focus on materialistic lifestyle makes people less happy,” Thompson said.
The most efficient, according to the index, is the economically poor Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu.
“The index clearly shows that you can have a better quality of life with less use of resources,” he said.
However, despite these facts and decades of talk about sustainability, all economies are still based on the concept of endless growth. Advertising and media in most cultures continue to define personal success as having more and bigger stuff.
Economies have to change radically, but we have yet to figure out how, said Thompson.
In all of this, avoiding despair about the future is crucial, especially for young people, says Nic Marks, head of NEF’s centre for well-being.
“The things that bring us joy or happiness and a good life don’t have to cost the Earth,” Marks told IPS.
Things that make us truly happy are our relationships, using our skills and strengths to meet challenges or participate in exciting activities and doing things in our own way. Meeting the challenge of de-materialising our economics and lifestyles can be done in a fun way, he says.
The future life of today’s children will be different from their parents’ generation but it isn’t happiness or well-being or even comfort that is at stake. Life will just be different and possibly much better if the young and their parents become engaged with the exciting challenging changes, according to the NEF experts.
“Use your skills and strengths to be part of the solution,” says Marks.
Copyright © 2007 IPS-Inter Press Service.
“…more children knew the characters of the video game Pokemon than could recognise an oak tree or an otter…”
Not recognize an oak tree? I don’t suppose I could be sure myself if I didn’t see any acorns…
But, how about the sky? I do know from personal observation that many people don’t know that you can see the Moon in daytime or are surprised when you point out the “Old Moon in the New Moon’s arms” phenomenon to them.
People who live in the cities have no idea what a wonder the night-time sky can be — if you can see it! To many people, the Milky Way is either a candy bar or something they read about in a book. Myself, I don’t think I’ve the Milky Way even moderately glorius more than a one or two times the last decade — city lights + atmospheric dimming precludes our seeing the stellar glory.
It’s not only the kids and their video games. What about the fitness fan who go to indoor gyms to “walk outdoors” watching simulated paths on in the woods on video screens, with the scents of nature artifically air-sprayed into the setting as aroma therapy?
And what about all the wasted energy resources in those gyms! Go outside!
takeitoutsidefitness.com
This is not a commercial — it’s an alternative to indoor exercise.
The corporate media cynically promoted the concept of children being kidnapped and raped or molested by strangers. The benefit they recieved from this promotion is that kids trapped inside are ideal targets for television ads. In reality the kid is in greater danger in the back seat of mom’s car.
Unhappy? Lonely? (don’t go outside where the rapists are) buy more Coke, microwave popcorn and plastic toys. It really works; never mind it kills people. Advertising literally KILLS people by obesity and heart disease.
When I was a kid my friends and I spent endless hours playing hide-and-seek and building forts in empty lots. Todays kids are luck if they live within biking distance of a park. Even if they are most parents feel that it isn’t ok to let their kids go there.
Advertising is in the business of telling you that you are unhappy and unworthy of the attention of others, even your friends and family, unless you buy their product.
You’re unhappy, buy my product, kill the planet, then you’ll be happy.
What can we do? I am 71 and retired without that much money. But there are still things..
I recycle everything that is reclyclable. Did you know that the energy from one recycled aluminum can can run a TV for 3 hours?
I don’t throw things away if something can be done with them. I cut up worn-out T-shirts and sheets for cleaning rags. If clothes are still wearable, I take them to Good Will.
I use 7th Generation laundry and dishwashing detergent. It costs a bit more but worth it. I also avoid chemically based cleaning products and soaps. I eat organic to the extent I can afford it - good for me and the environment.
The Natural Resources Defense Council fights the big battles.
http://www.nrdc.org/
I contribute to them and also the state environmental council.
Our regulatory agencies seem to be determined to hand everything over to factory farms and big Food. For some items, see:
http://organicconsumers.org
I also contribute to them.
In spite of this, I feel that it is a losing battle. I try. Where are the rest of you?
I’m sure the administration regrets their decision to ignore the Kyoto protocols. Do we have any idea how bad this problem is? Check out this site for a picture of how much exhuast one car expels per day http://thumbjig.blogspot.com
“However, despite these facts and decades of talk about sustainability, all economies are still based on the concept of endless growth. Advertising and media in most cultures continue to define personal success as having more and bigger stuff.”
Most people who post here know that corporate control over the collective life of this country and culture has brought us to the point of self destruction. If given the opportunity, I believe many, if not most, people would make choices that are less detructive to the environment and that foster sustainablility rather than endless, mindless growth, but until we can collectively reject virtually all the messages that inundate us and our children each day to “consume or die,” then I don’t see that kind of sea change happening.
The fact that WalMart and Home Depot are now marketing “green” lines of consumer goods does not signal the kind of transformative change it will take to salvage this planet.
It does appear to be a losing battle; but, in a sense, we win when we do what we can - which over the course of several months or years or however much time we put into it, can be a lot.
Also, keep in mind, with each organic purchase we make, each plastic bag we reuse, each dollar we put into green mutual funds or DVDs with environmental themes - we’re scoring more victories.
So, I guess part of it is how we measure “victories.” The losses of ecosystems are heart-breaking, but there good developments taking place. Radio host Besty Rosenberg is raising the level of awareness to an entirely different level. http://www.ecotalk.net As are films like “An Inconvenient Truth” and “The Great Warming.” I also love these programs that PBS has been running - http://www.edenslostandfound.org
Thinking that despite concerted efforts such as you described, Ruth K., that it’s possibly a losing battle is not at all true! As Ghandi (Gandhi?!) instructed, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world!” And “where are all of us?” you ask? Thousands & thousands of us “stepped it up” in over 1,400 community-based events last Saturday, April 14th, creatively & determinedly raising the alarm over global warming. It was the most wide-spread & extensive grassroots day of action since the first Earth Day in 1970. Visit www.StepItUp2007.org to see the terrific action reports & to follow the progress from here. We are most definitely moving this forward & will meet with the success we desire…keep the faith & keep on “keepin’ on”.
Sam Thompson of the New Economics Foundation says we don’t know how to change the economy to reign in the materialism. But the article says Germans are just as happy as Americans with only a fraction of the consumption. So we can see Germany is doing something for increased “efficiency of happiness”.
There are hundreds of societies in this word that can be compared, and they have been. And the evidence is in. Producer-driven, or “laissez-faire” capitalism is the problem in the U.S., and the problem compounds when it extends its tentacles into public policy and further into foreign policy.
The economy has to be driven by the public interest, i.e. society’s better interests, instead of the interests of capital. The way to do this is instill mass civic responsibility in K-12 civics education, and ensure that the people are properly informed. Next, we require that the people uphold the public interest in their private economic exchange, and/or put the total cost of every product in its retail price. This tends to splinter the corrupt concentrations and maximize industrial efficiencies. It also acts to moderate industrialization and materialism in a general way. The U.S. is proving to the world that industrialization does not produce liberty or happiness.
The total costs program may itself may be corrupted so it should be operated cyclically to purge the pathogens. Individual and local self-sufficiency enable people to withstand periodic institutional purges, boycotts, strikes. Several forces act together to keep the political/economic power dispersed to local communities, but we continue to freely share positive ideas, info, methods, etc worldwide.
RuthK,
Your actions and those of others to protect the environment do help, even when they are small, and they keep money out of the hands of those who would use it wrongly to further abuse the Earth. And even when we cannot directly change something ourselves, we by our words and our actions can be there to “bear witness”. Bearing witness is a Quaker tradition, also adopted by the Greenpeace organization, that states opposition to wrongdoing and draws it into the public eye.
It can be hard to see, but the world is changing, and truth and the future are on our side.
Happy and Peaceful Earth Day to all!
What is up with the stuff that is being sprayed in the sky all over the world?
The trails of chemicals that spread out and blanket an otherwise clear blue sky? No one talks about it….no one. I believe it is referred to as a “weather modification program” in both Senate and Congressional bills, but is it making us sick with cancer, asthma, autism? I had someone at the FAA tell me that they were a result of “normal air traffic.” I wondered if his children breathe a different air than the rest of us? What is it? Anyone?
Bumper sticker seen: SAVE THE PLANET, KILL YOURSELF
I focused on the decline in national and state park visits and wonder if so-called green governors, such as the one in California, might understand that the increase in FEES for USE is one of the BIG FACTORS that has caused a decline in family use. Is it too much to ask that these parks that are OWNED BY THE STATE be FREE TO THE PEOPLE??? I don’t think so.
Take the Eco-foot print, see how you do…
http://www.earthday.net/Footprint/index.asp
As for me, I’ve given up almost everything. And I AM HAPPPPPYYYYY!
I go to the bathroom in a bucket, use old jeans or cotton tees for TP, and compost it. I pee on wood bark and compost it too, and it makes wonderful potting soil! I grow my own food, milk goats, gather eggs, drive very little, have one solar panel, one light, a 4 cu ft. fridge, no AC, and the only media I have is the web.
I beleive the more directly connected to the Earth we are, with the least distractions and addictions (alcohol, drugs, shopping, plastic, relationships, credit, drama, TV, money, cars, etc.) the happier we are. I proved it to myself.
It’s NOT EASY! I realized I was very addicted to corn, corn syrup, white sugar, caffeine, and now that I dont use much of those things I dont want them…and the producers of that kind of thing dont get my money either!
Happy Earth DAY!
Do you really want to do your part and try to save something for future generations?
REUSE EVERYTHING YOU CAN.This is far from a new concept. Patched Clothing, resoled shoes, reused canning jars Cigar boxes. Tin cans full of do dads. This was the usual when I was growing up. We even moditfied our old red wagons and bikes,for reuse,
You know what the bonus is in reusing? You get to give your brain a workout thinking of reuse possibilities. And the second benefit you do not create any new pollution. Oh yes and the last benefit you get to kick the corporate world in the behind. You kick them so hard that they take notice and start to give the buyer(us) our power back.
I think rtdrury 8:08 pm has the right idea but the wrong emphasis. Rather than empower and educate the masses, I believe it is more important to disempower the corporate interests and to end the manner in which they dominate the law-making process at federal and state levels.
With that in mind, I propose a consitutional amendment that reads something like:“Congress shall make no law that confers economic or legal advantage on any product, business, industry or group of same.”
Note that this prohibits neither government subsidies nor governmental regulation; it merely requires the federal government to be evenhanded and nondiscriminatory in its actions. It prevents the government from playing favorites from picking winners, and most importantly, from rewarding lobbyists.
Business would lose all interest in political campaigns and corporate political campaign contributions would dry up in the blink of an eye.
Price on the land means it must be profitable. Whoever can extract the most profit can own the most land. There’s your system. Price on the land means a fence to divide you from Nature.
Why foster nature if another may destroy it for their profit?