Good life, not a life of goods

commentary /// Eye on the environment


Ric Burns’ upcoming film, “The Pilgrims,” is expected to continue the Burns’ family tradition of documenting American history with engaging insight. In a recent interview on National Public Radio, Burns emphasized aspects of the Thanksgiving story rarely highlighted in current celebrations.

The pilgrims, said Burns, came to make a “Godly Kingdom” and started with faith in God to provide resources needed for survival. However, arriving too close to winter, they struggled with the bitter reality of a hostile wilderness and half died in the first year.

Similarly, the Wampanoag tribe credited with helping the pilgrims learn to track deer, navigate the forest and develop a food supply had been recently decimated by disease.

Modern medicine now keeps epidemics at bay, and the threat of a dark wilderness overwhelming a pilgrim settlement has been replaced by a wilderness yielding to human development. However, the Center for a New American Dream contends Americans face a new danger as a result of the triumph over the types of hardship faced by our American ancestors.

In a series of online videos, the center contends the resource consumption and waste production at this time of year spawns depression and anxiety, sometimes resulting in substance abuse.

With over 600,000 hits, their message is resonating, as they urge Americans to “simplify the holidays.” Rather than focusing on Black Friday sales, they encourage “the good life over the goods life,” and an emphasis on social gatherings, spirituality, playing sports, developing skills, gardening, enjoying the arts, and committing to “no child left inside” (enjoying nature with children).

They conceded their campaign is an uphill battle, with little chance to overcome sometimes contradicting messages promoted through what they claim is $150 billion per year spent to promote products (advertising) in America.

America Recycles Day offers another way to reduce waste during the holidays. Celebrated Nov. 15 this year and organized annually for the past 18 years by Keep America Beautiful, a nonprofit organization funded by the US EPA and major corporations, the 2015 message is “recycling right.”

Its AmericaRecyclesDay.org site promotes a recycling pledge drive. The campaign asks participants not just to recycle but, more importantly, to find out what materials can and cannot be recycled in their community. This is an important step to avoid contamination of recyclables.

For example, bottle glass can be recycled in any local curbside recycling program. But mixing in glass from windows, picture frames, mirrors or ceramics harms the cause of recycling by making the resulting mixture undesirable to manufacturers who buy recycled glass.

In 1621, the pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving, finding ways to sustain their civilization in a challenging environment and helped by the neighbors with whom they shared resources.

In that spirit of thankfulness and sharing, this month, keep your eye on the environment by reducing waste, recycling right and sharing food.



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