note to self: work out minimum footprint

[miriam_e]

I must spend some time some day soon trying to figure out the minimum footprint a person needs in order to live efficiently, but with some degree of luxury.

What do I mean by footprint?

The most important part of that is the amount of land a single person uses, but also the energy, water, and air. Put another way, what is the smallest self-contained system a person could live in?

At the moment each person in Australia is the most wasteful on the planet. We consume vast amounts of water, not just directly, but in production of cotton we wear, crops we eat, and other products we use. We each effectively take up square kilometers of land for food that we eat. We each use absurd amounts of coal for electricity. We waste terrific amounts of oil (paid for in blood) driving to a neighbor, or to the corner shop, or work, or school (when most work or school could be done from home via the net). And all these things impact the atmosphere, using up far more than our fair share.

We need to use far less while maintain a low-stress, luxurious lifestyle. It must be luxurious otherwise few will adopt it before it is forced on us by terrible circumstances. And it will be forced on us eventually. Do we choose to do it on our terms or have it imposed on us? More importantly, what do we want our children to have?

Stay tuned as I look more into this...

Comments

[gothxxangel.livejournal.com]

I'm interested in this myself. I see a LOT of wasefulness, and since moving to Japan it's struck me even more simply because it stands out how differently we are wasteful. In Canada we are more wasteful of space--this includes having gigantic cars, big sprawliong houses, huge refridgerators, more TVs than are good for us etc.. In Japan where space is at a premium people are wasteful of other things (like electricity).

There's also a fallacy that recycling is the be-all and end-all for "saving the Earth" when it's a process that is waseful of energy in itself. Reducing waste should be our primary focus.

This is somewhat tied in with voluntary simplicity, I think.

Anyway, I'm sure none of this is new to you, but just sharing some thoughts. Keep us updated on yours!

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

Yes.

Interesting thoughts on the different ways other people waste. I hadn't thought about that.

Recycling the way we humans tend to do it is hardly recycling at all. We barely stave off the toxic endpoint at all. Recycling the way plants and animals do it is really neat though. It would be great if we could aspire to that kind of recycling, where nothing has an end, and everything breaks down to be rebuilt as something else of use. Unfortunately it would require a complete change in our outlook.