Have you ever had the opportunity to visit an old log cabin, say c. 1850? It would have been a mere 162 years ago that it was built. That is only about 5 generations ago. Thinking about how people lived then compared to the way that we do now, the difference is amazing. Those cabin dwellers were so much more self-sufficient and much less consumptive than we are. Those folks could clear the land; build a cabin and the furniture to go in it with just six tools. They built the cabin close to a spring which they enclosed so that they could have clean water and the use of the cool structure for refrigeration. They grew, processed and preserved the food for themselves and their livestock, wasting nothing in the process. All of the food was organic. The livestock ate the feed and created the manure which went back on the land to grow more food. They cut their own wood to stay warm and to cook with. They used beeswax candles, heart pine tapers or the light of the fire to illuminate the cabin. Those folks bred and raised their own means of transportation. Store bought items were few and far between. Coffee, tea, sugar, salt, metal items, penny candy for the kids, some material or a length of ribbon for the wife were some of the most commonly purchased items. The amount of trash produced was very small, some bottles, broken crocks or tableware, and worn out metal items.
In the 162 years since that cabin was built things sure have changed. Now just about everything is store bought, from food to water, housing, transportation and the energy to light and heat and cool your house and move your vehicle. Today, the U. S. uses 360,000,000 gallons of gasoline per day. The food now comes from around the world. The food industry uses huge amounts of energy to grow, process and transport what we consume. In the last 162 years our society has changed from being producers, building our own homes, growing our own food and means of transportation, to consumers buying all of our needs from around the globe. It is simply amazing how consumptive the U.S. and the entire planet are. Sadly, the United States sets the standard for consumption. On a per capita basis, no other country uses more energy than we do. It will take some time, but eventually as a nation, as a society, as individuals, we will come to the realization that our planet`s natural resources are not endless and then, most importantly, do something about it. That realization is happening right now. More renewable and clean alternative energy production is coming on line everyday. Higher fuel standards have been established for vehicles. There is a huge increase in the number of farmers markets throughout the country and nationwide the recycling rate continues to increase. There is progress but it just takes time to educate everyone about a new way of thinking about energy and how we consume it. The sooner that we embrace this new way of thinking about energy, the better off all of us will be. The sooner that our government comes up with a sustainable energy plan to take us into the future, the better off all of us will be. Most other developed countries have a national plan. This is why they are at 85% energy efficiency and America is at 35% efficiency.
Until there is an actual plan, it is up to us as individuals to figure it all out and do it on our own. Remember, that in your efforts to conserve energy and all natural resources that little things, small changes in behavior really do add up. |
