Much of my blog is focused on ecological and social issues, which stems from a deep desire for lasting social change. I continually ask myself, How can we inspire others to act on their beliefs, and spark widespread, lasting change?
I don’t think it just happens with you and me, even though that is one of the most important aspects of social change. Because no matter how much I try to live with integrity and spread the good word, inevitably I will hit a point where there is little more I can do on my own. Industry operations will still be dumping toxic sludge into my community, contaminating my food and water sources.
In my view, changing yourself is a launching pad for changing the world.
People who advocate personal lifestyle changes, like Everett Bogue and Leo Babauta, are doing great work, no doubt. They are influencing others to adopt similar low-impact lifestyles, and in the process, building a new sense of community and culture. But, like Sandra Lee asks, are they right? Is it enough to adopt lifestyle change?
Leo’s latest post on mnmlist defends his personal choice to live a minimalist lifestyle as a means of social change. Though he is not actively pushing for change, he has successfully influenced hundreds of thousands of people to begin adopting minimalist lifestyles, or at least, to begin questioning their consumption patterns.
This is remarkable, to say the least.
I have been inspired by these bloggers, as many other readers have, to make changes in my own life. Though my path is more environmental and not so much minimalist, their works, among others, guided me through the personal growth necessary to pursue my dreams and act according to my beliefs. I’m on the right path, but nowhere near perfect.
I stopped buying stuff, and then began reusing and recycling everything I could. I started experimenting with DIY crafts, and repurposed my old T-shirts into bags, pouches, and tissues. I started questioning the culture around me, and I realized I didn’t have to participate. In essence, I tread much more lightly on the biosphere now than I did a few months ago. I am living more consciously than ever before, and my social anxiety has improved a great deal.
All of this is great and wonderful. I’m reducing my impact and growing spiritually, while inspiring others to do the same.
The potential of individual action, expressed in ways such as Colin Beavan’s No Impact Man, manifests when legions of other people join in on their own no impact projects. Colin, Leo, and Everett have all influenced hundreds of thousands of people to change their lifestyles – they consume less, become minimalist, live in small homes, and are conscious of their impact. That is where the true rewards of individual action come from. The growing number of people choosing low-impact lives can be seen as the start of a strengthened community support network that is necessary to implement large-scale change.
Everett recently wrote an article claiming that the responsibility of the Gulf oil spill lies in the American citizen and driver, not BP or government. In part, I agree. But, as Sandra Lee asks, is he right? Would the oil spill be prevented if everyone stopped driving and buying stuff?
A quiet revolution is underway. Tammy Strobel was recently featured in the New York Times, where some experts believe the resurgent interest in frugality and non-consumerism will become “the new normal”. This is extremely exciting news. Undoubtably, people like Tammy, Colin, Leo, and Everett, are helping to shape the collaborative, low-impact culture of the future.
What sort of power can they build with their new community? Will this new community have sway over government decisions?
Most importantly, will the new collaborative and anti-consumer culture be enough to undermine the grasp of corporate government?
Because one of the greatest challenges in our time is to unravel the intricately woven influence corporate lobbies have over our political leaders. The BP spill is the ugly face of this parasitic relationship. Industry is currently our worst polluter and the instigator behind a media-conned consumer culture.
Perhaps widespread social change wasn’t the intended goal, and living low-impact is simply an exercise in spiritual growth and lifestyle change. But I think it’s worth considering where this movement can go.
There’s a great scene in No Impact Man, where Colin’s garden mentor and friend, Mayer Vishner, reveals his genuine hesitation in supporting Colin’s project. His fear is that the No Impact Project will “[enable] people to fool themselves that all they have to do is change their lightbulb and recycle that plastic bag. As long as they feel that way, no politician will pick it up.”
Mayer Vishner continues to point out that Colin’s wife, Michelle, works for BusinessWeek, which cuts down millions of trees to promote “the thoroughly fallacious propaganda that American corporate capitalism is good for the people, good for you and me”, which falls completely out of line with living low impact.
Here’s the kicker:
I mean, where did all this crap come from? American corporate capitalism did all of it. If anybody really thought that you were gonna have an impact there, you wouldn’t be getting the attention you’re getting.
Emphasis mine. The scene ends on that note.
I won’t focus on the irony concerning Michelle, but Mayer Vishner has a really good point considering that simply living low-impact is not enough to de-rail the corporate government engine. It’s a line that’s stuck with me since the movie – I wonder if he’s right?
Leo might say that becoming minimalist, or walking in that direction, will naturally undo our desire for status and consumer goods. As a result, the power of industry lessens. But if we all became low-impact non-consumers, what then? Will our problems be solved?
Perhaps this is when the real work begins.
After the No Impact Project, Colin continues to live lightly, speaking about the project all over the world, and organizing new groups of people who want to live low-impact. He is also actively engaged in the political community, fostering discussion on related legislation, and continues to write about current ecological and social issues.
Eventually, many of us taking steps to simplify our lives must move beyond our individual spheres of influence in order to effect our communities as entrepreneurs, educators, researchers, artists, and community advocates. Some of us will come out of the woodwork to more forcibly move our local communities towards a more sustainable, earth-friendly future.
If we want to change how our public sphere is designed – how we work and play, transport ourselves, or how we get our food, we must be participating in our communities.
We can have a voice in government, if we choose to vote, work on campaigns we believe in, and discuss our opinions in public.
We can change the way we do business, if we leave the conventional world to make new rules supporting environmental conservation and social equity.
We can be actively engaged with our communities, creating real and lasting changes that meet the needs of the people. We can live more harmoniously with each other and with the rest of our world.
We can be a world of artists, intellects, and social entrepreneurs, committed to environmental, social, cultural, and technological sustainability.
Of course, we can also help others take their first few steps towards a lifelong journey in conscious living, spiritual growth, and social change.
What do you think? Is it enough to inspire lifestyle change, or is there more that can be done? I would love to hear your thoughts.
The difficulty I see in moving the whole U.S. culture and the rest of the world to a more sustainable future is the need to earn an income. I would suppose that a great many people earn a living at either producing “stuff”, gathering the raw materials for “stuff”, delivering “stuff”, or tracking, repairing, or financing “stuff”. How will the masses continue to be able to feed, educate, and provide for their families?
Hi Ed, Thank you for your comment.
You pose a good point, to which I don’t have exact answers, but there are a few ideas to get around the income issue. One is that Americans don’t need to spend so much. I think currently, we are accustomed to buying a lot of stuff that we thought we needed but is really just taking up space. A consumer culture encourages buying lots of stuff, and getting into debt. If we didn’t buy so many things, we wouldn’t need as much of an income. We might have to change the way we use our time and spend our money – not buying so many clothes or gadgets, engaging in free activities or hobbies, and cooking at home more.
The other is that a sustainable future will require different methods of production, and will open a whole new world of jobs and opportunities to make money. We would still be harvesting raw materials to produce things, and we would still need people to take on those jobs. The only difference is that we would harvest them sustainably. For example, a paper mill depends on forests. If the paper company found a way to harvest the wood sustainably, replenishing the supply of growing trees as quickly as they were chopped, the company would employ people to really take care of the trees and would save money from having to find a new grove of trees to cut down.
A sustainable world will still need transportation systems, but they would consist of zero-emission, electric solar-powered vehicles that were efficiently and sustainably produced. If you are interested, the book ‘Natural Capitalism’ introduces technologies and policies that would allow us to live in a modern, economically sound, and sustainable world.
Also, income inequality has tripled in the last 3 decades. The richest 1% of Americans earn 281% of what they made in 1979, whereas the poorest 5% of Americans earn only 16% more of what they made in 1979. There’s a really good graph of that here.
So currently income is not distributed fairly. I think it’s partly because corporations hold so much power – they are the largest employers.
When I talk about sustainability, I generally think of the triple bottom line – people, planet, profit. So in trying to reach our goal of becoming a sustainable society, we also have the goal of maintaining social equity and making profit. We probably won’t be in pursuit of pure economic growth, as that is a driving factor behind the collapse of our financial system – the desire for perpetual growth lead to risky, short-term profits rather than engaging in long-term stability. In the end, the government had to step in to save them with taxpayer money. In the economics of sustainability, growth will happen slower, but lives will actually flourish.
I hope that helps answer your question, sorry it was rather long and detailed. It is definitely a complicated issue.
I agree with Sandra’s comment below – “we shouldn’t give up simply because we don’t know what it will look like. We need to start and let the future organically create itself with our every step – individual, collective, ecological, spiritual, and political.”
Extremely well said and thought provoking. I don’t think minimalism can transform society alone, but as Leo says, it’s a good start.
As Ed points out, it’s a complex situation. We all need to earn an income – maybe not as much as we do now if we change our lifestyle. Where and how we earn an income will need to change. That’s a HUGE shift. It can be hard to imagine. That’s why I think we need to bring all our collective imagination to bear on the challenge.
But we shouldn’t give up simply because we don’t know what it will look like. We need to start and let the future organically create itself with our every step – individual, collective, ecological, spiritual, and political.
And thanks for the link luv!
Thanks, Sandra! Yes, where we earn income, how we make a living, will undergo a huge shift. Perhaps that is one of the scariest things about it – that it is hard to imagine and therefore hard to overcome.
Production is fueled by supply and demand if we stop consuming it they will stop supplying it no matter what it is. So ultimately it is up to each and every one of us to instigate change.
As Ed said though it is far more complex than slowing production. We have to create a new sustainable commodity to generate jobs to keep the economy healthy.
I for one am happy just to do my part by slowing my effect on supply and demand and hope that we will all evolve into a new future.
Hi Colleen, Thank you for taking the time to comment.
What you said about production is true in terms of consumerism, but if we want to change our community infrastructure (i.e. roads, parks, libraries, schools), then supply and demand alone is not enough. Also, there is the quote ‘if you build it, they will come’ with the idea being if you build more bicycle-friendly roads, people will bike more. Of course that quote can apply to other things, such as improved schools where subjects are actually engaging to students, as opposed to forcing them to learn arcane topics.
Thank you for contributing your perspective, it is very valuable in this discussion. I think lifestyle changes are incredibly important, as is slowing the effect on supply and demand. I simply wanted to speculate further.
Another fantastic post (and comment thread), Lynn. Where to begin…
I agree — at some point, individuals will find it challenging to do more within the sphere of their personal existence. You tick off everything on the to-do list and still wonder what more you can do. That’s where I hit a while ago and a big reason for expanding into changing my sense of being and relationship with the planet as a living, breathing, life-giving entity. My practical went spiritual.
But you’ve hit the nail on the head in terms of extending the sphere into your community. My experience with my small New England town is that there is ALWAYS a need for volunteers on committees and boards (and elected positions too). I’ve done my fair share and it is gratifying to see some things move forward. Most municipality websites have a listing of open board/commission seats they are looking to fill. The process is usually simple and painless.
One other thing not to underestimate is what you can do as an EMPLOYEE at a company. Along with three other like-minded colleagues we designed and launched a grassroots program aimed at finding ways to make our business more sustainable. After almost a year and a TON of collaboration, we’re making tangible headway in reducing usage of simple things like paper and energy, boosting recycling, and just raising overall awareness. We even got the CFO as our executive sponsor which helps with visibility. No effort is throwaway. It all plants a seed.
Start with your self, then your home/family, then the various communities you are a part of. Be a catalyst and create momentum where ever you go. If everything you do is with the long-term picture in mind, you can’t go wrong.
Keep up the great work, Lynn. Love your message!
Bill, that’s so great to hear about the work you’ve done at your company! I definitely aspire to that, to be more engaged at work and in my community. I would love to hear more about how you and your colleagues were able to make changes at your workplace! Perhaps you could teach us a few tips ;]
I agree, always think of the long-term, and you can’t go wrong! Thanks for your inspiring comment, Bill!
Oh this was excellent Lynn, just excellent. I have biiiig issues with capitalism which I really see as a system which is doesn’t for people and certainly not for our current really serious environmental issues – issues which are not going to wait forever for us to solve. By it’s very nature capitalism it won’t work. At least in my opinion and with my knowledge as it is at the moment. So I’m glad you brought it up.
I’m all for the changing your lifestyle as you might be aware. I really think that change begins with the individual. You think about things, you realise something is wrong in the world and then you start to make changes in your own life. But then I think it’s pretty natural to (want to) extend that further as other people who commented mentioned too.
Unfortunately I don’t believe there is an easy answer on this because we live in a big world. Some people may be changed by being inspired by seeing the lifestyle choices that other people make, for example Leo Babauta and his minimal lifestyle. But another more sad example is that other people must bring about change through violent revolution because those in power refuse to give them the basic human rights that they deserve. Unfortunately not everyone in the world is living in a country where they are as free as we are in Australia, Canada & America to name a few and I hope that those who live there don’t mind me speaking for them.
*Pls note I’m not saying violence is a good thing – I’m just saying that if you leave people no choice, which is what happens in some countries, then that is what you see.
When you said “I’m on the right path, but nowhere near perfect” I thought “hey, don’t worry” because that’s all you have to be doing. None of us are perfect. So long as you are on the road. You’ve thought, you’ve made a move and you are heading in the right direction – bravo!!
I love the quote from the movie you gave (which I haven’t seen btw but would love to!!). I would have put my emphasis on the last sentence: If anybody really thought that you were gonna have an impact there, you wouldn’t be getting the attention you’re getting. I think that’s a cracker!! It almost made my day – but I did have a cracker of a day, lol.
lol thanks, Majeeda! I agree, capitalism doesn’t work in the long run. I think it has to evolve to be more realistic, to reflect actual human behavioral patterns. Our economics is founded on the idea that people buy more when prices are low and buy less when prices are high, but this does not accurately reflect shopping behavior in all situations. If we tweaked our economics to be more behaviorally based, then we might have more accurate predictions and models.
You should see No Impact Man! Thanks for visiting, hope you have an awesome ‘cracker’ of a weekend ;D
Great discussion! I really like the point about the necessity of going beyond supply and demand alone.
I like this quote which came down my Twitter stream:
Pericles said: “just because you don’t take an interest in politics, does not mean politics does not take an interest in you”
Thanks, Sandra! Yes, I really enjoyed that quote! I don’t think people see how much politics actually affects them in their daily lives. Hope all is well with you!
Great post, Lynn. I’m of the opinion that individual action ABSOLUTELY can have an impact on the world–after all, without individual action, nothing would ever get done (literally). In the end it takes many individuals to effect social change, but it’s still a group made up of *individual* people. While I’d argue that one person working towards social change in their own life (without broadcasting that message to others) can sometimes be inspirational enough to change others’ habits, I think the sweet spot is where individual action meets some sort of public activism (volunteering, blogging, etc.). It’s still the work of one person, but in that case one person’s efforts are focused outwards as well as inwards, and have the potential for far more wide-reaching change.
Keep up the awesome work, and I look forward to following your site!
Haidn
Haidn, thanks for your thoughtful comment! You make a good point on the sweet spot and focusing the effort outwards. The more people like us there are, the more I believe we can really turn things around. Best wishes!
Pingback: Personal or Politics? — the life you imagine
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Start a movement. Change the world.
Instead of looking to others to tell us what to, why not do something to inspire others. Become a leader.
http://minimalistlifestyle.wordpress.com/2010/09/19/how-you-can-change-the-world/
Mark, thank you for your comment. Best wishes to you!
WOW! I think about this all the time. While I feel it is integral to make changes within ourselves, both in lifestyle and consciousness, I realize that we are involved in the political system. I love that quote Sandra!
I believe in Balance, and participation. By doing the most we can, individually, we prepare a rich soil for change to happen. By participating in governmental process (which is very annoying, I acknowledge) we plant the seeds in our leaders of what is important to the citizens, and more importantly (to them) what will get votes. This is pretty apparent by Obama’s land slide victory.
Grassroots change is the basis for broader political and soci-economic system changes.
I have always found that the best reason for making changes within yourself is the fact that these changes are a) measurable, b) controllable and c) replicable in others. That empowers me to make the changes, because I know that I may not be able to change the current government, nor will I be able to convince everyone to buy at farmer’s markets. But by doing, it gives me a good sense of moving forward and allows others to be inspired by it.
Thanks for the great post!
Amelia, thank you for your thoughtful comment! I agree, making changes in yourself is a great way to explore change at its most fundamental level. I like your metaphor on preparing a rich inner soil for change. Best of luck to you!
“Changing yourself is a launching pad for changing the world.”
Well done, this piece is inspiring to say the least. I couldn’t agree more with you and where you’re coming from. I see myself as someone just like you, someone who cares and someone who is trying to make a difference. Sure, I have a long way to go before my impact is visible, but I’m trying. And I reflect every day on what I’m doing and who I have reached enough to change themselves. How can we get the word out there to those who just don’t listen? It’s quite the question and I have the utmost respect for you for trying to answer it. Thanks again for the post, and I look forward to see more in the future. Keep up the great work!
Cooper M.
Cooper, thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. It is really wonderful to know there are people like you who care to question and want to create a better world. I wonder the same thing every day – “how can we get the word out there to those who just don’t listen?” That’s really the key to moving forward. Best of luck to you!
I see the current changes as getting back to what really matters.
What do we need to survive? Clean food, water, clothing, and shelter.
I dream of a return to a barter/love economy.
You love growing food and seeing the fruit of your labor, literally. I am hungry, so I come to you and teach you how to position your body so that you don’t hurt as badly picking tomatoes and pulling potatoes. Is this a valuable trade for a few meals? –as an example.
Trading skills, labor, love in exchange for what we need? Sounds like a socialist world to me.
The benefit of this also is–building a tighter knit community around the things which truly matter.
*shrug* I’m not sure I’ll ever see this dream come to fruition, but I’ll try.
Hey Jeanie,
I like your ideas. I’m thinking in that direction, but it doesn’t necessarily have to look like that. I think people will be living in different ways, depending on their preferences. In a more sustainable world, yea, there will probably be a big barter economy. There will probably be lots of people living off the land in self-sufficient villages.
But there will also be lots of people who want big modern cities, which can have vertical farms, zero-emissions buildings, and be powered by a clean energy Smart Grid. With walking and bike-friendly roads, and lots of public transit. People can still work on interesting technology, start business ventures, etc. But there will be more ‘accepted’ lifestyle options, and they will all be sustainable.
That’s sort of what I imagine.
It really does come down to the movement of individuals. I choose to live my life according to the principles I believe in and then strive to teach these principles to my friends/family/acquaintances. I believe that we tend to have a bigger impact than we are ever aware of. And that’s good! Imagine how arrogant we would become if we had full knowledge of each and every life we’ve changed!
I agree! We have way bigger impact than we’re aware of. I’m so glad you want to live according to principles. We need more people like you!
Sometimes, you cannot change an organization or community that is poisoned with toxic people who feed on negativity all day long, to continuously put someone down day in day out, to try and defame a good person, ruin their name, in order to make themselves feel better due to their own twisted ways.