Taking action

What a wonderful response to my last blog was posted by Judy Roberts! As it turns out she will become a neighbour of mine once their co-housing project is completed late this spring.

Not wonderful in terms of the terror she experienced upon reading my last blog, but wonderful in terms of the actions she and others are already taking.

She listed several concrete ways that she is making a difference: putting her energies and capital into an energy-efficient building, becoming a member of a functioning, intentional, community. Giving up her car and using more sustainable methods of transportation. Growing their own food.

Together these efforts do make a tremendous difference to both the planet and Judy!
Of course not everyone can give up their car, especially since we value time more than we do the planet. Being a car-centric culture is extremely difficult to change! But leaders like Judy are showing us all that the quality of life can improve without a car (despite what auto ads suggest).

Judy asked for some suggestions about what to ask candidates leading to the upcoming provincial election in terms of fiscal matters. Unfortunately the banking industry is regulated by the Federal government. The province only regulates credit unions. So there is not a lot that can be done provincially, even though the Bank of Canada can (if not blocked by the Feds) lend money at very low interest rates to the provinces.

However, most of us could shift our banking to local credit unions. In any financial melt-down (such as is being experienced world-wide) credit unions are more likely to side with their members than are some impersonal banks. I expect that the financial problems will eventually hit Canada, perhaps as early as 2020.

Other steps can include buying gold and silver coins, investing in technologies that reduce our dependence on utility companies (such as insulation, solar equipment, window insulators, etc.), growing one's own garden (you do not need a lot of space!; consider joining a community garden or use someone else's yard), canning (water shortages will soon be threatening our food supply), forming a greater sense of community (through groups such as music, faith, mutual interests, action groups such as the "Carbon Busters", etc) so that you are not isolated when things get very scary, and more. I will post other ideas on this blog.

In the meantime we are all wise to get started somewhere. The first step is usually the hardest. And, as Judy has shown us, we are not alone.