One can reduce the problem by assuming ‘I’ to be a reader. So the reader is an educated middle class urban/rural person. She/he already has some exposure to the environment, climate change, global warming, peak oil and the nature of the present economic crisis. The reader has also probably seen articles like ’100 thing one can do to save the planet’ or ‘How to save the planet by putting in 5 minutes every day’. So what can one do? As a general rule the key word is voluntary simplicity at a personal level. It is ofcourse true that one person reducing her/his energy consumption/eco foot print cannot significantly change the situation. As the critics often say, ‘if you don’t use it some one else will use it’. But it does give one the moral energy to go ahead and involve in larger issues in larger contexts. After all one does face the question, ‘What are you doing about it?’ What is your foot print? Secondly it can also be argued that simplicity or going a bit away from the consumer society actually gives one more time to do things.
The key factor in voluntary simplicity is energy, particularly energy from fossil fuel sources. Thus giving up personal car/two wheeler and adopting bicycle and public transport is high on the agenda. The second is fuel, food and water. Using solar cooker to supplement cooking and composting and producing some vegetable/fruit and rain water harvesting are equally high in priority.
A single person on one’s own can do very little because she or he has very little time or resources. Daily life and efforts to survive take their toll on time and resources. Still a person who is aware can make choices and can make significant contributions. Usually such a person can begin with acquiring some experience of environmental movements.
As has been said in the earlier chapters repeatedly, changes occur mainly through the efforts of organised people. So apart from putting individual efforts in one’s daily life, and acquiring some knowledge of environmental movements, one of the first things one should do is to be a part of an organisation. This can be an environmental organisation, a bird watching society or even a film club. Everywhere one will find the current crisis reflected and there is something to learn and something to do.
However, the primary organisations are in one’s work place and in one’s residential area. Some of the ideas presented in the chapters, ‘Trade Union Initiatives’ and ‘Urban Initiatives’ may prove helpful.
Now within an organisation there is always a space for individual initiative. In fact the organisation is strengthened by individual efforts. For instance, within an urban group a person can focus attention on solar cookers, or transport or urban gardens and composting or rooftop rain water harvesting. Then one can work with schools and nature clubs, run libraries and bookshops and so on.
Some have moved to rural areas, bought land and plan to do organic farming. Some may already be well into it. Many have done very good work and are building local communities around the farm. These readers may benefit from the chapter ‘Rural Initiatives’. For instance within a farm one can focus on composting or seed collection and seed banks. Then one can work on energy projects like wood gassifiers or micro hydel projects. One can work with bamboo or learn how to make ropes or pottery. Then within the community one can work with schools, women, sanitation and health and so on. There is no dearth of work either in an urban or in rural situation once one has grasped the basic situation.
The Author himself, apart from writing these articles and the book has tried out some of the urban initiatives. Needless to say these efforts are puny compared to what is needed.
The author also has worked with many individuals to work out personal paths of incremental change. Again these efforts have had limited success. The author is willing to help any reader in evolving personalized paths for action.
We are all facing a very tough situation and it will get only worse. The efforts in this book have been to show the reader that a better world is possible and there are ways to go about it. In the long run it may be worth the effort.
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