Community Dynamics

In "Chapter 11: Community Dynamics" of Barbara Kingsolver's book Flight Behavior, Kingsolver's financially strapped protagonist, Dellarobia, meets Leighton Akins at a butterfly migration site that has miraculously appeared on her farm in rural Tennessee. Akins is trying to get visitors to sign a "Sustainability Pledge" to improve the environment, and Dellarobia finally asks him what it covers.

"Number one. Bring your own Tupperware to a restaurant for leftovers, as often as possible."

"I've not eaten at a restaurant in over two years."

As Akins runs through his list, it becomes clear that many of the items on the list Dellarobia is doing already -- like shopping at thrift stores because she can't afford to buy things first-hand -- or she isn't doing because she can't afford to (like buying a low-emission vehicle.) This chapter gave me pause, because I never thought about sustainability through the lens of poverty. I'm not sure why -- when I was a kid growing up, we went through a rough patch, and the majority of my clothes were hand-me-downs from my mother's friends or purchased at a second-hand shop. Nothing went to waste -- if the weeds in the garden were edible, we ate them. On the other hand, sometimes financial constraints keep the poor from being the best stewards: if you have a fully functional old electric heater, it may not be very environmentally friendly, but a more fuel-efficient heater may be beyond your reach, financially speaking.

Anyway, I guess my point is, it shouldn't have to take green to be green, if you know what I mean. Environmentalism should be accessible to more than just the upper class. In an ideal world, green technologies would be affordable for all. Until then, however, if enough of us do our part -- no matter how inconsequential it may seem on its own -- maybe we can make a difference.