Localism is the way to go

Last night, Crandall Public Library and Red Fox Books (along with goodies provided by Rock Hill Bakehouse) hosted an interesting talk with author Bill McKibben.

The author, who lives in Vermont and the Adirondacks, spoke about his new book Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future.

McKibben talked about how global climate change and increasing strain on resources is going to require the economy, both in the US and worldwide, to regain a more local emphasis. The massive scales of production that have driven economic growth especially in the last half century is more and more unsustainable. He cited the rise of the localism movement as an example of the sort of paradigm shift that's going to be required on a much larger scale.

He said that while smaller actions, like changing light bulbs, carry a useful symbolism, fighting climate change before it's too late for humans will require a concerted governmental effort. And he opined that it was necessary to build a mass popular movement to force that governmental action. McKibben highlighted the website 350.org as part of a way to build that grassroots movement.

Interestingly, the author pointed out that while the percentage of Americans who described themselves as 'happy' peaked in 1956. The standard of living has increased significantly in that time, at least by the traditional economics-only measurements, so this illustrates just how much we've degraded our environment to achieve it. More stuff, less enjoyment. Unlivable cities and unsustainable suburbs aren't a good combination.


Updates: In related stories, a Los Angeles Times' op-ed wonders if California's water crisis will lead to the end of the its ubiquitous sprawl and, by extension, what has become the state's way of life.

Matt's Biased Commentary blog offers a link to recipes that can be made with stuff from your local farmers' market.

The Albany Times-Union has a story on the increasing commutes in New York's Capital District and the effects it's having on locals. This is part of the daily's series on the area's suburban sprawl.