My dear friends in town for the US Social Forum have departed for their respective stomping grounds and I'm tidying up in more ways than one. As I collect towels and linens, I consider truly actualizing the cavalcade of ideas that came to me last week. Dare I say it but if only inspiration slowly trickled my way, one impression at a time, instead of the biweekly deluge.
Two documentaries I've absolutely adored of late, The End of the Line (http://www.endoftheline.com/film) and Blue Gold: World Water Wars (http://www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com/index.html), point to an interesting culprit: me. I do shop, after all, and notwithstanding lax governmental regulations, the corporate powers that be have derived some of their might from me.
In imparting the projected collapses of both the seafood industry and oceanic biodiversity due to overfishing, The End of the Line avoids preachiness and pessimism. And Blue Gold: World Water Wars makes a concerted effort to end on a positive note, leaving the viewer, well me, to wonder why I didn't know the name of my area's watershed. I follow the news of domestic droughts and potable water shortages in other nations but the film points to a necessary update of our relationship to all our resources.
So I thought I was fairly conscientious in my spending; even my comics are printed on Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper. But unlike my gregarious comrades whom I already miss, hubris is a deceptive house guest, leaving behind trinkets and I need to tighten up my game if I am to find them all. I gave up all meat one year ago yet family and friends continue to rely on me as a resource when we dine together so I am calling in reinforcements from the Monterrey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch for some on-the-go, planet friendly decision-making. For you iPhoners, you may want to download the app at http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_iphone.aspx (or iTunes) and for all other mobile phones, visit mobile.seafoodwatch.org. And while we're on the subject of eating locally and in season, there's also Locavore for iPhone (http://www.enjoymentland.com/locavore/).
Well, to bring this musing to a close, I'm adding "how long" (as in how long I let the faucet run, among other gleanings from the film) to the "what", "how much", and "where" of my shopping... at least until I set up shop in a self-sustaining homestead in which the procurement of virtually every resource involves my own labor. I have a feeling frugality won't be difficult then.
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