In light of the recent political events, I find myself disappointed in what the idea of being "conservative" consists of. I've recently been reading a book called In Cheap We Trust. It is a short history of America and its opinions of thrift. However, long before I read that book did I realize how screwed up the American view of environmentalism is.
I'm going to use political words in this post, but if you walk away from it and only take away the political...then you are greatly misunderstanding the whole point.
Don't get me wrong, America tries. I would even venture to say that we have good intentions when it comes to being good to the environment, but as a whole...both Democrats and Republicans kind of suck at being good to the environment.
All of this struck me when I went to the recycling depot down the street to drop off what would hopefully be my last recycling haul to the dump ever. I dropped off a few bottles that had made their way into my floor board and a glass blender that I didn't need.
I also took off what I hope is the last plastic bags I will ever have...I've always hated plastic bags, but bringing my own bag always rewarded me with dirty looks from the cashiers previously. I recently started shopping at Aldi where bringing your own bag is required. I absolutely love it. I love that the savings that the store has on bagging your own groceries and bringing your own bag are passed on to me as a customer...it feels like that's how things should be.
Anyway, while I was at the recycling bins a man rolled up in his old 3/4 ton pickup truck. It had a "Don't Tread on Me" sticker and a rebel flag on the back. As the older gentleman got out of his truck, I gave him a nod and went back to putting away my trash. He then reached into the back of his truck and pulled out a giant trash can full of plastic bottles and dropped them in the bin. All of his trash was sorted like it was supposed to be, and honestly it seemed like this was something he had done his entire life...or at least for a long while.
Maybe this picture wouldn't have hit me so hard if it weren't in light of the Paris Climate Agreement drop out, but I couldn't help but feel happy about it. Here stood a conservative guy, at a recycling center, dropping off his trash...probably on a regular basis. Against all social norms. I'm sure some of his conservative friends give him a hard time about it. (Mine give me a hard time sometimes...)
All that to say this...maybe it is because I live in The South, but I think I've seen conservatives and liberals out for the same mission and not realize it. I'll give you a great example. My grandpa is nothing short of a hillbilly...honestly, the guys you see on the History Channel don't have anything on the man. He has distilled his own moonshine, he has dug for ginseng, he has hunted for his own food...all for years. Long before it was the hip thing to do and camera crews would follow you a long to do it.
He will reuse things until he can't any more. He got a job at a recycling center just so he could go through the stuff that people bring in and bring home the stuff that he could fix. He is preventing hundreds of pounds of stuff from going into landfills every year.
I should explain...not everything that is brought to him can be recycled. Some things only parts can be recycled and the rest is thrown away...others, stuff is burned and then the precious metals are taken out of it, releasing toxins into the air. However, if he fixes it, and uses it...it prevents all that waste.
Meanwhile, there are people bringing him stuff that is perfectly usable. TVs, radios, kitchen equipment, cast iron, car parts...I could go on forever. The man lets nothing go to waste. Sometimes people who bring the stuff to the recycling plant do it "for the environment." It's nothing short of good marketing to be honest.
It's sad to me that Americans are likely to go out and sell their perfectly usable car so they can buy a newer and more "environmentally friendly" car. Don't get me wrong, I like environmentally friendly cars. I'm the guy who would be buying their old car. (I currently drive a 2013 Chevy Aveo that I got for $2000 because it was in a fender bender...it gets 30+ MPGs.) All that being said though...do you honestly think that the processes that it took to make that car outweigh it's fuel efficiency? 2000+ pounds of raw materials being made.
Thrift is the backbone of America. It is the answer to America's problems. In the early 1800s when America was first gaining it's footholds, it's citizens were encouraged to spend as little money as possible...so they could use their money to build businesses and help hold up the economy. In turn, we were not hurting the environment nearly as much either. We were making things with our hands and using our resources to make sure that nothing went to waste.
Today a thrifty man will put on a coat in the winter instead of turning his air up. A thrifty man will sew his jeans together instead of buying a new pair. A thrifty man will fix his car instead of buying a new one. These things build the economy. They allow the thrifty man to invest in things like stocks and real estate. They allow the thrifty man to give to those in need. They help the environment by not buying things and producing things that we don't need.
This is what we all want. Republicans want a healthy economy. They want businesses to thrive. They want guns so they can hunt. They want hard work...all things that thrift supports.
Democrats want environmentalism. They want enough money to help the poor, disabled, elderly. They want people to be able to retire and free think and learn and expand their community. All things that thrift supports.
I honestly hate that America has dropped out of the Paris Climate Agreement...but that is not to say that we cannot help the environment. Every day...when you walk into a store and you buy something...you are telling your country that you support whatever you are buying. Your money speaks harder than any politician can.
June 02, 2017 at 05:02PM
