As you may be aware, the green lifestyle encompasses many different forms and philosophies, to the extent that the movement has become somewhat fragmented. What it loses in focus it makes up for in the diversity of the approaches that are evolving to heal our environment. In this blog I’ve attempted to gather this information for your perusal in the hopes that the best aspects of the green movement can be isolated and perhaps incorporated into something unique to Oregon, a place still waiting at the end of the journey to a more rewarding life.

Voluntary Simplicity is not about doing without. It is a frugal but outwardly rich lifestyle chosen for many reasons including conservation and the rejection of consumerism.

Tips for a living a green and eco-friendly lifestyle.

Green Ideology emphasizes participatory democracy and thinking globally, acting locally.

The principles of Green Politics are ecology, social justice, democracy and non-violence.

Bright green environmentalism’s emphasis is on new technology and design to achieve gains in ecological sustainability…

Primitivists advocate a return to a non-civilized lifestyle through de-industrialisation.

The Chipko Movement of India started in 1973 with a group of peasants who acted to prevent the felling of trees. Salient features include the mass participation of women villagers in organized tree-hugging and other acts of resistance.

A Day in the Life of a ‘tree-hugger’.

Find an environmental job or career.

Sustainable Living focuses on an economy based on renewable energy, diversified transport, and recycling.

The role of computers, TVs, and cars in cultivating sustainable lifestyles.

Barriers and motivators to a sustainable lifestyle.

Communities planned and built around sustainable urban or municipal infrastructures.

And communities based on self-sufficiency in local economies.

Ecovillages are designed to be socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable.

Listed under ‘Utopian Communities’ in Wikipedia are The Farm, the Global Ecovillage Network, including Permaculture sites.

If you’ve followed any of these links you’ve seen how many variations exist for ‘post-petroleum’ lifestyles, incorporating common elements such as conservation and sustainable energy.
I can see eco-villages and other intentional communities reappearing in Oregon like the communes of the 60’s. Oregon is poised to become an innovator of the post-petroleum lifestyle, with Salem as the legislative head, Eugene as the heart, and the teeming population of Portland forming the body of activism.

So lets cut through the clutter and form our own lifestyle. It should include an aspect of simple living in the New Age - how about we reduce unnecessary energy-wasting gadgetry. Don’t throw out the computer, simply let your practical choices send a message to retailers. Let your easy green living lifestyle form a base from which to expand once you’ve become comfortable with your progress.
Move forward to political awareness. Stay informed and vote to support sustainable living in your area.
Some organized protest is always healthy, like the Chipko Movement, perhaps ritualized or reinvented in new forms of activism. The post petroleum lifestyle will evolve to include urban planning and social architecture, and perhaps a new religion.

From “The Post-Petroleum Paradigm”, by Dr. Walter Younguist, Eugene OR:

“A future without oil is difficult to visualize in detail, but some aspects of the post-petroleum paradigm can be anticipated with some degree of certainty.
All possible economic energy sources will have to be used, but replacing oil in its great energy use versatility probably will not be completely possible. Replacing the role of both oil and gas in agricultural production will be the most critical problem, and may not be entirely solvable.
World population will have to adjust to lesser food supplies by a reduction in population. Pimentel and Pimentel (1996) state: … the nations of the world must develop a plan to reduce the global population from near 6 billion to about 2 billion. If humans do not control their numbers, nature will.” Because stopping and then turning around the freight train of population growth can only be done gradually, this is a project which should be started now (Cohen, 1995). If it is not done, famine on a large scale is likely to ensue.
The excellent personal mobility of those people now fortunate enough to enjoy the use of automobiles and airplanes will be greatly reduced.
The lifestyles of the high energy consuming nations will become much simpler. Nations which do not enjoy high energy use have less to lose and may not experience relatively large changes.
The focus of society at large will be much more directed toward securing the basics of existence than is now the case, particularly in the affluent societies where abundance is taken for granted and the good life lived accordingly.
Scientists, economists, sociologists, and political scientists will increasingly be concerned with the effects of the depletion of oil. Mitigating social and economic strains will have high priority.”

For more information, link to Peak Oil on energybulletin.net.

And a final note about the concept of relocalization that developed in response to the overuse of fossil fuel, a strategy that builds sustainable societies using local culture and energy, food production.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 21st, 2007 at 2:23 pm and is filed under Energy Future, Environment, Equal/Civil Rights, General, Livability. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.