Well, it’s been quite a year. There’s been Mr. Mulroney (former Conservative Prime Minister, 1984-1992) with his “I’ve got nothing to hide,” except $225,000 or maybe $300,000, and ‘now I pay the taxes, then I didn’t’. There’s been the Mayor of Ottawa with his “I believe with every fiber of my being I’m innocent,” (after criminal charges were laid for alleged influence pedalling during the election) and John Baird (federal Minister of Environment and Ottawa West-Nepean Member of Parliament) with his ‘now you see it, now you don’t $200 million for Ottawa’s light rail project. And at year end he was in Bali with the ‘now you see it, now you don’t’ international climate change agreement. Does anyone know what they agreed to except more talks?
Looking into 2008, what’s a body to do? Whom do you trust? And what the hell is happening anyway? Where are the good guys? After giving this some thought, I’ve decided that the only person you can trust is yourself. We’re going to have to change the world for the better ourselves without help from our elected officials and I propose to do this by following President Bush’s simple and cogent advice after 9/11. “Just go shopping” – but not power shopping.
Power shopping, for those of you who haven’t tried it, is hitting select malls with a team of friends, cell phones and powering through every store to snag only the lowest price products. Power shopping is about owning the mall’s lost leaders, being fit and having a nearby hotel room to store the loot so you can return to that field of dreams to continue without your arms falling off.
As much as I respect the stamina and planning that goes into such frontal assaults, I’m not suggesting we can solve the world’s dilemmas with power shopping.The military organization that power shopping requires is beyond the abilities of most. I’m suggesting we animate the little known U.N. Resolution #452 or as it is known colloquially, Low Impact Environmental Shopping (LIEP). Low Impact E shopping starts with a global consumer boycott of any nation that has refused to sign on to Kyoto. This will solve the Bali impasse and it won’t take long. Remember boycotting South African wines during apartheid? Nelson Mandela says it worked.
Boycotting American and Chinese products, the planets two largest polluters will work also. To be effective, the boycott doesn’t have to be total. It doesn’t have to be every boat from every port or every product on every shelf, it just has to be big enough and wide enough to start impacting global profit margins, then things will change. Believe me.
Ahh, but what about our own cher pays, le Canada? Politically, we’re in the snivel position of ‘if the big guys won’t play, we’re not going to play either’. How do you boycott your own country? Well we can and in a unique way. Only Canadians can buy apples from around the corner, instead of apples from China. Canadian consumers can easily favour Canadian jurisdictions like Quebec who clearly identify their products and have agreed to be Kyoto compliant.
If you want to get really tough in 2008, buy yourself a bicycle and use it. If you must have a car for the job, find the smallest, carbon burner you can manage. If you really want to be revolutionary, dump the gas guzzler entirely and get yourself an electric car. The Quebec Zen is on the slow side at only 50 klics and hour but there are others which are faster.
The human community has seen revolutions of every stripe, colour and religious flavour. They begin with the highest of hopes and usually finish in the ugliest of traumas. A consumer revolution is entirely peaceful. It requires nothing but spending your money differently. We’ve had the global run by producers for a couple of decades now. Why not try having the world run by consumers? Individuals sans politicians can simply start to behave differently without any international concord and it will change the world.
Think about it. There’s no law saying you have to buy water in plastic bottles, toys from the United States or China. A global, low impact environmental revolution would be unstoppable. No one can force you to buy something from a polluting nation. No one can make you ‘not’ buy a bicycle and get on it. No one can stop you from buying locally and living more simply.
Mr. Bush’s post 9/11 advice was touching a powerful chord in the collective psyche. Purchasing and providing services is fundamental to the human condition. It’s not trivial. Polar bears don’t shop for anything but seals and at this they have been successful for millennia. But take away the ice from which they hunt and suddenly their very existence is threatened.
Human beings are not that different from polar bears. We need our planet to contain ice to cool the planet. We need clean air to breathe and fresh water to drink. The way we shop is determining right now whether the polar bear will have its shelf ice and we, the environmental fundamentals of human existence. Think about it. U.N. Resolution 452. Low Impact Environmental Shopping – coming to homes near you in 2008. Vive la revolution.
Happy New Year,
(Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, there is no U.N. Resolution 452. But why let that stop us.)
"After giving this some thought, I’ve decided that the only person you can trust is yourself.”
I agree... I don't trust city council either.
"Only Canadians can buy apples from around the corner, instead of apples from China."
This is not true. I could buy apples in Africa from around the corner and I could buy apples in the USA from around the corner (If I was there.). This is the typical false generalization that people like you make in an attempt to sway public opinion. False statements don’t help they just further confuse people. Speaking and writing from your heart is one thing. Thinking and speaking or writing from your heart is another.
Posted by: Tim Dowell | May 08, 2008 at 10:00 AM