For many years, my revolutionary emblem has been a canvas grocery bag.
I bought my first canvas grocery bag 20 years ago. In that time, it has been to the grocery store twice a week, replacing over 2000 paper or plastic bags. It holds more than a paper grocery bag, it has convenient carrying handles, and it’s rugged and durable. It can hold swimsuits and towels, a snack for the park, library books, or a contribution to a potluck supper.
Empty, it holds a message from the first green revolution. “The solutions,” it says through its unbleached wrinkles, “are simple. They are within your reach. They are in the dozens of daily decisions you make, and in your willingness to see how the choices you make affect the rest of the world. You have power. Your choices matter. You can help create the world you want to live in, or you can contribute to the misery of humanity.”
I think this is a message we need now, when so many people feel so powerless. We need to fight on the national and state level, and, at the same time, we need to pay attention to the small things we can do in our daily lives that can make a difference.
In the 70s, a lot of people were still committed to the ideals that we picked up during the 60s. There was a lot of counterculture blooming, and a lot of people working to grow the new, greener, fairer, more equal world alongside the old one. Over time, many people got tired, relaxed their ideals bit by bit, and bought SUVs.
There have been people who have been working patiently all these years, exploring green construction or cleaning products or solar power or recycling or better infrastructure design. Mostly, though, this country turned their backs on them and went shopping at Walmart.
It’s time to back away from mainstream culture, slowly, and go talk to the people who have been working on the blueprints for a better future. Time to reflect on the way we live and the way it affects the planet and the other folks who share the Earth. Time to get off the oil high and see where we can go on our own two feet.
What can I do today to make the world a better place?
