New Year Procrastination

In putting off making a formal (read: or any) new year’s goals, I’ve had additional time to consider the wisdom of my choices. The question I have posed to myself is, “What in my life can I make more sustainable?”

Over the last two weeks my partner Shay has countless time said, “This is made in China!” Well, it’s been brought to my attention that most of my holiday gifts and recent purchases have indeed been made in China. This is disturbing on many levels. Thus I have been considering this new (for me) realization of where most of my belonging were born.

First off, its not made in America. I’m not a nationalist, (but I live here and am part of the economy) but it does smack to realize how many jobs are lost to China ( and India, and Japan...). From a sustainable point of view this means the goods are shipped most likely across the ocean, then trucked to its final destination. This is not good if one likes to buy local to reduce environmental impact from CO2 emissions and oil and gas polluting one’s oceans. I’m realizing my hypocrisy just now as today I made a point to buy local, organic produce.

Then I consider the recent Copenhagen Climate Convention and the agreements with country leaders that were halted due to China’s unwillingness to implement strategies to reduce CO2 emissions. Well, of course they are not interested in changing the status quo. They have a good thing going with all us Americans buying goods made by their factories where they pay paltry wages and I’m sure have pressure from companies such as Walmart to produce goods for pennies so that American companies can make a killing at our expense.

After thinking this thru I realize that China does need to take responsibility for their countries pollution but admittedly we are part of the equation. I do make conscious choices where to buy my goods; I never enter a Walmart or Sam’s club, for instance. When I choose to buy goods make in China, I am hiding from the effects that my purchasing decision have on the country I live in, other countries environmental choices and the health of this planets ecosystems. Well, this is a depressing thought and no wonder I have put off making a New Year’s resolution.

So here it is: From now on I choose to get my head out of my ass and pay attention to where my purchases come from and how they arrived to my home/boat in order to better understand how I contribute to the world’s economy, CO2 emissions and the sustainability of the world.

I didn’t want to say, “I won’t buy anything from China.” I think that would be good, (maybe impossible) but I want to have a deeper understanding of the process that goes into creating goods that I purchase. I would hope that with this understanding I will automatically make the better choice. Albeit, sometimes the better choice is not to make a purchase.