This video created by Annie Leonard is rather U.S.-centric, but the message is a good one. Her Web site offers an interactive version of the video. And a New York Times article about the video indicates it's spreading virally and being used as a teaching tool. It just proves that one person can make a difference.
I know I'm always going on about the differences between the U.S. and Europe. Several elements of life in Europe that are just better than life in the States are ones she talks about here. The big-box consumer model that thrives in the States doesn't quite work the same way here. Sure we have Carrefour and Corte Ingles. But there exists here a much better sense of living with only what you need and not wasting resources. Because most of the food we eat is from this region it's fresher and requires fewer chemicals to preserve it. Because living space is limited we don't fill our homes with crap we can't use.
You'd be surprised at how much you don't miss all that stuff when it's gone. And the one thing I miss the least? My car. My life is so much better without all the gas and insurance and license fees and traffic and maintenance and tickets and accidents and mess, I only wish I didn't need one when I visit the States.
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