Eco-geekiness, global warming, and spiritual disciplines

I did not watch any of the Live Earth concerts this weekend, as I don't think that rock concerts are really the best medium to promote environmental responsibility, (Hey, we recycled the newspaper I read on my private jet!) but I did finally get around to switching all of my light bulbs to the energy efficient kind. I also hung all of my laundry out to dry instead of using the dryer. Granted, that was because the dryer was broken, but I still think I should get credit.

I got an e-mail this week inviting me to the newest installment of a discussion and dinner thing. This month's topic is global warming. The woman who organizes these things is a good friend and a good person, and there are always a variety of political viewpoints present, from libertarian to religious right to lefties like me. There aren't many spaces where different points of view can interact, so normally I'm all about dialogue in a congenial environment (except for that one time I had to leave because I was about to tell the conservative evangelical Republican guy from Orange County to fuck off, and I felt that would go against the spirit of the event.)

You'd think that, being the eco-geek that I am, I'd be all over a discussion of global warming. Really though, as far as my life and habits are concerned, global warming is not the point, and I don't really want to discuss Al Gore's 15,000 square foot mansion or anything that Rep. Inhofe has to say. (What is it about my home state of Oklahoma that seems to attract nutty representatives?)

I've been reading Matthew Fox lately and mulling over creation spirituality and someone once told me that I am an eco-feminist, so my eco-geekiness is more spiritual than scientific these days. It has more to do with being mindful that I am connected to the Divine and the planet and everyone and everything on it than it does a concern about the polar ice caps melting. (Note to the Bush administration: This does not mean that I think eviscerating all of our environmental legislation is a good idea.) I think about my eco-geekiness as more a spiritual discipline than anything else, I guess.

If I buy organic, local food, that costs more and makes me examine why I'm doing that every time I go to the farmer's market and how my food choices are connected to the well being of other people and animals on the planet. Walking instead of driving slows me down and makes me more mindful of where I am going and why. (although I still drive far too much.)

And everything's connected anyway - the environment, the economy, everything. I try to head to thrift stores and consignment shops first when it comes to buying new clothes, and that's both about re-using and about not having my money go to companies that use sweatshops. Also, I recently bought a great pair of pants and a set of wineglasses for only $7.50, and when you're broke, that's a very happy thing.

So, I don't know if I want to debate global warming, really. I'm a mystic, not a scientist, and we Americans use more than our fair share of resources, and that hurts people on other parts of the globe right now, and that's all I need to know. I don't have any grand notions that I'm not still enormously privileged, and I know I live in a space that would house a family of ten in some parts of the world.

My eco-geekiness doesn't change the world, and I know that, but I hope that it changes me.

Comments

[Dan]

Wonderful post Kristi. See this site for one more eco-spiritual activity:

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0,,2098374,00.html