We Americans think of ourselves as independent and innovative. We like to ascribe our wealth and influence to our system of free enterprise and the personal liberty promised in our national Constitution. And it’s true that our systems and philosophies have been conducive to economic success. That’s undeniable. However, it’s equally undeniable that we had an enormous head start in the race to dominate the industrial revolution. We inherited a sparsely populated continent packed with natural resources. When it comes to natural resources — especially fertile agricultural land — our nation was born with a silver spoon in its mouth.

Most geographers today seem to agree that at least 40 million people lived in the Americas when Columbus landed here in 1492.[1] One century later 90 percent of those native people were gone mainly due to diseases introduced by Europeans. Africans, Europeans and Asians had been traveling, trading and procreating together since humanity evolved. When a new cold virus emerged in northern Europe in 1200 A.D., people were probably sneezing in Beijing within a few years. The populations of Old World nations developed natural resistance to each other’s diseases. Disease was always present, of course, and sometimes its effects were catastrophic. The “black death” is estimated to have killed about half of Europe’s population around the beginning of the 15th Century. [2] But the scale of population loss in the Western hemisphere was unique in recorded history.

European immigrants found here a fertile land mostly free for the taking. We have mythologized the settlers and dramatized their conflicts with Native Americans. But imagine what the conquest of the Americas would have been like if there were 10 times as many native peoples.

It would have been very different, to say the least, and European settlement as we understand it might not have occurred at all. The Americas might more resemble northern Asia now, where the ruling Russians and Chinese remain minorities. If there were still 40 million or 50 million native people in the Americas in 1776, competing with the 25 million Europeans who lived here then [3], how different would our history be? And what about our present?

We are taught in the United States that our free-enterprise system is the primary cause for our prosperity. We extrapolate, popularly, that free enterprise is the key to future success. But what if our historic prosperity is mainly due to the fact that we brought the Industrial Revolution to a depopulated continent where we could make maximum use of our new tools to develop its resources? Our free-enterprise philosophies did a great job of facilitating the development of the North American continent and many, many people benefited. It worked super in the development of all that natural abundance. But how well would it work in a world of severely constrained resources?

If our basic assumption that North American prosperity is attributable to our political and economic systems is more myth than reality, then do we have the political and economic systems we need to prosper in a future that will, inevitably, be very different from our past?

Photo by Bryan Welch

[1] Denevan, W. M. The native population of the Americas in 1492, 2nd ed. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. 1992 [1976].

[2] S. Barry and N. Gualde, "The Biggest Epidemics of History: (La plus grande épidémie de l'histoire)" L'Histoire.2006. pp. 45–6, say "between one-third and two-thirds"; R. Gottfried, "Black Death" in Dictionary of the Middle Ages, vol. 2, (1983). pp. 257–67, says "between 25 and 45 percent".

[3] The World at Six Billion, United Nations Population Division.

With media outlets from the New York Times to individual blog "reporters" typing at their kitchen tables covering the recession — with news, conjecture and as many opinions as there are people — one facet of all this doom and gloom that isn't getting much attention is the impact of the recession on our collective environmental footprint, especially all that consumer-culture waste we seem so eager to flog ourselves over.

The Washington Post reported that landfills around the country are noticing significant decreases in the amount of trash they're receiving, and it's logical to conclude that if a newfound frugality means less shopping, that also means less waste for the trash pile. Think about it: fewer purchases means less packaging (cardboard, plastic, packing peanuts, Styrofoam, etc.), and not just when you're talking about a new flat-screen t.v. Cooking at home often translates into more fresh produce and fewer frozen dinner purchases. And since we're all buying fewer new things, it seems we're more inclined to repair what we have or purchase or trade used items. All of these decisions result in less trash. Not to mention that a lower demand for goods can  — and does, as we've been seeing a lot lately — lead to factory closings. The obvious, serious, bad news there is that hardworking men and women are losing their jobs and their ability to support themselves and their families, at least temporarily. On the other side, one less factory running means one less factory sending contaminants into the air and/or water. Looking around, it seems that one silver lining to the current state of economic affairs might just be less environmental damage from our particular species.

What do you think? Have you noticed less waste and trash in your life because of the recession? Do you think that we might hold on to the better lessons from this experience as we move forward, ultimately, to more prosperous times? 

It's no news that millions of people are tightening their belts during the recession, but what is news is one unintended silver lining. As people are buying less in general — and are repairing or refurbishing what they already have rather than running out for replacement items — landfills around the United States are seeing a significant decrease in volume. According to the Washington Post, some landfills are showing declines as large as 30 percent! Even when repair isn't an option, many people are turning to sites such as Freecycle for their shopping — and every toaster or mattress found at Freecycle means, yet again, one less product for the dump pile. Freecycle alone has gained up to 70,000 new members a week since last fall. Recession or no, less waste is certainly something to be excited about. Now hopefully we can remember the mantra of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair" even after we've worked our way back into black.

You can find out more in the full article, A Trashed Economy Foretold.

Many people are asking me whether the economic recovery plan will stimulate jobs in green energy and green building. My answer is yes. Definitely.

What areas will we see growth?

One hot area, of course, is renewable energy — solar electricity, wind energy, geothermal and others. Expect jobs in residential renewable energy as well commercial renewable energy production.

Energy efficiency could be even bigger. These measures offer the most benefit for the least cost.

I expect a lot of jobs in green building, too, at residential and commercial levels. I just read Five Hot Future Careers — Train Now by Woodrow. Aames says that green construction management will be one of the top new jobs in the near future — and a lucrative one, too.

If you are interested in a career in residential green building or renewable energy, be sure to check out our workshops at The Evergreen Institute.

With renewable energy and efforts to combat global warming high on the list of national priorities, Dan Chiras, Mother Earth News contributing editor and founder of The Evergreen Institute recently announced the opening of the Center for Renewable Energy and Green Building, an educational center in east-central Missouri.

The Center for Renewable Energy and Green Building offers hands-on instruction in solar electricity, wind energy, passive solar design, residential energy efficiency, green building and natural building.

The courses are taught primarily by author and educator, Dan Chiras. Chiras has taught at the college level for 32 years. His books include The Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy, Power from the Wind, Green Home Improvement, the Natural Plaster book, The Solar House and The Natural House.

Chiras consults on residential green building and renewable energy throughout North and Central America.

The first three courses at the Center (April 18, 19 and 20, 2009) are Home Energy Efficiency, Basic PVs and Intro to Wind.

The Evergreen Institute also offers Certificate Programs in Residential Green Building and Residential Renewable Energy for individuals interested in pursuing a career in green building and/or renewable energy or individuals interested in furthering their professional credentials in these burgeoning fields.

The Evergreen Institute is working in partnership with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association and The University of Colorado’s Continuing Education and Professional Studies Program.

To learn more, visit The Evergreen Institute, e-mail info@evergreeninstitute.org or call 303-883-8290.

Americans have become conditioned to expect immediacy. Cell phones, faxes, computers, Internet access, overnight mail and text messaging give us instant access to friends and families and a wealth of information. It’s all there at our fingertips.

Thanks to computers and the Internet, we can go online today, research a product in depth, order it, and have it on our doorsteps the next day. We can text a friend in China or India and receive an immediate response. And, we can access a boundless amount of information without so much as a single trip to the local library.

Unfortunately, our conditioning is a detriment. As we struggle to rebuild our economy, impatience is rearing its ugly head. Critics are already casting doubt on the economic recovery plan recently signed by the president, not giving it a moment to take effect.

We forget that it took us a while for the crisis to unfold. The economic crisis probably started with the burst of the tech stock bubble. Then came 911, an event that knocked our economy to its knees. Then came the invasion of Iraq, and the high price tag, which drained our economy.

And don’t forget hurricane Katrina, with a price tag of over $150 billion, and countless other disasters all brought on by global warming. Each one cost us dearly — in lives, in property loss and in dollars. Each one helped weaken our economy.

Tax relief to America’s wealthiest probably hurt the economy as well, decreasing revenues in a time when spending for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan reached record levels.

The high price of gasoline, dealt a blow to our economy as well. And then came the subprime mortgage meltdown. It was the last straw and knocked the already severely weakened legs right out from under our economy.

Let us not forget that the current crisis took a long time to unfold, and will take a long time to solve. We must remain patient — and do our part to prevent the kinds of things that got us here in the first place.

President Obama signed the $787 billion economic stimulus package today, and it includes a lot of green spending. An article in Grist says that a total of about $82 billion of that money will be used for green initiatives, including investing in renewable energy, energy efficiency, public transportation, improvements to the grid, and training for green jobs.

The hope is that by investing in green energy, both economic and environmental problems will be solved at the same time. Right now about 400,000 people work in the renewable energy industry in the United States, but that number is predicted to be in the millions in the near future. (Read 37 Million Green Jobs Are Possible.) An example of a source for green jobs is in the wind energy industry. According to the Worldwatch Institute, every megawatt of installed wind energy capacity creates 4.85 full-time jobs in the United States. Not bad, but let’s hope this stimulus package works.

The United States is struggling to restore its economy, when it should be working to reshape or rebuild it. There’s a profound difference between the two.

Unfortunately, in our panic to revive the economy many of our congressional representatives have failed to fully realize one fundamental fact: Not all dollars are created equal.

New highways, bridges, and economic stimuli that return the economy to its former state and end up putting more people back into gas-guzzling RVs or too-large or energy-stupid homes do not hold a candle to stimuli that promote home weatherization, new wind farms and green transportation.

Let’s be fair. The economic recovery package recently passed by Congress provides funds for jobs and businesses that promote sustainability like energy retrofits, renewable energy and green transportation. But I fear that much of the rest is meant to simply restore business as usual.

As many who have responded to my first blog realize (A Smart Road to Economic Recovery), we can’t solve the problems we’ve created with the same logic that created them. So what do we do?

I urge all readers to write or call their legislators and write editorials in their local newspapers emphasizing the need to promote sustainable economic activity. What should we be promoting?

How about a solar hot water system on every home in America? How about incentives or requirements that all new homes be built to exacting energy-efficiency standards? How about incentives or laws that require solar electric modules on every government building, office building and new home? How about moving forward the deadline on which auto manufacturers are to achieve higher fuel efficiency standards?  How about laws or incentives that promote the use of green building materials, recycled products in all aspects of society, organic farming, environmental education in K-12, water conservation, and restoration of damaged waterways, farm fields and forests?

Let’s be specific.

Let’s propose a list of action items that contributes to a truly sustainable society — one that makes sense for people, the economy and the environment now and over the long term. 

And as some of you have suggested, let’s vote with our dollars, too. Let’s take steps personally to promote these activities, starting in our own homes and businesses. We can’t wait for Washington to solve our problems. We must take action individually. If not us, who? If not now, when?

The buzz around the nation is that the Senate may vote on the economic stimulus bill as early as this evening. The legislation currently includes a clean energy financing initiative, which, according to NPR, “would provide loan guarantees and other measures to encourage the private sector to invest billions of dollars in green energy.”

Some senators are trying to cut funding for clean energy investments from the bill, however. President Obama put more pressure on Congress earlier today to pass the bill, so with time running out, it’s imperative that we speak up in support of clean energy technology, which will stimulate the economy by creating green jobs and reduce global warming in the process.

Use the Senate website to find your senators’ phone numbers, and call them now to encourage them to keep the stimulus green.

There is a reason to stay hopeful about the economy even though people across the country continue to get laid off. Last week, the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) released a detailed study on the reality of green jobs. It reports that up to 37 million jobs from renewable energy can be found in the United States by 2030. Of course, these jobs will only open up if the necessary leadership, research, development and public policy falls into place. For now, read the report here. And maybe you’ll be able to sleep a little easier tonight.

President-elect Barack Obama traveled to Capitol Hill Monday to gauge congressional support of his proposed $775 billion economic stimulus package. He met with Senate and House leaders from both sides of the aisle.

The stimulus plan includes billions in tax cuts for workers and businesses and billions in tax incentives for job creation.

The president-elect urged Congress to pass the stimulus plan within one month.

The Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) is asking its supporters to mail their Senators and Representatives a letter requesting that the stimulus plan invest in green jobs.

The ELPC has a sample letter for supporters to copy and mail. The letter says, “As my representative, I ask you keep the stimulus clean by investing in public transit, passenger rail and smart growth solutions ...”

The letter encourages Congress to invest in green transportation rather than new roads, creating new jobs while ending the country’s dependence on oil. Of the $775 billion package, more than $100 billion is tax incentives for businesses with job creation. The ELPC is asking that those new jobs be green.

Visit the House and Senate websites to find the addresses of your Representative and Senators and tell them what you think about the proposed stimulus package.

At first, I just wanted to write about the present-free (or present-minimal) Christmas. It’s something we’ve done in my immediate family, without any formal agreement, for several years now. And let me be the first to say that it’s great. Better than great: It’s amazing — really — everything Christmas or holidays in general should be, in my humble opinion. Because without presents, the focus has to go somewhere else, and the next obvious options — food, family — are what it’s all about. And boy is it fun.

But then I got to thinking about what a present-free holiday means outside of our homes, say, in the world of business and people earning a living from that business (which is pretty much all of us). And I was realizing that Christmas this year (or any other pending holiday that can involve gift giving) just got simpler and more complicated, all at once.

First, the complicated part:

My entire life my dad has owned his own businesses making handcrafted percussion instruments — objects that visually are beautiful and musically are something even more. Not being a percussionist, I’m not the ideal judge, and am obviously biased; but I know from those who do understand — his friends, customers and competitors — that they’re highly unusual in their quality and sound. This makes them almost invaluable to those who use them, yet they’re still far from the staples that people buy regardless of the economy, such as food and warm socks. (Unless, of course, you’re one of those goofy drummer types.)

Being the daughter of a businessman, I get that if people don’t go shopping, business doesn’t happen. And it’s a thorough cycle: When the economy tumbles, people shop less, and the less they shop, the farther the economy tumbles. That's one devil of a problem we’ve got to figure out if we’re going to live sustainably as a species, but that’s a bigger conversation than this post, and frankly, one I’m not yet knowledgeable enough to tackle without making a fool of myself. (You can look for informed coverage of this topic at Rancho Cappuccino.)

So, while I want to tell you about the brilliance of a present-minimal holiday, I also get that if we all stop shopping, right now of all times, that, baby, things aren’t going to get any better. And after a few years of hearing “go shopping!” as the directive following any bad news, the last thing I feel like doing is telling anybody to go shopping. Not to mention that I imagine no number of stocking stuffer purchases is going to be enough to turn around the economy right now. I suppose maybe the point of all of this is just that I feel a little guilty about suggesting that everyone minimize their shopping, and realize that some of these simple decisions can have some rather complicated consequences.

 But, now that the musing and guilt is out of the way, on to the simple parts:

1. People are rightly worried about their jobs and money, so saving money makes good sense (ooh, and I love good old simple common sense!).
2. Present-free and present-minimal celebrations are, trust me on this, really where it’s at. Be there, or be square.

Yes, this list of simple stuff is a lot shorter than the musings on the more complicated aspects — as is appropriate. But those simple bits are really big, and as long as you have food on your table and a roof over your head, the elements that are wrapped up in those two little points are everything. Think friends, family, food, peace of mind, games, laughing, bear hugs* — and don’t forget financial solvency!

Not only do you get more time and energy to focus on what really matters, but research shows that people who give and receive fewer gifts are happier than their more gift-ed counterparts. Just think, you could spend your evenings in front of the fire, rather than in line at the mall. Maybe you would have room in the budget for a great cheese that everyone can enjoy, if you’re not spending hundreds on presents. And when the holidays are gone and the decorations are back in the box, you won’t be facing crazy bills or credit card statements, or the stress that goes with them. You won’t be finding room for items you didn’t really need or want. And this list doesn’t even cover all of the environmental benefits of a less material holiday: less shipping, producing, packaging and disposing.

This isn’t an argument for no presents, though if that works for your family – go for it! I still participate in the gift exchange at my grandmother’s, where we all draw names and purchase one gift. Last year, I saw a stunning ornament that I knew my mom would love, so I gave it to her. But only because I knew she would love it, because I knew she would have room for it and enjoy it, and because it wasn’t going to just add to a pile of stuff or make my bank account suffer. It was exactly as it should be, again, in my opinion.

For more on the benefits of a present-free or present-minimal holiday, check out the Christmas with No Presents blog post from No Impact Man (Colin Beavan), plus read Beavan’s full article on the subject from Yes! magazine.

 *If “bear hug” doesn’t mean anything to you, consider this Christmas the perfect time to check it out. Find the best hugger in your group, give ‘em a two-armed, full-on, full-strength (unless this person is a lot smaller than you, of course) squeeze – and really squeeze! My dad and I have spent years perfecting the bear hug, and while I may be nearly 27 years old, I still get lifted off the ground with a good bear hug. Trust me on this one, too, the holidays are perfect bear-hug season.

Don’t celebrate the low prices at the pump just yet.

In a Time article, economists say the cause for the decrease in crude oil prices comes as a result of the economic slowdown experienced worldwide. This happened the last time there was a large-scale economic downswing (in the 1980s), though crude oil prices won’t dip nearly as much as back then given the worldwide increase in gas consumption since then, particularly over the last several years.

The demand for crude oil declined partly because of the increase of unemployment. The Time article said 60 percent of American drivers use their cars to go to work. If fewer people have jobs, fewer people need gas to drive to work.

The low gas prices aren’t necessarily because more oil is being produced; the dip in prices is caused by the worldwide economic downturn. So while it may feel great to finally pay less than $3.00 a gallon, it comes with its own implicit costs, which may be more threatening to our pocketbook in the long run than paying extra for gas.