Captain Planet, He's A Hero (Environment Seminar Blog)

1. Now that you have read RS, imagine yourself and your lifestyle 10 years from now. What does it look like? How did you envision yourself 10 years from now, before you read the book? Has your vision changed? Your answers should include a brief characterization of your current lifestyle and a discussion of your material and immaterial goals as they relate to sustainable lifestyles.

My name is Yalda Mostajeran and I'm a waste-o-holic. It's 2020 and, as you all should know, I'm a famous CNN political correspondent. I own an array of fancy foreign cars whose names I cannot pronounce, I have a gorgeous model/actor/politician/poet/genius husband and 1.5 children. I eat the finest meals prepared by my gourmet chef and I have a lot of bling. So much ice on my chains. What can I say? I'm living the g-l-a-m-o-r-o-u-s life.

Alright, now "ten years in the future" me may have been exaggerating a bit but, well, looking at my current footprint now you wouldn't think that was the case. Before reading Radical Simplicity, I believed that I would be relatively cautious with what I waste but, overall, I wouldn't bother myself too much about it. Now, however, I envision myself living a much more sustainable future than I could have ever imagined. Don't get me wrong; although I commend Merkel for his ability to simply give up the lifestyle he was accustomed to and pursue the radical greater good, my lifestyle in the future would definitely be a little more moderate. My career and educational goals, even after reading Radical Simplicity, have not and probably will not change. I still plan on becoming a political commentator who, unfortunately, will have to work long hours. And, my apologies Merkel, I probably won't be living in a cabin in the woods. Luckily, though, after reading Radical Simplicity my immaterial and material wants for the future have changed.

In my future, I envision more spirituality—not necessarily one of religious sorts but a deeper bond with nature. I want to take my future children camping, hiking, fishing, etc. and really take in the beauty that nature has to offer. My future will be of moderate simplicity; not completely giving up modern conveniences but not allowing myself to become whole-heartedly attached. I'll use my car when utterly necessary but try to take public transit or, even better, bike to wherever I'm going. Let's hope I know how to ride a bike in the future. There will be less focus on the material and more on the immaterial; I also envision myself being more sustainably aware. Good-bye blood diamonds and hello cool environmentally friendly jewelery! According to Merkel, I'm currently at stage two: Conscious unsustainability. In my new enlightened future, I see myself as in between stage three and four; not completely sustainably conscious nor unconscious. I would be a blur of those two stages; on the fence. One thing I can be definite about, though, is that new and improved 2020 Yalda Mostajeran is more efficient and sustainable than the old model. Unfortunately, she still would run on B-Cafe croissants and tea.

2. Does the lifestyle that Merkel lives seem radical to you? Do you think he goes too far? Why or why not? Don't just answer yes or no. Be specific and thoughtful, utilizing the concepts from RS to reflect on your own willingness or unwillingness to live as simply as the author advocates.

In a nutshell, yes; I think Merkel's lifestyle is radical but I do not think that he goes “too far”. The way I see it is that going “too far” is when you reach a routine that makes you unhappy, unhealthy and is just one that you can't handle. Although I believe Merkel's lifestyle is radical, he is able to handle it, he's healthy and happy so, therefore, it's perfectly doable for him; it's not going “too far”. But, when applied to myself, that's a completely different story.

The one downfall in Merkel's experiment, and a possible turn-off to some readers, is the fact that Merkel started living sustainably when he had a sufficient amount of wealth saved up to support him. He had already lead a good, modern life and now had the funds to live a radically simple life. As a college student, I definitely have no money. In addition, when I finally have enough money to live a comfortable life I'm not sure I'd be willing to give it all up and chill in the woods, to be frank. I can tell that I'm not willing to go to the extremes that Merkel does; I am, however, willing to give a few of his ideas a shot. As I stated before, I want to embrace moderate simplicity. One aspect of Merkel's methods that really intrigued me was his journey to form a bond with nature. Without any closeness to nature, one doesn't feel a need to preserve it. If there's one lesson I'm taking away from this book and willing to try, it's deepening my bond with Mother Nature. I feel like if I learn to appreciate the environment more then being sustainable, in some aspects of my life, will come naturally.

Merkel's experience has inspired me to try to reshape my life; mold my practices into more sustainable ones. I may not have the money, or the life experience, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Kudos to your radicalism, Merkel, but I don't think I'd ever be able to trek that route. I haven't even tasted financial success and I'm not sure I'd be willing to give it away so quickly. However, no need to worry, I'm not completely turning away from sustainability. I'm looking at my ways, evaluating them and hoping I can change them for the better. I may never become a full blown environmental “hippie” but, who knows? I like flowers and peace; things could change.