Christmas, Affluenza, and Appropriate Technology

Recent news stories describe an illness called "affluenza" - a set of problems resulting from having too much. This syndrome increases during this time of the year when many businesses record up to 90% of their sales and many people go into deep debt. It also highlights statistics like the US with 5% of the world's population using 25% of the world's resources (The average U.S. family's consumption has 40 times the environmental impact of the average Indian family and 100 times that of the average Kenyan family. U.S. per capita fossil fuel emissions are 500 times those in China and India. E Magazine 11/97).

For the ecologically oriented, this season brings confusing conflicts. On the one hand, concerns about over consumption, affluenza, pollution and energy. On the other, the power and momentum of valid cultural encouragement toward generosity and gift-giving.

And the problem isn't just over consumption ô the deeper issues involve intelligent and responsible rather than frivolous and narrow, selfish decision making. We need to recognize that responsibility comes with what we have. If we have more money, influence, political power, education, intelligence - whatever it is - to the same extent we have more responsibility to use these resources beneficially. If we frivolously squander any kind of asset, not only do we lose an opportunity to make the world a little better, we also give ourselves a case of affluenza and undermine the meaningfulness of our life.

The definition of "Appropriate Technology" changes with each situation. It's not appropriate to install solar modules in a place with very little sun, a wind generator in a place with little or no wind. What's appropriate in a large urban location is very different from what's appropriate in a remote, isolated environment. One quality that remains the same, however, is taking care of things. In each situation, the essence of AT remains appreciating, helping, caring. Planned obsolescence, throw-away products, poor quality all go against intelligent decision-making and the true spirit of appropriate technology.

Pollution starts as a state of mind and it always gets tricky when we philosophize our actions. We can make things worse by trading physical pollution for mental pollution ô where it all starts anyway. Or, with just a little extra intelligence and thoughtfulness, we can look at consequences and make better decisions.

As Pardot Kynes says in the novel "Dune", "The highest function of ecology is the understanding of consequences." An appropriate technology point of view reconciles the conflict between the Christmas season and affluenza - we can both help the environment and participate in this generosity-invoking season.

Steve Troy