At Jimmy Carter’s funeral, his grandson spoke beautifully about Jimmy’s many deep and good qualities. I had to chuckle at one example. He shared that his grandmother and grandfather, as children of the Great Depression, had a special place on their kitchen counter where they hung their used ‘zip-lock’ bags to dry after cleaning them and in order to reuse them. The crowd chuckled at this idea. My husband and I, our grown children, my extended family members (and a few very conscientious friends), all of whom are not children of the Depression, do the same. We do it to reduce our use of plastic. In a perfect world in my own home, I wouldn’t own a zip-lock bad, but alas, I’m far from perfect and the few remaining plastic bags that came new in a box from the grocery store, are living their more than nine lives in my home. Thanks, Jimmy, for doing your small and very big part for our ailing planet. And thank you, Jason, for your beautiful writing.
Thank you, Pamela, for articulating all of this so nicely. We too wash and re-use our ziplocs, trying to cut down our use of single-use plastics. I have no idea how common this is, but it just makes sense. It does occur to us, though, that there's a question of whether we eat more microplastics through wear and tear with the reused bags vs. constantly using new ones. We're sticking with re-using, figuring it the lesser of two evils.
I think we'd be hard-pressed to find any other occupant of the White House - or most houses - who washes their plastic bags.
What a beautiful essay, thank you. As a Brit, I had no idea of Jimmy Carter’s environmental credentials. I only remember Reagan coming in and joining with Maggie Thatcher to wreak havoc on our nations. But, as I heard recently on The Rest is History podcast, it seems even these key figures can only be described as symptoms of broader changes in society, rather than the only and direct causes. It has helped me to reframe my perspective of societal change away from the idea that ‘great men’ instigate it (although Carter does sound like a leader with great qualities), to the idea that there has always been change in the world, progressive then counter-progressive, ebbs and flows. Which we choose to align ourselves to, matters, of course. But I have faith that we will find our way back through this current darkness. Focus on the light, I tell myself, the countless people doing wonderful things for nature every day, not the few who want to tear it apart. Your Substack is one such example of someone who cares, and there are many, many of us. The thought just about keeps me sane at the moment 😏
Thank you, Lynne. Reagan and Thatcher were a dark duo. We'll be seeing similar or likely worse dark alliances in the days ahead. There's a very active effort to link with Putin, Orban, and the hard right in Germany in this incoming administration, pushed by extreme and selfish wealth. Environmental regulation lies on the chopping block along with a social safety net, humane international relations, and much else that most people hold dear.
I hear what you're saying about the weakness of the "great men" approach to history and the importance of movements from "below", but I do feel strongly that in large societies with all-powerful non-human entities we call corporations, regulatory action and principled behavior from above is vital and necessary. It is of course an all-hands-on-deck reality, where movements shape the urge to make policy, but the right (or wrong) person in high office can make a huge difference in the plight of both the human and more-than-human worlds. We're about to see the darker version of that dynamic play out in steroidal fashion here in U.S., where we have a long history of voting against our better angels.
Thank you for your kind words about my writing. I'll keep doing what I can for my sanity and yours...
Great column Jason. Incidentally, my dad was doing computer systems for the bank that was to release funds to Iran, and I recall him telling me back in 1980 about the scheme to delay the money until after the election. It was all set to go, everything in place.
At Jimmy Carter’s funeral, his grandson spoke beautifully about Jimmy’s many deep and good qualities. I had to chuckle at one example. He shared that his grandmother and grandfather, as children of the Great Depression, had a special place on their kitchen counter where they hung their used ‘zip-lock’ bags to dry after cleaning them and in order to reuse them. The crowd chuckled at this idea. My husband and I, our grown children, my extended family members (and a few very conscientious friends), all of whom are not children of the Depression, do the same. We do it to reduce our use of plastic. In a perfect world in my own home, I wouldn’t own a zip-lock bad, but alas, I’m far from perfect and the few remaining plastic bags that came new in a box from the grocery store, are living their more than nine lives in my home. Thanks, Jimmy, for doing your small and very big part for our ailing planet. And thank you, Jason, for your beautiful writing.
Thank you, Pamela, for articulating all of this so nicely. We too wash and re-use our ziplocs, trying to cut down our use of single-use plastics. I have no idea how common this is, but it just makes sense. It does occur to us, though, that there's a question of whether we eat more microplastics through wear and tear with the reused bags vs. constantly using new ones. We're sticking with re-using, figuring it the lesser of two evils.
I think we'd be hard-pressed to find any other occupant of the White House - or most houses - who washes their plastic bags.
What a beautiful essay, thank you. As a Brit, I had no idea of Jimmy Carter’s environmental credentials. I only remember Reagan coming in and joining with Maggie Thatcher to wreak havoc on our nations. But, as I heard recently on The Rest is History podcast, it seems even these key figures can only be described as symptoms of broader changes in society, rather than the only and direct causes. It has helped me to reframe my perspective of societal change away from the idea that ‘great men’ instigate it (although Carter does sound like a leader with great qualities), to the idea that there has always been change in the world, progressive then counter-progressive, ebbs and flows. Which we choose to align ourselves to, matters, of course. But I have faith that we will find our way back through this current darkness. Focus on the light, I tell myself, the countless people doing wonderful things for nature every day, not the few who want to tear it apart. Your Substack is one such example of someone who cares, and there are many, many of us. The thought just about keeps me sane at the moment 😏
Thank you, Lynne. Reagan and Thatcher were a dark duo. We'll be seeing similar or likely worse dark alliances in the days ahead. There's a very active effort to link with Putin, Orban, and the hard right in Germany in this incoming administration, pushed by extreme and selfish wealth. Environmental regulation lies on the chopping block along with a social safety net, humane international relations, and much else that most people hold dear.
I hear what you're saying about the weakness of the "great men" approach to history and the importance of movements from "below", but I do feel strongly that in large societies with all-powerful non-human entities we call corporations, regulatory action and principled behavior from above is vital and necessary. It is of course an all-hands-on-deck reality, where movements shape the urge to make policy, but the right (or wrong) person in high office can make a huge difference in the plight of both the human and more-than-human worlds. We're about to see the darker version of that dynamic play out in steroidal fashion here in U.S., where we have a long history of voting against our better angels.
Thank you for your kind words about my writing. I'll keep doing what I can for my sanity and yours...
Great column Jason. Incidentally, my dad was doing computer systems for the bank that was to release funds to Iran, and I recall him telling me back in 1980 about the scheme to delay the money until after the election. It was all set to go, everything in place.
Thank you, Maureen. And thanks for adding to the sorry tale of Reagan's sabotage of the hostage release plan.