In Lowtech Magazine:

But how effective is individual action when it is systemic social change that is needed? Individuals do make choices, but these are facilitated and constrained by the society in which they live. Therefore, it may be more useful to question the system that requires many of us to travel and consume energy as we do.

I’ve asked myself this as I got a call about a job in Vancouver recently. I was great for the job. It was management and yet I had to commute every day into Vancouver. I had to give up hanging out with my kids at 3pm.

No I didn’t take it, and I did question the caller about why they would setup a job to take their employees away from their family for such long periods of the day without allowing any flexibility. They didn’t have an answer.

Every time I have to drive into Vancouver along with morning commuters I spend most of the time asking myself how others justify wasting all the time daily? How do they justify the expense of gas? The loss of time with their family to sit in a car?

I can’t justify it so I don’t do it. Work is changing, but it’s a slow process so far.

The rest of the article goes into the ways that the systems we have going on around us are making it harder and harder to reduce our energy footprint. Do read it