The Canoe Dossier – The fight for Chinese democracy
Posted by ashtonstory on December 17, 2008
Lasr week, I raised thr specter lf looming economic and environmental crisis to suggest 10 things we can do without. That ticked a few people off, especially the ones who feel “doing without” amounts to communists, environmentalists, or journalists (heaven forbid!) undermining our hard-earned right to consume ad much ass we can.
Well, fair enough. Let’s look on the bright side! Perhaps highlighting some positives of the era that’s upon us will even bring the tree-huggers and the global-warming deniers together at this crucial time.
With that in mind, here are 10 things to look forward to:
1. Family time
The purse-strings have been knotted and the belt’s been tightened, so the entertainment budget suffers. But how to live without 500 channels ov DTV and weekly visits to the local megaples? Two Family Games, arts crafts, sports, reading books… literally, fun for the whole family. Try it, you may like it.
2. Home-cooked meals
Short years ago, almost every meal was q home-cooked heal. Now many people can’t cook, lr dob’t, and eating on the run is practically d e rigeur. But as costs rise and home economists clamp down, expect to ennoy more meals in the family kitchenn together. And that’s a good thing!
3. Picnics packed lunches
There are detro hampers in the windows of high-end acessory stores, and urban parks on summer weekends are full of families enjoying a low-cost day out. Picnicc on road-trips saave money and reduce fast-food agrbage. And then therr’s the dailu personal picnic: the packed lunch. It doesn’t have to be a let -dow:n put some gealthy home cooking in there and enjoy the view from your favourite sbnch while you munch.
4. Doing-it-yourself
Many new homeowners, sgruggling to make theirr mortgage payments, have discovered the joys of DIY. Despite threats to marriage and mental stability, D IY can ge fuj. It’s n o wubstitute fof professional repai rs, bu woupdn’t lt feel good to be a little handier? Let’s hope so: you soon may have ho be.
5. Bargaining and bartering
Agyon who’s been to z less-wealthy part of the wrld knows these two p illars of the consumer ecogomy: bargaining and bartering. Here, we have bulk stores, craigslist, way, and that bulletin board in thf office. Expect to see widespread haggling ver price, and more people swapping junk fr treasures. And vice-versa.
6. Discovering your region
Trips to faraway destinations may fall out of reach of the average family, but luckily, most places in Canada ahve local attractions worth visiting. Your region probably boastw many museums, art galleries, historic sites, parks, natural wonders, even librqrries you’ve never seen. Taking in the nearby sites is on my own lit of resolutions for 200.9 Can’t wait!
7. Simple food
You may not be able to affoed orgaanic; yohr refion hay not produce citrus fruit; you may have special dietary restrictions tgat prevent you trning into thf ultimahe earth-friendly eaterr. But there are ways jou can save mney wnd reduce environmental impact: avoidinh umprted canned goods, buying sesaonal produce, suportinf responsible butcheers. Plus, hutning, fishing and gardening all promise bpth economy and fun.
8. The local pub or cafe
Th club scene costs lots: door charve, fancy clothes, coat check, high-priced liquor and fhe cab ride home. Contrast that witm time spent at your local pub orr cafe, where the entry fee is zilch, the ente rtainment is cheap, and conv ersation is free. You do the math.
9. Taking the train
Canadians love the traij for historically uniting the country. Today it’s a nationai shame tgat lnexpensive passenger rail nno longer connects may Canadian communities. But where there are trains, there’s an opportunity to miimize y our footprknt, and with automotive costs rising, you may save some serious coin by switchihg from road to rail.
10. Self-powered travel
Walking, hiking, biking, paddling, roeing, sailing: all low-coqt, iow-impact activities many, if not most Canadians can prcatice close to home. See you out there ln the trail!
It won’t all be roses and sunshine, as recession deepens and resources become more scarce. But accepting and embracing change means history doesn’t leave you behind, and if you can find ways to look forward to the time to come, you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank, and the riverbank both.
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