On page 142 Thomashow discusses the ethos of caring for the environment and living a low impact life. This lifestyle is called the “simple life” this good or simple life is based on the idea of having a deep relationship with nature, and balance. This idea connects to sustainable practices because as one reduces their high demands it will reduce the demands on the environment. However, this idea is not obtainable for the majority of society because we have so many high demands. On page 143 he states that “It’s relatively rare to find people on college campuses who claim to have achieved a balanced work life. Rather, people complain about, proclaim, or take pride in how busy they are.” Many people live high demands and are comfortable with living this way because many do not want to change their ways.
This idea of living a good life even when our lives are constantly full of high stress and tasks connects back to what he was saying earlier on page 142 with the quote that “you can’t take care of the environment if you don’t take care of the environmentalist.” As a society, we need to make sure we create a community where people take care of themselves so they can create time to take the extra step to make decisions that will benefit the environment. Instead of ordering coffee out in a plastic container you make a coffee cup at home, from bird-friendly coffee.
Secondly, on page 145 where he lists 6 behavioral tenets for implementing balance in an institution, the key idea is that if you are going to preach sustainable practices then you must be able to implement them as well as follow-through because if you expect your students to live sustainably, they need to see that it is a realistic lifestyle. It’s the idea of practice what you preach.
