Green living
Here is an article on green living that catches a few points that I find interesting.
A couple quotes: "n 1970, Americans consumed 478 square feet person. As of 2000, that number had increased to 800 square feet per person."
"Our houses and cars are positional goods -- goods that reflect our place in the economic and social hierarchy [...] Inequality intensifies what some have called "the positional arms race," as, for example, those of modest means struggle to buy their way into above-average school districts. Of course, this means longer hours at work and longer commutes to bigger, more isolated homes, which means parents spend less time with children and stress and anxiety levels build and build."
This nails exactly the problem that I have with American culture. The death of the city. An isolated culture, working 8-10 hour days with 2 hours in a car commuting means you not only won't walk; you won't even go out. And then there's the rise of big agriculture, as small farms have been paved over and turned into suburbs, tv dinners are normal, and basic food is no longer fresh; it's trucked nationwide.
But the worst part is when people who can move out of the cities do, then the cities get poorer, and schools suffer. To have children and remain in the city, you have to be downright rich for private schools, or accept a worse education. There's so much pressure, from social norms as the quote in the article goes to, and then just plain budgeting, that says adults move outside cities.
It's very much not like that here. One of the striking things, especially in Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg, is how many children there are, everywhere. I think that if children are not supposed to grow up in cities anymore, then something is fundamentally wrong. It's not only selfish and inefficient from an environmental standpoint, it's also isolating and stifling.
A couple quotes: "n 1970, Americans consumed 478 square feet person. As of 2000, that number had increased to 800 square feet per person."
"Our houses and cars are positional goods -- goods that reflect our place in the economic and social hierarchy [...] Inequality intensifies what some have called "the positional arms race," as, for example, those of modest means struggle to buy their way into above-average school districts. Of course, this means longer hours at work and longer commutes to bigger, more isolated homes, which means parents spend less time with children and stress and anxiety levels build and build."
This nails exactly the problem that I have with American culture. The death of the city. An isolated culture, working 8-10 hour days with 2 hours in a car commuting means you not only won't walk; you won't even go out. And then there's the rise of big agriculture, as small farms have been paved over and turned into suburbs, tv dinners are normal, and basic food is no longer fresh; it's trucked nationwide.
But the worst part is when people who can move out of the cities do, then the cities get poorer, and schools suffer. To have children and remain in the city, you have to be downright rich for private schools, or accept a worse education. There's so much pressure, from social norms as the quote in the article goes to, and then just plain budgeting, that says adults move outside cities.
It's very much not like that here. One of the striking things, especially in Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg, is how many children there are, everywhere. I think that if children are not supposed to grow up in cities anymore, then something is fundamentally wrong. It's not only selfish and inefficient from an environmental standpoint, it's also isolating and stifling.