The Silver Lining

Unemployment rates today are the highest ever. People are struggling to support their families and the government is injecting huge amounts of money to revive the economy. We are in one of the darkest economic times, but it also means that our environment is finally starting to get the respect that it deserves.


The Washington Post reported that landfills around the country are showing declines of up to 30 percent! In trying times such as these, people are buying less in general. Many people are repairing or refurbishing what they already have instead of shelling out cash to purchase something new. Websites such as Freecycle, where users sign up to give or exchange items for free, have also experienced significant increase in traffic. The website has gained up to 70,000 new users a week since last fall. Not only are we reducing trash in the form of fewer purchases such as television sets and other discretionary items, we are also cooking at home with fresh produce instead of purchasing prepared foods. This translates into less packaging and a lighter trashbag. Since our demands for goods have reduced drastically, factories are forced to close. One less factory means less harmful pollution and waste. This newfound frugality shows that America's consumer culture is going in reverse.