flooding causes the most damage in the u.s. as compared to other natural disasters – about $5 billion each year – according to the national severe storms laboratory.

even during a pandemic, the ellicott city community is working hard to protect from even more damage than what it has already endured.

ellicott city has always been prone to major flooding, with the earliest recorded major flood in 1868, according to the baltimore sun archives.

more floods came throughout the years, and just when the city thought it was finally recovering, it faced one of the worst ones yet in 2016.

and another in 2018.

i remember checking my phone and suddenly seeing photographs and videos of the place i visited the week before now completely underwater.

in a matter of seconds, my family and friends were on high alert, calling their loved ones to make sure they weren’t out at the bars that night. i marked myself “safe from the ellicott city floods” on facebook.

i was shocked, mostly because i had never witnessed a flood this close to home––literally––before. i had also never paid too much attention to ellicott city’s geographical aspects and why it is so prone to flooding.

the city is located in a valley, and during storms, water is funneled down and drained into streams at the bottom of the slope. the most recent two floods were too much for the city’s old drainage system to handle and differed from past floods because instead of slowly rising up, water rushed downwards, putting main street underwater at a faster rate.

i asked myself if the city could ever recover.

hopefully, with the help of the ellicott city watershed master plan, this will be possible in the near future.

the plan outlines both structural and nonstructural flood mitigation measures, mostly all large-scale.

these developments include removing/replacing trees to prevent debris buildup and relocating outdoor storage containers to remove potential obstructions, as well as the bigger construction plans of four dry flood mitigation facilities within the stream channel and a tunnel to divert water from parking lots directly to the patapsco river.

an interactive map of howard county allows the public to view the details and status of each project in the area.

howard county is also creating “high ground access points,” an updated emergency public alert system, and detailed relocation/migration plans to aid the community when another flood strikes, the plan adds.

i didn’t see these floods firsthand, and i can’t imagine what it was like for someone who did.

human-driven global warming worsens the environmental factors that contribute to flooding, leading to heavier precipitation, more frequent hurricanes, and stronger storms, according to the nrdc.

knowing that something this devastating could happen as close as it did to my home urges me more than ever to do my part.

this is not to dissuade anyone from getting as close to this point as possible or to say that being eco-friendly is futile, but rather to show some flaws in our modern society that so often go unnoticed. when you limit the products that you are allowed to buy and use purely by the packaging and how it is disposed of, it’s like taking a flashlight and shining it on the shadowed, hidden and inconspicuous defects in our production and distribution of items. for one, it’s difficult to find any sort of product with reusable packaging, especially packaging without any plastic. cereal, clothes from amazon, my ninja bullet and its various parts that i got for christmas, papyrus mailing cards and countless other items that have no business needing plastic packaging all seem to have them! the epa estimated 14.5 million tons of plastic containers and packaging were generated in 2017. by being overexposed to this kind of material and seeing it on everything, eventually, we become numb and “blinded” to the sight of it and don’t notice it anymore. it is only until forcing yourself to see it that it becomes apparent that there is unnecessary packaging everywhere. 

on instagram and over social media, it has become popular to show pictures of a mason jar full of trash and title it “my waste of one year” or “how my family and i haven’t touched plastic for 6 months”. while the shock value of this is impressive and draws people into the concept of living more sustainably, it doesn’t quite tell the whole story of waste in this country. for example, lauren singer who has a channel on youtube shows her trash for four years that has come out to one mason jar. this is incredibly impressive and something we should all aspire to. as i was watching this video, though, i couldn’t help but think of the methods that go into making these products. in the mason jar, there are produce stickers from fruit, which most likely, have come from fruit that has been imported and been grown with pesticides. in addition, the clothing tags, usually come from clothes that have also been imported and contain harmful dyes. the crux of this is that the material waste created isn’t the only problem. i would suggest that people also consider the methods that are being used to create these items and look to the manufacturers to also make changes.

in regard to what citizens and consumers can do, as far as packaging is concerned, a lot of good can be done by reducing and eventually eliminating packaging, especially when it comes to food. currently, i am in the process of creating and establishing a “to-go” program where food containers are taken home with restaurant leftovers and then are returned, reused, and washed and can be used again by another patron. these “eco-go” containers would save on the styrofoam and plastic “to-go” containers and would create a more sustainable and eco-friendlier world. there are also so many companies who are taking a stab at this problem. “from 2020 to 2025, nestlé will phase out all plastics that are not recyclable or are hard to recycle.” even washington d.c. passed legislation in 2009 that required all businesses that sell food or alcohol to charge 5 cents for each carry out or plastic bag.

for those who have concerns about the state of our future, there is hope and it is everyday people who care that really make a difference and inspire change. by attempting to go zero waste and monitor what is being disposed of, we become more aware and cognizant of our daily waste and as a result can be more proactive in our steps to affect climate change in a positive way.

1. shopping at zero-waste stores. check out this zero-waste grocery shopping guide as a place to start.

2. bringing your reusables. it’s all about making it a habit. bring your own bags to the grocery store, bring your own cups to coffee shops, and always keep your reusable utensils and straws on you.

3. buying sustainable alternatives to your everyday products. shampoo and conditioner bars and bamboo toothbrushes are just a few items that you can purchase to make your everyday activities more sustainable.

for an extended list of what you can do, check out the reduce single-use at eckerd college’s website’s “how to help” section.

sources for the video:
the ocean conservancy

united nations environment

pielet was the first speaker of the day.

“my entire life has been plagued by the words ‘now is the time to act’ but my generation cannot do this alone,” she said to the crowd, and they cheered in response.

inspired by greta thunberg, the 16-year-old climate activist from sweden famous for starting fridays for future, young people around the world organized local climate strikes. in this worldwide call for climate action, the city of st. petersburg joined in on a momentous day.

pielet was originally drawn to the issue of climate change through her love of animals and the environment. as a child in illinois, she would regularly ask to visit the zoo, aquarium, or go to a park so she could spend time outside and observing animals.

although far from home, she was drawn to the mystery of the oceans in particular, which is why eckerd’s campus was an appealing option for college. the liberal arts school sits on florida’s gulf coast, and on any given day you can see dolphins from the campus’s beach, making it a popular place for marine science and environmental studies students. today pielet stands as the president of eckerd college’s “scubi jews” club, a scuba diving club facilitated by eckerd college’s campus rabbi. as the leader of scubi jews, pielet organizes events such as waterfront clean-ups and dive for debris, where dive-certified students can help clean up the trash found at the ocean floor.

now, looking into the crowd of faces at the climate strike, pielet continued: “we have everything to gain from climate action and everything to lose from inaction.”

the responding enthusiasm from the crowd was infectious. that support likely comes from witnessing climate change, firsthand.

florida faces serious impacts of a changing climate — some of which have already been felt by the intensified hurricanes and sea-level rise. both will continue to worsen if nothing is changed. 

tourism is a large part of florida’s economy, thanks to its beautiful beaches and other recreational opportunities, seafood, and amusement parks. impacts of the climate crisis are an immediate threat to florida’s economy, which is why, pielet said, we need to talk about the money. 

“there will be so many jobs if we start trying to build more green infrastructure, and renewable energy,” she assured. 

the biggest roadblock? political will, pielet said.

one of the struggles in making progress is that many have a different idea of how to go about addressing this issue, or not addressing it at all.

“i don’t think it’s about trying to convince people that (climate change) is real or not,” pielet said, “but it’s more so just voting them out… and voting in people who are serious about it.”

with the 2020 presidential election coming soon, addressing the issue of climate change is more urgent than ever. many who are concerned about the environment are looking for candidates with a climate plan.

the city of st. petersburg proves that important action can be taken at the local level, too. in april 2019, st. petersburg adopted an integrated sustainability action plan, which outlines a blueprint for the city to be fossil fuel-free with a thriving economy by 2035. the plan includes implementing more public transportation and bike routes. 

as i sat speaking to pielet in the park while her dog zoomed around us, i noticed the determination in her voice and the purpose in her tone.

“finally, the pressure is on,” she said.

there are many factors that make switching to a green economy complex, she explained, but it is doable — and our future depends on it. 

after seeing the turnout at the st. petersburg climate strike, where 1,200 people gathered on sept. 20 to demand action, pielet said, “this is the most hope i’ve ever had… this could truly be a turning point.”

we have the groundwork laid out, and now it’s just a matter of acting on it.

as an intern at a federal agency for the past 4 months, i had the opportunity to contribute to an organization-wide transition toward more efficient and accountable business practices. working in the program management department responsible for implementing the transition exposed me to a variety of obstacles common to large-scale change. the issues the program management department addressed were chronic and relevant to almost every employee in the agency. the decision-making process for middle management was not only often inefficient, but also overly hierarchical and opaque to normal employees. nevertheless, there were contrasting visions of how the agency could improve its work and best serve its clients. some were too stubborn to adjust their own management methods to new standards, while others interpreted the new process as a burden to employees who already had numerous documentation requirements.

clashing perspectives and priorities were pervasive even among those in support of the program management department’s efforts. even minute details of the program management tools required many layers of review from different groups of stakeholders. my internship was relatively brief, but these fault lines within the agency were immediately apparent. however, there were passionate civil servants across these divisions who seemed genuinely dedicated to improving the agency’s work and serving the public.

the media often portrays the government as a monolith that is unresponsive to new circumstances and inflexible to change. bureaucratic impediments in government surely exist, however, i was exposed to a much more complex and optimistic reality. many government employees are aware of and enthusiastically strive to resolve systemic issues in their agencies. the process may be time-consuming, but thorough deliberation is necessary to any process that affects thousands of employees and uses public funds. being bold enough to demand radical change is just as important as understanding how both large public and private systems process transitions.

this perspective developed my own outlook as i considered the scope of work necessary to make the world more sustainable. while an organization’s “culture” of sustainability is typically judged by its environmental impact or social awareness, management-employee relations and the distribution of day-to-day decision-making power also deserves scrutiny. aside from fair compensation and benefits, organizations can empower its employees by providing structural opportunities for collaboration and meaningful contribution to the business process. distinct organizational hierarchies are often necessary as a practical matter of mitigating risk and matching competency with a proportional degree of responsibility.

however, imbalanced power dynamics in work environments can undermine the importance of collaboration and even dehumanize the individual entry-level employee. changing these dynamics is not always possible in the short-term, however, looking for opportunities to improve the way that people interact with their social and professional environments is at the core of developing innovative sustainable solutions. as more organizations begin using the language of sustainability, it is important that those in power have the tools and incentives to initiate bold conversations and ideas regardless of how difficult they are to implement.

my mindset

while in high school, i watched the films “blackfish” and “the cove” multiple times, learning about animals in captivity and the poor treatment of animals in some facilities. this is the viewpoint of many “animal rights activists”–that animal captivity equates to animal abuse. i was one such “activist,” assuming that all zoos and aquariums were cruel facilities, no better than a prison for so many innocent creatures. i’d repost various articles, videos, and photos from animal rights groups on social media, captioning that these “cute” behaviors exhibited by the animals aren’t cute at all but are examples of phenomena like zoochosis, the display of repetitive and unnatural behavior by an animal under human care, indicative of psychological stress on the animal.

however, my opinion began to change when i took ethics and animal welfare, one of my first college courses. as a part of the curriculum, we visited big cat rescue in tampa, fla., where we had the chance to observe how these animals benefited from being under licensed human care, rather than their prior environment. we learned about how most of the animals there were rescued from abusive or unnatural environments; some, originally bought as pets, were abused or abandoned, while others were made performance cats — most of which had been living under actual captivity their entire lives. almost all of the cats there — lions, tigers, panthers, jaguars, etc. — were ineligible for release into the wild, but were thriving and seemingly content under human care at this organization.

one of the biggest catalysts to shifting my opinion of animal wellbeing under human care was a guest presentation in my comparative psychology class in spring 2018. a zookeeper from the african animals exhibit at zootampa spoke to our class about the elephant habitat, the animals the zoo cares for, and how many people complain the elephants “don’t have enough space.” however, her argument showed these people are woefully misinformed. she explained how the animals have the correct amount of calculated space for all of the individuals as needed for a living environment that has no predators and readily available food and water; if given more space, it would not be utilized, as it is not needed.

animals under human care

currently there are 233 accredited u.s. institutions within the association of zoos and aquariums (aza), which “collectively draw more than 195 million visitors every year,” according to their website. a common element of environmental issues is the difficulty to care about something if it can’t be seen or isn’t understood. aza organizations allow for up-close observation and education of exotic species that most people otherwise would never see in their lifetimes.

many people have a hard time caring about issues like climate change, sea level rise, species extinction, etc., because they can’t be seen with their own eyes. many aza organizations offer interactive programs, which can not only expose people to conservation issues, but provide an opportunity to appease individual desires to interact with exotic species, which is generally otherwise illegal. aza organizations also have standards they have to meet or exceed in several areas of operation, including animal welfare, veterinary care, education, conservation, physical facilities, and many others. these rigorous standards ensure that aza accredited facilities are focused on many key aspects, the most important of which being the care and well-being of the animals.

in addition to aza-accredited facilities, there also are 73 alliance of marine mammal parks and aquariums (ammpa) organizations worldwide. of these 73 organizations, 27 are accredited u.s. facilities, many of which focus on dolphin and marine mammal conservation. ammpa accreditation requirements include a quality of care that meets or exceeds rigorous regulations, including standards similar to those required of aza organizations.

marineland dolphin adventure (st. augustine, fla.) is an accredited ammpa facility and is an interactive educational facility. originally established in 1938 as marine studios, mda now specializes in conservation. as a former intern, i learned the proper phraseology to use when referring to various aspects of an animal care facility. for example, they taught me that while the word “captivity” is undescriptive and controversial. “human care” is a better way to describe the way in which the animals are handled. the animals are not imprisoned; most often they are living in safe and enriching environments, looked after by people who deeply care for them. furthermore, saying “captivity” silently supports the negative attitude toward caring for animals in these facilities. other terminology changes suggested during my internship included alternatives such as “habitat” instead of “tank” and “preferred” rather than “good/bad” in reference to behaviors. changing one’s word choice helps promote a more neutral connotation toward professional animal care institutions.

often, language used by many “anti captivity” movements consists of word choice geared toward framing these organizations in a negative perspective. “captivity,” “suffering,” “exploited,” and “slavery,” are just a few terms used by the empty the tanks movement to describe organizations that keep cetaceans under human care. these words make the practices of all zoos and aquariums seem corrupt, but this is untrue. my personal experiences in the field have shown me that what these movements view to be negative practices are actually carefullyplanned functions and interactions that benefit the well-being of the participating animals.

in addition to caring for more than 800,000 animals collectively, the aza also has a program that helps protect threatened and endangered species, many which do not reside under human care. s.a.f.e. (saving animals from extinction) uses conservation action, public education, and expert wildlife care to make an effort in preserving species on the brink of extinction. currently, there are nine species/groups of species on the aza s.a.f.e species list, with conservation efforts underway to help improve their status on the iucn red list. additionally, 33 species are currently listed as extinct in the wild; aza efforts have successfully conducted the introduction of captive-bred organisms into the wild to improve conservation status, resulting in the improvement of 3 species, brought back from wild extinction. these species include the przewalski’s horse, black-footed ferret, and california condor. this shows that, if raised for this purpose, animals can be properly released into the wild after residing under human care.

furthermore, animal care requires some amount of animal training in order to conduct proper care, and these taught behaviors are completely voluntary. these are the most basic of behaviors, allowing for a trainer or zookeeper to perform daily care rituals. behaviors like presenting a body part or limb, specific movement, participation in blood taking or hydration sessions, and anything else that may not be a natural behavior for the animal but assists with proper care are referred to in the animal care community as “husbandry” behaviors. however, during my time at marineland, i observed dolphins outright refuse to do a requested behavior, and the trainers respect this. in addition, the dolphins aren’t requested to do any behavior that isn’t naturally displayed by wild atlantic bottlenose dolphin.

the psychological truth

many believe animals of particularly high cognitive ability can only be happy in the wild instead of human care, but this is a myth. it isn’t psychologically possible for animals born under human care to miss a life in the wild because they have no knowledge of it, nor is it an argument of “intrinsic knowledge” or evolution. additionally, it’s common understanding that a dolphin cannot suddenly be placed in the ocean if it has never had to hunt or evade predators, nor been exposed to toxins and bacteria that exist in the ocean.

nevertheless, i’m expressly aware that the system is not perfect and that there are zoos and aquariums with practices that aren’t exactly stellar. many nonaccredited facilities don’t have the same rigorous standards required of aza and ammpa organizations, proving that indeed the practices of some facilities may not be entirely focused on animal welfare. however, my argument lies within the purpose and benefits of the concept of zoos and aquariums, and within the ideal world that all animal care facilities would operate at the highest standard possible. i am aware that this is not always the case, but the original idea isn’t corrupt. while many places originally were based on entertainment, and many still rely on it, there has been an increasingly popular transition into direct education through observation and interaction. experiential education has, time and time again, been proven to be one of the most effective methods of education. people connect with and care more about things they can outright see and experience.

self-described solarpunks support this idea through environmental and social activism, sustainable lifestyle choices, and by contributing to the growing collection of solarpunk media.

this podcast was written and recorded by janet rogers for the planetfoward storyfest 2018 competition. music in the podcast is “be a good punk” by monplaisir, courtesy of the free music archive. the anthologies mentioned are “sunvault” edited by phoebe wagner, “wings of renewal” edited by brenda pierson, and “biketopia” edited by elly blue.

in fact, water conveyance — the transportation of water — is one of the largest energy consumers, accounting for about 8% of the entire country’s energy usage. and it turns out that we are conveying a lot more water than we need.

according to mark kovscek, founder and ceo of conservation labs, most of the infrastructure supporting water transportation is more than 50 years old, and faulty.

“most of our infrastructure was built in 1970 or earlier and needs to be replaced or repaired,” he said. “that cost in the next 10 plus years will be about 4.7 trillion dollars.”

water leaks generally account for about 15% of your monthly water bill. kovscek’s newest product, h2know, helps find those leaks to fix them. h2know is a smart water meter that connects to an app on your mobile device and saves you about $250 annually in water bills.

how h2know works

you can install h2know in less than 10 minutes to your own main pipeline, where the device takes live readings, thousands of measurements per second, of the pipe’s water flow.

every water-using device: washing machines, faucets, toilets, and even leaks, have a unique water signature, meaning that the rate of water flowing through the main pipeline changes according to which device is being used, and through advanced data analytics and machine learning algorithms, these measurements are converted into useful information for homeowners. this data will tell you exactly which device is using water and when, and also identify leaks as they happen. the real-time response is important, according to kovscek, because otherwise homeowners tend to ignore problems like these.

the example kovscek gives is of a homeowner with a leaky toilet. the homeowner notices a leak from the toilet’s connecting pipe after a few days, but puts a container under it and decides to take care of it later. after three consecutive months of a water bill $30 higher than usual, she finally calls a plumber. by that time she already has lost $90, plus the cost of the plumber.

an h2know device would have notified the homeowner as soon as the leak started and also offered her the contact information for a local plumber, and diy instructions on how to stop the leak.

h2know encourages the behavior of taking care of problems as they happen, resulting in less water loss and money down the drain.

according to kovscek, the app “casually reminds folks that there is this broader issue that’s out there of conservation.”

the app part of h2know aims to “gamify conservation,” kovscek says. it aims to compare a homeowner’s water usage to an average, or to a household with a same number of people living in it. this makes it a competition to conserve water. in other words, it provides incentive for people to begin changing their water use habits. the app also provides suggestions for ways to cut back on water usage.

kovscek’s conservation labs recently won one of the eureka parks climate change innovator awards at the consumer electronics show in las vegas — the first year they’ve given this environmental award — for its h2know, and the company has an indiegogo campaign running in order to bring their product to market.

h2know market projections 

according to kovscek, hexa research estimates the smart water meter market space to be about $2 billion. his own estimations came in at about $1.5 billion, although this market analysis was made before the smart water meter existed at all. kovscek explains that this projection is driven primarily by four factors:

the first is homeowners’ adoption of connected smart home devices. markets and markets estimates the smart-home industry will be worth $137.91 billion by 2023.

the second factor is increasing water rates. circle of blue estimates that in the past five years, water rates have increased by 40% in 30 major u.s. cities. kovscek says that his own bill is projected to rise 17% in the next year. these rising rates are due to old infrastructure being used to transport water, an estimated $4.7 trillion job for repairs and replacements that citizens are seeing in the form of rising water rates and taxes.

the third market-driving factor is climate change. citizens in california were mandated to reduce their water consumption by 20% during the most recent drought, a feat determined by habit and identifying leaks, both things which h2know addresses. similarly, extreme weather events and temperatures cause pipes to freeze and unfreeze at unprecedented rates, causing decaying pipes and water damage.

the fourth factor is the increasing public awareness of sustainability and environmental issues. people want to buy the most sustainable product and are becoming more conscious of consumer responsibility and dollar voting. all of these factors are driving a $2 billion product market, fit for h2know.

what sets h2know apart from its competitors is its lower price point — and its potential for investment returns for the homeowner. the appliance and app cost less than $100, and could save the homeowner as much as $250 a year. kovscek also estimates his product has a shelf life of 10-plus years, so customers don’t have to spend money replacing or repairing the device on a routine basis.

kovscek said h2know is able to operate at such an affordable price due to the research and care that the team at conservation labs put into it. kovscek himself has an impressive background in data analytics, with a degree in mathematics from carnegie mellon university, and having worked for a long time solving big problems using advanced mathematic techniques. he is a numbers guy at heart, and sees what he does as “fun exercises in data science” that he is passionate and excited about, rather than as work.

with his expertise, conservation labs has invested the time and money into machine learning in order to sift through the messy and complicated data that their low cost sensor produces. kovscek said this is different from other products on the market that use expensive sensors, which need to be installed by a plumber, and are invasive to the water infrastructure design. while some of these other products are fitted with an application that is capable of directly turning off the water supply as soon as a leak is detected, these technologies are entering the market at about $500. products at this price might save water, but probably won’t save much money. 

the future of water conservation

in the future, kovscek hopes to produce a product that works in tandem with h2know and will directly turn off the water supply when a leak is detected. he hopes to customize one of these products that already is on the market to work compatibly with h2know and provide homeowners with this additional feature.

while the primary focus of conservation labs right now is on homeowners, and shipping out the first 1,000 h2know devices by the end of the year, kovscek sees the possibility of bringing h2know to commercial spaces in the future.

there is a “need and market with commercial places too,” he says, but “it is hard to scale with wi-fi being the primary communication protocol.” it would be hard to have a wi-fi network responsible for reaching the area included within a city’s limits, not to mention the problems associated with wi-fi security, passwords, and privacy protection.

in order to bring h2know to universities, towns, and cities, they would need to use a different communication platform. however, it is doable, and would help to identify leaks and trouble spots in city infrastructures that need replacement, ultimately saving tax dollars and increasing water rates.

conservation labs is still looking for partners with similar values with whom they can go to market, and is looking forward to having many of those conversations this year.

on the reservation, you are constantly reminded of the cultural loss of a harmonious lifestyle with the land. consumerism and acts of violence against the native people from european americans took away more than a lifestyle, leaving trauma and broken human hearts in its wake.

as an european american growing up on tribal lands, i saw glimpses of the mindset that allowed humans to co-exist with animal and plant ecosystems in many of the native traditions.  one example is through hunting; there is a respect for the animal that you are preparing to eat. there is a careful preservation of each part of the animal to be used for leather, antler bone, and meat for food to regalia. i also saw knowledge of local plants and what they offer (or how they can harm) humans. the lifestyle was social, efficient, and sustainable, but none of it sprung out of a desire to be environmentally friendly; native communities simply live this way to survive and enjoy life.

in the city i am constantly exposed to extraneous resources. it is almost laughably easy to find free food, furniture, or even clothes! the major difference is the availability of land for plants and living spaces. there was a huge movement in the lower east side to reclaim urban spaces for community in the late 70’s and 80’s. it sprung partially out of a need for safety and security, and partially for the lack of monetary resources available in the neighborhood. the increase in abandoned land and buildings made it increasingly unsafe for the remaining residents, so there was a movement to take back this land from its absentee “owner” and use it for community good. this was the impetus for local gardens grown on empty lots, squatters refurbishing and making abandoned and broken buildings safe again. the mindset wasn’t out of a need to become environmentally friendly, but these communities started recycling, sourcing their food locally, reusing and re-purposing their waste and the “garbage” of others. they became sustainable and happy from creating a sub-culture and way of life within new york city that didn’t rely on consumerism.

in new york city and on the reservation, i saw that sustainability can grow out of a need; not just an ethical sensibility or a desire to become more efficient. today we see a lot of differences pointed out in the media between rural and urban communities – which may distract us from environmental issues – but why not examine the common sustainable ingenuity arising out of the simple will to survive anywhere?

as an artist these revelations and others like them have inspired my work, but i hope that these communities can inspire more than that. i want to be a part a movement of people who are re-thinking how they fulfill their needs without consumerism. we should be looking to those who had no choice but to develop their own community sans consumerism, or those who had lost faith in consumerism because it could no longer serve their needs. let’s not try to re-invent the wheel, let’s do this together with past generations wisdom to rely on.