7/1/10

Living somewhere...else.

So... we get to our destination. The place where we are supposed to live and work for the summer. Really, it doesn't matter if it is where you are supposed to work, chill out, or live. Even if you are trying to get away and relax, you still have an incredible impact on the place that you have chosen for your vacation destination. And the more you decide to ''not care'' and ''just enjoy'', the more (negative) impact you will have on your paradise of choice.
Just think of Jackson, WY. Such a beautiful, pristine, incredibly wild place. Then think of the thousands of tourists that descend here summer after summer. People who have no relationship to the land, no attachment, no ties or commitments to the local community. It does not matter, when you rent a place, if you waste water and/or energy/electricity. It does not matter weather you shop at Kmart and Albertsons, or give your money to the local farmers and businesses. It does not matter if you recycle or throw everything into the trash. After all, you are just ''on vacation''. Does that give you the right to trash somebody-else's land?
Go to the farmers market, go to the local shops, read the local paper, look for the recycle bins, minimize your waste... in short, respect and honor the place where you hope to come back to in the future.

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