Interview with Alex Walker

Director of Ekopia

Summary:

Alex identified the biggest ecological problem facing Scotland today to be our unsustainable lifestyles. The fact that we are using more resources than the Earth can sustain, is contributing to all ecological problems. He said that Global Warming is not the main problem but instead a symptom of over-consumption of resources due to unsustainable lifestyle habits.

In response to the question, why is this happening? he spoke about the difference between this generation and his father’s generation. In his father’s time the goal was to meet basic needs and live comfortably, there was no awareness of the ecological consequences of consumption. Now that the majority of people in the UK enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, he says, we are still caught up in trying to consume more, live in bigger homes, or buy the latest gadgets. He said that there is evidence that after a certain level of prosperity, in which our needs for housing, food, clothing, leisure activities, and friendship have been met, happiness no longer increases. He said that now, instead of continuing to buy more, it is time to be satisfied with what we have.

Alex conjectured that we have most of the solutions we need to solve this problem. We have technologies to supply renewable energy and the examples of Ecovillages such as the Findhorn Foundation where the community generates more electricity from the wind than it uses. It is time to limit unnecessary spending and focus on living well within the means of the Earth.
The images that Alex spoke about was the difference between a huge mall filled with chain stores versus a farmers market or high street with unique shops selling locally produced products.