World on verge of foreclosure of a different sort

The recent economic turmoil has been a wake-up call and a hard lesson for many. It’s the cumulative result of the unrestrained greed of predatory lenders and Wall Street; inattentive, uninformed or, in some cases, irresponsible homebuyers who bought more home than they could realistically afford while believing in an ever-appreciating market with no end in sight; and the abject failure of government to foster a healthy, balanced financial system through responsible regulation.

The result, so far, is an unprecedented bailout and the corresponding media-fest to go along with it. Oh, what an uproar we create when “The Economy” is in trouble. Headlines! Television specials! Pundits and talking heads at their finest! We worship the economy like it’s some sort of deity and when our deity is in trouble, we get riled up. Well, fine. Society depends on our ability to trade goods and services in a meaningful way so of course it’s important.

Let’s take a look at a hypothetical example of the home market with a slightly different twist. What would you do if you knew you were losing your home? What if you were doing things that made it more likely you would lose it or render it uninhabitable, but for some reason you could not, or would not stop? Most importantly, what if, after all was said and done, you lost your home and there was no other place to go? It was just gone. Forever. No apartment to rent, no parents to move in with or friends with a spare room. No options. Would that keep you up at night?

Now apply this scenario to everyone, everywhere. If there was even a suspicion that everyone could lose their homes, imagine the headlines. What a threat to the economy. Right?

Wrong.

How do I know that? Because it is happening right now to the most important and only home we will ever have. They say that truth is stranger than fiction. The truth is that we are systematically dismantling our home piece by piece. We’ve got the thermostat too high, the air filters are falling apart, the refrigerator is on the blink and our water system is slowing to a dribble.

The truth is that we inherited this incredible property with no debt, but somehow have managed to mortgage it to the hilt, partying all the while. It’s as if we’ve pulled all the equity out of the planet and then some, creating an adjustable-rate mortgage with a rapidly increasing interest rate that’s already so high we may never be able to settle the debt.

Where are the headlines? Where’s the bailout? Where’s the outrage? We are losing our collective house. Why is it OK to spend $10 billion a month on war and a trillion or so to save the market, but not an extra dime to address the most crushing collapse we have ever faced? To put it in economic terms, it would be the best investment we could possibly make.

Our biosphere is in trouble. The climate crisis, ocean acidification, mass extinctions all are happening now. We are in the midst of an environmental meltdown that may ultimately make our current financial woes look like the good ol’ days. If it goes too far, and many say we’re dangerously close to that point, there will be no going back. There can be no bailout, no recovery, no rebuilding. Our only option will be attempting to adapt to living on a planet that we may not even recognize as Earth. Our house will be gone and survival on the streets is not guaranteed.

Americans play a key role in this drama. As 5 percent of the world’s population we consume more than 30 percent of its resources, including energy. We’ve emitted the lion’s share of carbon into the atmosphere and we’ve played the biggest role in blocking global attempts to address the issue. Although I despise the word consumer when used to describe people, in this context it is quite appropriate. We are literally consuming our world and a significant percentage of us have been quite proud of it. We’ve even done a good job convincing the rest of the world that they should do the same. It’s time to change that. Now.

We can choose a clean, green economy, part of the solution to putting our house back in order. There is no larger investment than the millions of years our ancestors have spent here; loving, learning, struggling and adapting to improve our experience of this wonderful place. Now it’s our turn. Foreclosure is not an option.

Steve Rypka is a green living consultant and president of GreenDream Enterprises, specializing in renewable energy, green building, alternative transportation and lifestyle choices for both residential and commercial clients. The company is committed to helping people live lighter on the planet. Rypka can be reached via e-mail at steve@greendream.biz. More information relating to this column is posted at www.greendream.biz.