‘Tis the season…to recognize our impact and rethink our decisions

By Amy Hagedorn and Sarah Lansdale

We envision a Long Island that is healthy and beautiful, economically vibrant, offering equal opportunity in every way for all who live and work here.

We know that can happen and believe it’s all about decisions: how we cast our vote, how we support organizations that build toward what we want, how we make our voices heard.

But there’s a whole other dimension to achieving this more sustainable Long Island we envision, and it’s closest to home. We mean the decisions we make in our personal lives, saying we care about the future of Long Island is the easy part––but the words are meaningless on their own. What counts is making a commitment that governs what we do and inspires us to make better decisions.

If we care about Long Island’s well being, we need to consider our role in determining Long Island’s future, and act in a way that is positive to nurture our shared environment.

Here’s our hope: as the holidays approach, we think about changing some of the ways we celebrate––and some of our everyday all-year-round decisions. This involves consciously examining our habits and choosing to create some new ones––think New Year’s resolutions, ones you’ll keep.

Why do that? Because the con-sequences of small decisions add up monumentally.

There are alternatives to many of the things we’re used to doing. Our habits are often so engrained in our behavior and feel so natural, that we need to step back and recognize that everything we do involves a choice. For this New Year’s we should make the resolution to take notice of these everyday decisions and be aware of the consequences. Decisions like who we choose to know and who we keep relationships with –are they people just like us, or do we try to branch out to better understand and learn from people who are different from us? How much attention do we pay to current events? How do we travel to work? Do we rely on our cars or can we take advantage of public transportation?

In order for Long Island to be a sustainable region it is important for us to be informed, to look at the bigger picture, and to engage in our communities. There are many ways we can achieve these goals; the first step is to recognize the consequences of the decisions we make daily.

So what changes can you make? Here are some ideas for bringing the holidays more in line with sustain-ability.

•Rethink your gift ideas: This holiday season consider giving time instead of gifts to the people that you know and love. Neighbors may need errands run or lawns raked. Members of your family can elect to share knowledge or experience, like tutoring a younger sibling or shoveling snow for a friend. We can build bridges in our communities and help others to see that community is worth working for. Such gifts reward the giver as much as the recipient. It’s not really a matter of giving, but investing: in stronger traditions and the community spirit we need all year round to create a sustainable region.

•Help to rebuild our local economy by shopping locally: Buy as much as you can locally. When it comes to food, local shopping has so many advantages: it brings fresher, more nutritious, and if you choose, organic products to the table. They taste better and are much healthier for the environment too. And the more we use our dollars to vote for healthy local food, the more support we give our local growers—and the more we influence big providers. Several Long Island supermarket chains, for example, have acknowledged consumer preferences by stocking more locally-grown foods.

Since many of us will be spending a great deal of time this season searching for the perfect gifts for our loved ones, why not do our holiday shopping locally also? If we want our local shops and downtowns to thrive, we ought to shop there. Not only will shopping in local downtowns benefit local businesses and the local economy, but it can also benefit you directly! Think of the fuel you’ll save by walking from shop to shop in one of Long Island’s local downtowns. Good for your pocketbook, good for the environment, and good for the local economy.

•Renew your commitment to your community: There are many opportunities out there to become a more active member of your community, but you may have to seek them out. This holiday season, attend a civic meeting, and bring a friend or two. If you’d really like to stay engaged, consider joining your local civic association and perhaps give membership as a holiday gift. This gift will inspire others to care about the future of their community. Joining your local civic association is not the only way to engage in your community. Keep informed of critical issues facing your community and the region and engage local leaders on the issues that matter most to you. You can write a letter to the editor and to your local elected officials. You can educate a friend or family member by initiating dialogue about the importance of Long Island’s local economy, environmental health and social equity.

This holiday season is the time to build new traditions and make resolutions to move towards creating real social change that can have an impact for all Long Islanders.