Working less is good for the environment

Alternet has posted a compelling argument for why environmentalists should work less (like we needed any more encouragement to work less). I think this article underscores a pervasive problem with our capitalist culture: that more is always better. We’ve seen plenty of evidence for how pushing people to up their productivity and do more with less resources leads to stress and burnout, and actually may make us less competitive in a global economy because overworked people can’t come up with innovative ideas. This article posits that our drive to work longer and harder also decreases sustainability, with the emphasis on producing more, driving up consumerism and building in planned obsolescence for everything from cell phones to designer jeans. When I look at unchecked growth without regard for the health of the larger organism, I see cancer. For our own health and the health of our planet, we need to figure out how to be satisfied with less. The added benefit is that we get to work less and enjoy life more.