Is a faltering economy good for the environment? If rising gas prices aren’t a sure enough sign that we need to change our ways, a recession may be just what Americans need to reduce waste, stop driving, and wake up to impending ecological crises.

Outside writer Elizabeth Hightower posits this possibility in the June issue of the magazine. In the aftermath of economic bust, Hightower describes an eco-utopia, where people (reformed big spenders and S.U.V. owners, to be sure) pad around in hemp slippers and engage in sustainable gardening. With tongue sharply in cheek, she writes:

“Imagine waking up on a clean, bright day in post-recession America. Nobody uses disposable anything, everyone bikes everywhere, sprawl is a thing of the past. …Can you believe it took a recession to shake us out of our consumption frenzy? Look at how we drove our cars—we could have cooked the planet!”

Hightower’s description may be a hopeful stretch, but it’s certainly possible that a poor economy will encourage consumers to heighten their eco-awareness—even unwittingly. Consumers will make an effort to save money and cinch their wallets—which, in turn, will help save the planet. Already, Americans are driving less, due mostly to the high cost of gas. People are turning to public transit, cycling, and other pedestrian options to get around, in lieu of spending $4 per gallon to fill up the tank. In a culture that’s governed by capitalist desires, it suddenly pays to go green.

Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, told Outside that business has consistently boomed during recessions because consumers prefer a durable, high-quality product to a flimsier alternative that they expect will fall apart or out of fashion. With car sales quickly sinking and trade-in values hitting an all-time low, I wonder: will cars someday become as obsolete and outdated as the gramophone; a passing and frivolous fad, like legwarmers or the Slinky? The automobile has come far since Ford’s first Model-T, but its sustainable replacement can’t arrive soon enough.

Photos via flickr by taichi_UK andCaesar Sebastian.

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