A Tiny Carbon Footprint

I made my first trip to India six years ago to Kovalam -- a beautiful, tropical seaside village in Kerala, the southern most state. Kerala is known for the high literacy rate of its population (plus 95%); a diverse mix of Hindu, Muslim and Christian followers living peacefully together; the ancient tradition of Ayurvedic medicine; the serenity of small fishing villages; and the beauty of its beaches and inland water ways.

My hotel (the room was $4/night) was set within a hillside coconut grove. It was a clean, cinder block exposed building without Western conveniences -- yet with a warm and helpful staff. What more can you ask for at $4/night? As anyone who has been to India will attest, the culture shock of your first visit is a never ending explosion to the senses -- sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings. The culture shock is a mix of extremes with pleasant experience interspersed with those which are not.

Over the next few days, a remarkable (and entirely pleasant) scene unfolded before my eyes. Each morning, I took a short walk and climbed a steep series of steps to an adjacent building to attend a roof top yoga session. On my first morning walk, I came across a woman at the village water pump filling an earthen jug. She was attentative to her task and did not give me much notice. When I returned two hours later in the daylight, I saw her again, using a hand-crafted broom to sweep the stone walkway in front of a small brick building. The building -- perhaps 10 ft by 12 ft at best -- had an opening but no visible door. I quickly concluded that the building was a garden or tool shed for the hotel and that the woman worked for housekeeping.

The next day, I saw the woman which I was coming to expect. This time, though she was in the shed sitting on the floor with a bunch of fresh vegatables in front of her. I now knew that this small building was not a tool shed. In fact, it was her home. Not wanting to stare or make her uncomfortable, I kept walking. The following day brought my biggest surprise.

This time, outside the hut stood two well groomed, uniform-attired school children (a girl perhaps 12 years old and her younger brother). To say I was shocked would be an understatement. It is not that I couldn't imagine a family of four living in a hut -- there are families all over India -- and the world for that matter -- who sleep with barely a tent above them. What surprised me was how clean, well dressed -- and happy these children appeared to be. The smiles on their faces and the pressed creases in their uniforms have stayed with me to this day.

In the more "developed" world, reducing your carbon footprint is the latest fashion particularly in the suburbs. The family I came across on this trip to India set an impossible to reach benchmark for one's carbon footprint. No electricity (no lights, a/c, television, radio, refrigerator). No plumbing (faucets, showers or toilets). No car. Maybe a propane stove.

Ironically, this family may have set an impossible to reach benchmark for happiness too. If gauged by the smiles on the face of their children.