Sustainable leisure

The modern trend in leisure time is to be as unsustainable as possible. Low cost flights, low gasoline prices, flooding advertisements try to convince us that the only way to spend your free time or leisure is by going as far as possible, to visit some secluded spot or play some exclusive sport in a remote location.

This, in my opinion is an obscene way to squander energy and resources, and a way to deteriorate every place on earth. However, tourism is one of the most powerful sectors in modern economy, and people will not take it kindly if you suggest that they should not center their hopes in tourism. Sadly, a town will invest money in building a golf course, even if they dont have an adequate water supply, or some crazy scheme like that. Golf courses flourish in Spain in the most unlikely places. Let us hope that the growing demand of food makes that less atractive to farmer's eyes. That, at the same time, will mean another menace to wildlife. Our lifstyle is unsustainable even when we try to live responsibly, our society should not encourage such things that only add to enviromental decay.

I for one are not keen on traveling for such things. In my free time I like reading, music, films etc. thing that can be done without moving from my armchair. I like walks in the woods or in the beach, and flying kites, but the opportunities are not many. My sport is Kendo.

I have recently discovered origami (in spanish called papiroflexia) the art of creating art forms just by folding paper. This is my idea of a sustainable hobby: reciclable, cheap materials, sedate surroundings, beauty growing from humble materials that can be found in the waste basket. Like my band of cranes.