Letter to Editor | Let’s avoid tragedy of the commons

— from Beth Dixon —

Among the concerns during this time is making sure we have sufficient food and other resources for ourselves and our families. In a rural setting it’s important to avoid the “tragedy of the commons” – defined by Wikipedia as, “… a situation in a shared-resource system where individual users, acting independently according to
their own self-interest, behave contrary to the common good of all users by depleting or spoiling the shared resource through their collective action.”

I see people working together to support one another on Orcas in such generous and creative ways! It’s really uplifting!

At the same time, there’s a bit of guesswork about exactly how much we might need of certain essentials. A recent Washington Post article included a link to an adaptable quarantine food calculator created by a nutritionist, in consultation with other health professionals. You might find it useful.

I would suggest just one variation from my experience in disaster preparedness at a large hospital. During our pandemic disease exercise, the advice was to have at least
some snacks and sweets. The occasional simple pleasure of mouth savoring comfort foods is good for our mental health.