Happy spring, Bangladesh

Happy Spring! This weekend, members of my family were dedicating that precious commodity of time, that which is so lacking in all of our lives, and we took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to plant our garden. All winter, I have been cultivating my tobacco seeds, my study of plants, and other crops that are eager for the ground. However, all around our raised garden plot grow those plants that some would term "weeds". Thanks to my mother, who spent her childhood in refugee camps in post-war Europe, I know the value of these off unwanted plants. The kind of accidental crop that sprouts from the cold ground is a blessing, an unexpected bounty, a sign for believers.

As I visited my neighbours, I noticed that they were also busy planting, all the while ignoring their weeds. When I asked for particular plants, I was welcomed to take as many as I wanted from my neighbours' plots. It struck me that in a sense we are all overlooking the blessings of springtime, trained as we are to dwell on the negative. We have blessings aplenty, the makings of a full feast if we only know where to look. With the wild edibles that grow at the margin of my garden, we harvested three grocery bags of food. During that first spring planting, we took a lunch break where we feasted on the unplanned bounty that the winter had left behind.

Keynesian economics requires that the consumer be constantly unhappy in order to drive the economy forward. In fact, the better the quality of the goods we purchase, the longer they last, the more willing we are to repair used items, the more dismally the economy performs. The rest of the world depends upon the American consumer to be wasteful, to overconsume. In some odd sense, we must grow fat and wasteful in order to benefit the emerging markets of the world.

According to an article in bdnews24.com, China will overtake the United States as the leading trade economy by 2016, and economic opportunities will abound for Bangladesh in the next fifteen years.

In a large sense, I see this as good news for my children and grandchildren. I hope that the declining purchasing power of my compatriots means we will be more discerning in our purchases, and that we opt for long-term purchases rather than cheap throwaway goods that choke our landfills a year or two after they're imported.

An American push for quality would be terrible news for China. Goods made in China already have a bad reputation of being unsound, unsafe and the Chinese have a dismal reputation when it comes to fair trade, environmental issues, and personal freedom. The American consumer is finally waking up to the fact that our spending spree has lifted an oppressive military dictatorship into a position as the world's leading economy.

This awakening is very good news for Bangladesh. As long as Bangladesh remains a two-party system, and continues to conduct business in a way that deals fairly with workers, while addressing environmental issues, the 'Made in Bangladesh' label will gain in popularity among discerning consumers in American department stores. This is true not only in the ready-to-wear market, but also in the production of cheap hand tools. The trowel and hand rake I use to plant my tobacco and lettuce are made in China. I could find no alternative. Believe me, I looked.

The truth is that Americans generally fear Chinese products, we mistrust the intentions of the Chinese marketplace, especially since recent history has proven the willingness of the Chinese to poison our pet food, put lead in our children's' toys, and take dangerous shortcuts that could end up costing us our health and our lives.

Bangladesh could position itself as an alternative to the nightmare that is Chinese production. As the American economy matures and the consumer grows more discerning, Bangladesh should seek opportunities for growth by competing with China in areas of manufacturing where China seems to have a virtual monopoly, including the production of hand tools that may be slightly more expensive, but of a better quality than their Chinese counterparts. If Bangladesh continues to act like a "green" nation, its reputation will stand in stark contrast with the Chinese, and will further enhance the reputation of Bangladesh as a "feel-good" alternative to the consumption of Chinese goods.

To that end, the government has acted wisely in joining the Earth Hour movement to turn off all lights between the hours of 8:30 and 9:30 on Saturday. While China is also participating, people here still see their efforts as hypocritical and market-driven, an ominous advertising campaign by a totalitarian state which willingly oppresses its own people. Bangladesh should take every opportunity to show leadership in areas of fair trade and environmental sensitivity. The rewards will be increasingly evident over the next fifteen years.

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However, as I have stated before, the greatest export that Bangladesh has to offer the world is the Bangladeshi people themselves. After the Second World War as the United States moved from agrarian to industrial nation, many of the core values that had been taught through the cultivation of crops and livestock, fell away. Gone was the "Yankee ingenuity" of household invention, frugality of personal economy, and our ability to adapt and take advantage of the environment we were given. Luckily for us, we are still a nation of immigrants. In the next 15 years or so, the population of the United States due to immigration is likely to increase. US Census statistics predict that by 2050, nearly one in five Americans will be immigrants, and this number will include many Southeast Asians.

According to the US Census Bureau report of 2000, half of all Bangladeshi immigrants to the US had at least a Bachelors' degree. While the census numbers are still very small (my research is not very current, but reflects about 100,000 Bangladeshi-Americans). These few have contributed mightily to our American Culture and way of life. Notables include a US Congressman, the co-founder of YouTube, the "Greatest architectural engineer of the late 20th Century", Fazlur Khan, Salman Khan, founder of the Khan Academy, and Rais Bhuiyan, Humanitarian and anti-death penalty advocate.

For immigration into the United States, the climate may not be as warm as it was when my mother's family entered the country back in 1951. However, the vast majority of Americans, especially those who live in areas that have benefited from immigrant populations, still appreciate the value of those "crops" that may not grow to achieve their full potential on the crowded shores of their motherland. And certainly, many Americans have forgotten that they too have come to these shores as a result of immigration. These same people welcome the products that support oppressive regimes, but have little understanding of the human underpinnings of totalitarian governments, like China, they continue to occupy and oppress the Tibetans.

As Bangladeshi Americans continue to gain prominence here, and contribute mightily to the concept of "Yankee ingenuity", perhaps they can help Bangladeshis "back home", by promoting the concept of Bangladesh as a fair trade alternative to products coming out of China and Africa. This awareness can only bolster the optimistic reports that evidence economic prosperity to come. As kind as this winter has been to those of us gardeners who live on the East Coast of the United States, the weather report for Bangladesh is even warmer.

I hope to be wishing you all "happy spring" for a long, long time.

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Frank Domenico Cipriani writes a weekly column in the Riverside Signal called "You Think What You Think And I'll Think What I Know." He is also the founder and CEO of The Gatherer Institute — a not-for-profit public charity dedicated to promoting respect for the environment and empowering individuals to become self-taught and self-sufficient. His most recent book, "Learning Little Hawk's Way of Storytelling", teaches the native art of oral tradition storytelling.