As the future markets of transportation and energy use scream out for alternative modes of clean transport China has made a brilliant move in its policy to make a bid for dominance in EV technology and production.
The strategy is for China to shift its auto manufacturing focus to the production of hybrid and fully electric vehicles so that within three years they will have the capabilities to challenge any auto maker on the planet for dominance of this vital future sector. Specifically, they hope to be able to produce 500,000 all electric vehicles by 2011; which will represent almost a third of the production of EVs (if other companies attain their goals: Japan and Korea together are hoping to manufacturer 1.1 million in 2011, North America will lag behind at about 250,000).
This bold plan by China is a shrewd attempt to close the technology gap with it's production competitors; China is decades behind in tradition gas-guzzling technologies, so by merely making this shift they become more competitive. Additionally, by putting the majority of their creative momentum into this thrust they will surely put pressure on other manufacturers to muscle up on 'green development' if they hope to stay afloat in the transforming climate of auto production.
It will be interesting to see if any of the auto companies out there can match this audacious strategy by China. A real test to see if a strong central government, coupled with a massive desire to communally dominant an emerging market is superior to democracy and free market innovations.
For more about China's plans check out this link to the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/business/global/02electric.html?_r=1
Friday 24 April 2009
Sunday 5 April 2009
Eco-War Frontiers: Brazil
Hello out there to all of my loyal followers (all four of you)! Today's topic is set to elucidate the dangerous and pertinent issue of what I call Eco-War Frontiers. Basically, this is an attempt to highlight the fact that there are sensitive areas around the globe where integral natural climates are under the threat of attack by rapid 'modern' development. By 'modern' here I mean the mentality that 'I' should get as much as I can right now for 'me' before anyone else beats me to it.
Over the last decade we have seen the use of the media as a tool to influence public perception, essentially to 'opiate' 'dopiate' and 'terrify' populations into compliance when world governments are acting like nasty greedy bandits and getting up to no good that they know they not should. One salient example of course is the Bush administrations "War on Terror" which really translated into "Now, because we've adequately subjugated you with fear, we are off to go on a romp with our toys, and your sons' and daughters' blood, to wreck shit so that our buddy's company's can make a bunch of money rebuilding it.". Well, thankfully there are no laws prohibiting the linguistic deployment of similar rhetoric in favor of the environment. As such I have coined the term "Eco-War".
I believe that there is a conflict going on across the Earth right now. The combatants? Us: the conservationist/ environmentalists vs. Big Industry {and those enslaved by their advertising budget and lobby wire funds}. An frontier that has not been getting enough media in this campaign is Brazil. Lauded as one of the 'emerging markets' of the world, Brazil threatens to do just that with bloodied hands. Not for want of trying: the government is actually working with moderate diligence to try and regulate and protect perhaps one of the most valuable and vital ecosystems left on the planet: The Amazon Rainforest. Better known as the southern lung of the Earth.
Quick ECO facts about the Amazon:
1. It produces between 15~20% of the Earth new oxygen.
2. It represents a third of the remaining vegetation on the planet.
3. It covers (presently) 2.5 million square miles/ 6.25 million square kilometers (roughly 7 times the size of British Columbia Canada!).
4. It is one of the most bio diverse areas left on the Earth and we currently don't even come close to knowing all there is to learn from the ancient library of Earth wisdom.
Disturbing Truths about what is going on there:
1. Already more than 20% of the Amazon Rainforest has been pillaged, destroyed, devoured and is gone forever.
2. It is being attacked on all sides by constellation of industrial interests. Including: Ranchers (McDonalds anyone?), Loggers (most of it illegal), Farmers, Oil interests and Miners.
3. Between 2000~2006 150,000 kilometers was clear cut {an area larger than Greece}.
4. 60% of all the land cleared is being used by Cattle Ranchers to raise cheap beef (need I say it again?).
What can we do about it?
This is an important question and I have been asked before by friends and students, "Well, Canada is developed... are you now going to tell the developing nations of the world that they can't seek their God given manifest destiny to root up, use and destroy his creation just as your forefathers did in your country to garner prosperity?" And all sarcasm aside this is a very valid point, what gives the most wasteful and energy inefficient countries in the world (USA and Canada are at the top top top of that list; face it guys we are fat, lazy and comfortable) the right to tell others how to manage their resources? I agree with this completely. Unfortunately, we live in a material world. So, if we want Brazil to manage their resources better than we have in the past then we are going to have to pay them for it. This means purchasing carbon offsets that will go towards protecting the Amazon Rainforest (or other like worthy projects). Think of it as a time share in your grandkids future. Of course this is not all that we should do. In addition you should write letters and send emails to your government representatives telling them that you want them to be more active in driving your governments towards trying to make carbon offsets a meaningful global solution. Finally, you should bug all your friends and relatives about this (like I am) and try to encourage them to take responsibility for the carbon that they use that they can't prevent.
If you want to find out more about how to purchase personal carbon offsets the following site has lots of useful information about companies from around the world that provide them, as well as what the projects those companies support are, where they are and how each company and project is rated again Kyoto protocol standards.
http://www.carboncatalog.org/guide/how-to-buy-carbon-offsets/
If you are in Canada or America here's a list of the North American providers.
http://www.carboncatalog.org/providers/north-america/
Here's the Canadian offset company that I just purchased a $100 dollar offset from, amounting to 2.28 tonnes of carbon (roughly the amount that HJ and I used in our flights in China this past winter).
http://planetair.ca/
Over the last decade we have seen the use of the media as a tool to influence public perception, essentially to 'opiate' 'dopiate' and 'terrify' populations into compliance when world governments are acting like nasty greedy bandits and getting up to no good that they know they not should. One salient example of course is the Bush administrations "War on Terror" which really translated into "Now, because we've adequately subjugated you with fear, we are off to go on a romp with our toys, and your sons' and daughters' blood, to wreck shit so that our buddy's company's can make a bunch of money rebuilding it.". Well, thankfully there are no laws prohibiting the linguistic deployment of similar rhetoric in favor of the environment. As such I have coined the term "Eco-War".
I believe that there is a conflict going on across the Earth right now. The combatants? Us: the conservationist/ environmentalists vs. Big Industry {and those enslaved by their advertising budget and lobby wire funds}. An frontier that has not been getting enough media in this campaign is Brazil. Lauded as one of the 'emerging markets' of the world, Brazil threatens to do just that with bloodied hands. Not for want of trying: the government is actually working with moderate diligence to try and regulate and protect perhaps one of the most valuable and vital ecosystems left on the planet: The Amazon Rainforest. Better known as the southern lung of the Earth.
Quick ECO facts about the Amazon:
1. It produces between 15~20% of the Earth new oxygen.
2. It represents a third of the remaining vegetation on the planet.
3. It covers (presently) 2.5 million square miles/ 6.25 million square kilometers (roughly 7 times the size of British Columbia Canada!).
4. It is one of the most bio diverse areas left on the Earth and we currently don't even come close to knowing all there is to learn from the ancient library of Earth wisdom.
Disturbing Truths about what is going on there:
1. Already more than 20% of the Amazon Rainforest has been pillaged, destroyed, devoured and is gone forever.
2. It is being attacked on all sides by constellation of industrial interests. Including: Ranchers (McDonalds anyone?), Loggers (most of it illegal), Farmers, Oil interests and Miners.
3. Between 2000~2006 150,000 kilometers was clear cut {an area larger than Greece}.
4. 60% of all the land cleared is being used by Cattle Ranchers to raise cheap beef (need I say it again?).
What can we do about it?
This is an important question and I have been asked before by friends and students, "Well, Canada is developed... are you now going to tell the developing nations of the world that they can't seek their God given manifest destiny to root up, use and destroy his creation just as your forefathers did in your country to garner prosperity?" And all sarcasm aside this is a very valid point, what gives the most wasteful and energy inefficient countries in the world (USA and Canada are at the top top top of that list; face it guys we are fat, lazy and comfortable) the right to tell others how to manage their resources? I agree with this completely. Unfortunately, we live in a material world. So, if we want Brazil to manage their resources better than we have in the past then we are going to have to pay them for it. This means purchasing carbon offsets that will go towards protecting the Amazon Rainforest (or other like worthy projects). Think of it as a time share in your grandkids future. Of course this is not all that we should do. In addition you should write letters and send emails to your government representatives telling them that you want them to be more active in driving your governments towards trying to make carbon offsets a meaningful global solution. Finally, you should bug all your friends and relatives about this (like I am) and try to encourage them to take responsibility for the carbon that they use that they can't prevent.
If you want to find out more about how to purchase personal carbon offsets the following site has lots of useful information about companies from around the world that provide them, as well as what the projects those companies support are, where they are and how each company and project is rated again Kyoto protocol standards.
http://www.carboncatalog.org/guide/how-to-buy-carbon-offsets/
If you are in Canada or America here's a list of the North American providers.
http://www.carboncatalog.org/providers/north-america/
Here's the Canadian offset company that I just purchased a $100 dollar offset from, amounting to 2.28 tonnes of carbon (roughly the amount that HJ and I used in our flights in China this past winter).
http://planetair.ca/
Saturday 28 March 2009
Earth Hour 8:30~9:30pm Saturday
So this weekend Saturday evening has been designated 'Earth Hour', which means (theoretically) that people around the globe should be turning off their electricity for one hour in hopes of saving energy worldwide. More or less it is a symbolic measure adopted in order to increase the awareness of the need to be conservative with energy resources. The slogan is "Vote Earth: Your light switch is your vote!" and the idea behind it is a good beginning. But let's be clear, it is only that, a beginning. To check out the campaign visit the following link http://www.earthhour.org/home/
Spread the news! Tell all your friends about it and try to promote this idea as much as you can. The more people that we can get thinking about this kind of active conservation the more significant effect it will have. It is great to see these types of initiatives becoming more popular and it shows that in general the awareness of the need to change is permeating human society.
Personally though I think that bolder initiatives need to be implemented. Why is it that 'Earth Hour' is a singular event? The true goal here is to make this sort of thing habitual. I would say that the aim should be to do this every day. It doesn't have to be a co-ordinated effort we can just look at our own schedules and figure out when we can fit in an hour of turning off all the lights and power in our houses. I'm a bit of a green-freak in is regard and before leaving the house I go around and turn off everything and unplug all the energy vampires (vacuum charger, computer, cell phone charger, TV, things like that). Epiphany: I like this idea so much that I am going to keep track of how many hours I can live electricity free in a week and report back on it.
Why not take this simple campaign and turn it into a life choice. Many of us are far too dependant on electric sources of entertainment. We run our computers for most of the day and burn valuable resources frivolously. I am going to try to be more conscious of making as many hours as possible "Earth Hours". Wanna join me?
Spread the news! Tell all your friends about it and try to promote this idea as much as you can. The more people that we can get thinking about this kind of active conservation the more significant effect it will have. It is great to see these types of initiatives becoming more popular and it shows that in general the awareness of the need to change is permeating human society.
Personally though I think that bolder initiatives need to be implemented. Why is it that 'Earth Hour' is a singular event? The true goal here is to make this sort of thing habitual. I would say that the aim should be to do this every day. It doesn't have to be a co-ordinated effort we can just look at our own schedules and figure out when we can fit in an hour of turning off all the lights and power in our houses. I'm a bit of a green-freak in is regard and before leaving the house I go around and turn off everything and unplug all the energy vampires (vacuum charger, computer, cell phone charger, TV, things like that). Epiphany: I like this idea so much that I am going to keep track of how many hours I can live electricity free in a week and report back on it.
Why not take this simple campaign and turn it into a life choice. Many of us are far too dependant on electric sources of entertainment. We run our computers for most of the day and burn valuable resources frivolously. I am going to try to be more conscious of making as many hours as possible "Earth Hours". Wanna join me?
Sunday 15 March 2009
Sorry for the mix up.
Please read the first part of the article on Electric scooters first... then move on to Electric scooters part 2...
I'm still getting the hang out it!
I'm still getting the hang out it!
Electric Scooters part 2
Interesting fact 2: there are already 10 million electric scooters on the roads in China and there is no reason to believe that this dramatic shift will not continue in the future.
The European market is opening up and there is no reason that Canada and America should not follow suit. The main reason that they are so popular in China right now boils down to one essential fact: they are a lot cheaper than their gluttonous counterparts. They cost less to purchase, to fuel and to maintain. In addition another obvious benifit within crowded cities is that they have no tail pipe emissions which is easy on the nose and the lungs and much better for everyone's health.
One of the common things that I hear 'nay-sayers' say when the topic of electric vehicles comes up is something to this effect, "Sure they don't let out any air pollution when you are driving them but then you have to charge them off your house, where do you think that energy is coming from... it's probably from a coal powered plant. It is putting just as much CO2 into the air as me driving my car!" I wanted to know the truth on this point so this is where I focused my research this week. I found a very useful article that has tonnes of information specifically on comparing electric scooters to other forms of transportation in China. If you want to check on the info first hand @ http://www.scribd.com/doc/1960031/Electric-Bike-Use-in-China-and-Their-Impacts-on-the.
This extremely informative article points out that the key fact that should be considered is the Environmental impact per person per kilometer over the lifespan of the vehicle in question. Here is the meat and potatoes on the issue of overall CO2 emmisions (this means taking into consideration the CO2 produced in the power plants that are recharging the bikes through powering the home):
Car=> 306 grams of CO2 per person (pax) per kilometer
Bus => 48.4 grams of CO2 pax/kilo
Bicycle => 4.70 grams of CO2 pax/kilo
Electric Bike Model 1 (BSEB) => 22.08 grams of CO2 pax/ kilo
Electric Bike Model 2 (SSEB) => 30.44 grams of CO2 pax/ kilo
Clearly, not only do the two different models of electric bikes vastly outperform the common car in terms of environmental efficiency (they produce ten times less pollution than your standard gas driven motor) but they are also significantly these harmful to the environment that public buses. In fact the only form of transport shown to be less polluting in this study was the good old trusty pedal bike (my personal favorite).
The article goes on to outline other elements of pollution and the electric bike follow the same trend in all of the categories except for one. This is the area of lead pollution, which the bikes produce when their batteries need to be replaced. This is mainly due to the fact that older lead batteries are being used in the bikes that are being produced in China right now. With advances in battery technology, which are currently available (the new lithium batteries are amazing) this issue could be address and improved upon (and the efficiency of the bikes would most likely be greatly improved as well). One additional significant fact should also be noted with regards to the pollution for charging units like this coming from a coal burning factory; it is actually a very good thing to have that pollution centralized, because as carbon capture and storage techniques are improved isolated sites of pollution such as power plants can be dealt with whereas individual tail pipe CO2 is sent into the atmosphere indiscriminately, in the middle of the most populated urban centers of the world.
Basically it seems to me that there is no reason for everyone not to be purchasing and hopping on electric bikes. In fact I'm amazed that there is not a massive back order list for them in Canada and America right now.
Here are some sites with E-bikes for sale!
http://www.e-ride.ca/ (in Vancouver)
http://www.daymak.com/ (in Toronto)
http://www.greenwit.com/ (for North America at large)
Think about it... gas guzzling cars should be put where they belong... in museums!
The European market is opening up and there is no reason that Canada and America should not follow suit. The main reason that they are so popular in China right now boils down to one essential fact: they are a lot cheaper than their gluttonous counterparts. They cost less to purchase, to fuel and to maintain. In addition another obvious benifit within crowded cities is that they have no tail pipe emissions which is easy on the nose and the lungs and much better for everyone's health.
One of the common things that I hear 'nay-sayers' say when the topic of electric vehicles comes up is something to this effect, "Sure they don't let out any air pollution when you are driving them but then you have to charge them off your house, where do you think that energy is coming from... it's probably from a coal powered plant. It is putting just as much CO2 into the air as me driving my car!" I wanted to know the truth on this point so this is where I focused my research this week. I found a very useful article that has tonnes of information specifically on comparing electric scooters to other forms of transportation in China. If you want to check on the info first hand @ http://www.scribd.com/doc/1960031/Electric-Bike-Use-in-China-and-Their-Impacts-on-the.
This extremely informative article points out that the key fact that should be considered is the Environmental impact per person per kilometer over the lifespan of the vehicle in question. Here is the meat and potatoes on the issue of overall CO2 emmisions (this means taking into consideration the CO2 produced in the power plants that are recharging the bikes through powering the home):
Car=> 306 grams of CO2 per person (pax) per kilometer
Bus => 48.4 grams of CO2 pax/kilo
Bicycle => 4.70 grams of CO2 pax/kilo
Electric Bike Model 1 (BSEB) => 22.08 grams of CO2 pax/ kilo
Electric Bike Model 2 (SSEB) => 30.44 grams of CO2 pax/ kilo
Clearly, not only do the two different models of electric bikes vastly outperform the common car in terms of environmental efficiency (they produce ten times less pollution than your standard gas driven motor) but they are also significantly these harmful to the environment that public buses. In fact the only form of transport shown to be less polluting in this study was the good old trusty pedal bike (my personal favorite).
The article goes on to outline other elements of pollution and the electric bike follow the same trend in all of the categories except for one. This is the area of lead pollution, which the bikes produce when their batteries need to be replaced. This is mainly due to the fact that older lead batteries are being used in the bikes that are being produced in China right now. With advances in battery technology, which are currently available (the new lithium batteries are amazing) this issue could be address and improved upon (and the efficiency of the bikes would most likely be greatly improved as well). One additional significant fact should also be noted with regards to the pollution for charging units like this coming from a coal burning factory; it is actually a very good thing to have that pollution centralized, because as carbon capture and storage techniques are improved isolated sites of pollution such as power plants can be dealt with whereas individual tail pipe CO2 is sent into the atmosphere indiscriminately, in the middle of the most populated urban centers of the world.
Basically it seems to me that there is no reason for everyone not to be purchasing and hopping on electric bikes. In fact I'm amazed that there is not a massive back order list for them in Canada and America right now.
Here are some sites with E-bikes for sale!
http://www.e-ride.ca/ (in Vancouver)
http://www.daymak.com/ (in Toronto)
http://www.greenwit.com/ (for North America at large)
Think about it... gas guzzling cars should be put where they belong... in museums!
The Electric Scooter versus Other Forms of Transportation.
This week I've decided to take a look at some of the ways that we choose to get around and compare how they affect the envirnoment. This post is brought on by a recent trip to China. Over the winter break my wife, my good friend Rob and I were lucky enough to go to southern China and explore a few of the provinces there. We traveled for just over three weeks before heading north to Beijing to hook up with my folks. For me one of the most impressive things that I encountered on this journey were the signs of 'Green Alternatives' that seem to be popping up even in the rural districts of Southern China. We saw tonnes of solar heating cells, mostly for heating up water, some self operating off grid innovations in the area of things like street lights, but the most noticable and prevalent alternative option that Chinese people seem to be taking advantage of is the recent evolution of the electric scooter, which is literally running rampant from Yunnan to Guangdong.
I first noticed them in Guilin city. Sleek and silent they zipped by us emmitting nothing more than a soothing purr. They literally sound like happy cats! And it was a welcome relief compared with the smoky congestion that we encountered in Honk Kong and ShenZhen. At fist I thought it must be an anomoly of the region but as we pushed south and then west we kept descrying more and more of them. I vowed to do it little research when I got home and this week set about doing just that. In particular I was interested to find out how electric scooters compared to other forms of motorized transportation. 'There must be a reason that there are thousands of them on the streets and highways of rural south China' I thought. Interestingly enough it is not a trend that is taking off in China but encouragingly is spreading far and wide, from Europe to India to Canada and beyond (indeed my sister's husband's wife has recently purchased an electric pedal bike combo {way to go Rick!} and though he's encountered a few issues it is a move in the right direction.)
In my search for 'hard and fast' evidence I uncovered some intersting facts when it comes to the issues of electric vehicles in general. Here are just a few of them:
Interesting fact 1: Gas powered motors do not actually outperform their modern electric conterparts. In the past this was true, but with the new lithium batteries and improved motor components the electrics have caught up and in some cases are surpassing their gas guzzling (dirty sticky polluting) cousins.
Sunday 8 March 2009
Red, Red, Red...GREEN!
In my 32 years of life I cannot remember a time when things looked so bleak. The world economy is crumbling. Stocks continue to plummet. The polar ice caps and glaciers of the world are melting at an alarming rate. Weather patterns are shifting with serious ramifications. Global Warming is rearing its head like a particularly determined immune response set on destroying the virulent disease that threatens continued life on Earth: namely us. And for all the dramatic and terrifying treads that surround us people just seem to be carrying on their daily business as though everything is unchanged (or unchangeable)... almost. Most of the people that I talk to, whether it be friends and family, or the students in my English classes do seem to have a growing awareness of the confluence of problems are getting so serious that they will challenge the way we live life, but they just don't have any ideas about what it to be done.
I'm by no means an expert, but I do see some possible solutions. To me it seems clear that the time has come for humanity to take a new tack. What we are doing now is not sustainable and if we continue unaltered I am 100% positive that it will result in the demise of our civilization. Perhaps not today, perhaps not even in my lifetime; but our children and our children's children will have hard time not cursing our names if we don't stand up now and at least try to right the direction of the ship. As I see it three Reds equal Green.
Let me explain. First the Global economy is in the red. As we have seen over the last several months the destabilization of the American economy has trickled down into various subsidiary markets around the globe, including Korea (where I currently reside). Stocks have lost their value and generally people are feeling scared and have lost their confidence in our current economic system. Red number one.
Second, over the past several months our dependence of fossil fuels, such as oil, as a primary source of energy to power the glut of human consumption has been made flagrantly obvious. I would say that oil resources are in the red, but by this I mean something a little different; oil money is blood money, red money. If anyone wishes to argue take a look at Iraq. We must break the hold of this substance over us. It is like a species wide drug addiction and it is not healthy, not for us and not for the planet. As the trends over the last year show oil prices are manipulated based not necessarily by pure supply and demand but more by what the oil barons think they can charge for it. Prices soar until people feel that it can not be borne and then when they start looking for alternative sources of energy, suddenly, magically, the prices drop again. Frankly, I find it amazing that people in general stand for it. Very risky business that (the oil barons should read a little more history, specifically the pre-French revolution period might interest them a little; but humans have a penchant for repeating mistakes). Red oil: Red number two.
Finally, and most importantly, the Earth, as a system, is running dangerously close to redlining. I am talking about the sensitive balance of the global ecosystem. Around the world temperatures are rising, glaciers are melting, rain fall patterns are shifting, desertification is spreading (trust me, research the growth of the Gobi, or come to Korea in March and April to see the "Yellow Winds" that blow hear all the way from the Gobi desert hundreds of kilometers away), deforestation and massive forest fires are causing large scale soil erosion and releasing untold amounts of carbon dioxide into the already over burdened atmosphere, wetlands and reefs are bleaching and dying and thousands of species of wildlife are going extinct even as you read this. It is time for us to wake up! Let's be real we need to shift our concerns from our stock portfolios to the continuation of our family lines. If we don't start to make a change now then it will be too late.
However, hope is not lost (if you don't know me I'm actually a glass is half full kind of guy). There are solutions to these salient issues. In fact, I see a common thread in all three of the Reds that I have pointed out above. Namely, if we make a bold move to switch our focus to Green energy it can, I think, address the stunning multiplicity of problems we are facing (personally I moved the focus of my own personal investments into green and sustainable energy this past summer and I am going to keep investing in the vital sector, because I think that if enough people make this move it will force industry to respond. Small fingers turn the wheels while the mighty look elsewhere). In particular, I would love to see Korea become a world leader in the area of Green technology development. I think that off all the industrialized nations if anyone can do it Korea can (Canada I would love to see you prove me wrong on this one: step up and make it happen!). Look at the baffling progress that Koreans have made in the past fifty years, going from being one of the poorest countries in the world to being one of the most industrially developed and economically powerful. It is truly one of the Tigers of the Asian market. In addition, Korea has some of the leading scientists in the areas of engineering, computer technology and nuclear energy. Surely if it is possible to excel in this advanced areas of science then green tech should be a snap.
On an individual level we should be investing our capital in solar power, wind power, tidal flow energy (these are all free and sustainable sources of energy, once the initial investment is made). As well as lobbying for massively increasing fuel efficiency in current fossil fuel industries (with an emphasis of developing options like electric cars and scooters, more on this to come). We absolutely must but more pressure on our governments with letters, emails, petitions and protests showing them what we want them to do to clean up the world. I believe that this truly is what the citizens of the planet want, a Green future; we need to show our leaders that they must do it! We should be studying and researching new developments that are taking place around the world and teaching our children, the generation of tomorrow, what these changes are and how they can help to fix the problems of today. It's not too late to make a change. Start today. Find out something that you can do in your home community and take action to make a personal difference.
I'm by no means an expert, but I do see some possible solutions. To me it seems clear that the time has come for humanity to take a new tack. What we are doing now is not sustainable and if we continue unaltered I am 100% positive that it will result in the demise of our civilization. Perhaps not today, perhaps not even in my lifetime; but our children and our children's children will have hard time not cursing our names if we don't stand up now and at least try to right the direction of the ship. As I see it three Reds equal Green.
Let me explain. First the Global economy is in the red. As we have seen over the last several months the destabilization of the American economy has trickled down into various subsidiary markets around the globe, including Korea (where I currently reside). Stocks have lost their value and generally people are feeling scared and have lost their confidence in our current economic system. Red number one.
Second, over the past several months our dependence of fossil fuels, such as oil, as a primary source of energy to power the glut of human consumption has been made flagrantly obvious. I would say that oil resources are in the red, but by this I mean something a little different; oil money is blood money, red money. If anyone wishes to argue take a look at Iraq. We must break the hold of this substance over us. It is like a species wide drug addiction and it is not healthy, not for us and not for the planet. As the trends over the last year show oil prices are manipulated based not necessarily by pure supply and demand but more by what the oil barons think they can charge for it. Prices soar until people feel that it can not be borne and then when they start looking for alternative sources of energy, suddenly, magically, the prices drop again. Frankly, I find it amazing that people in general stand for it. Very risky business that (the oil barons should read a little more history, specifically the pre-French revolution period might interest them a little; but humans have a penchant for repeating mistakes). Red oil: Red number two.
Finally, and most importantly, the Earth, as a system, is running dangerously close to redlining. I am talking about the sensitive balance of the global ecosystem. Around the world temperatures are rising, glaciers are melting, rain fall patterns are shifting, desertification is spreading (trust me, research the growth of the Gobi, or come to Korea in March and April to see the "Yellow Winds" that blow hear all the way from the Gobi desert hundreds of kilometers away), deforestation and massive forest fires are causing large scale soil erosion and releasing untold amounts of carbon dioxide into the already over burdened atmosphere, wetlands and reefs are bleaching and dying and thousands of species of wildlife are going extinct even as you read this. It is time for us to wake up! Let's be real we need to shift our concerns from our stock portfolios to the continuation of our family lines. If we don't start to make a change now then it will be too late.
However, hope is not lost (if you don't know me I'm actually a glass is half full kind of guy). There are solutions to these salient issues. In fact, I see a common thread in all three of the Reds that I have pointed out above. Namely, if we make a bold move to switch our focus to Green energy it can, I think, address the stunning multiplicity of problems we are facing (personally I moved the focus of my own personal investments into green and sustainable energy this past summer and I am going to keep investing in the vital sector, because I think that if enough people make this move it will force industry to respond. Small fingers turn the wheels while the mighty look elsewhere). In particular, I would love to see Korea become a world leader in the area of Green technology development. I think that off all the industrialized nations if anyone can do it Korea can (Canada I would love to see you prove me wrong on this one: step up and make it happen!). Look at the baffling progress that Koreans have made in the past fifty years, going from being one of the poorest countries in the world to being one of the most industrially developed and economically powerful. It is truly one of the Tigers of the Asian market. In addition, Korea has some of the leading scientists in the areas of engineering, computer technology and nuclear energy. Surely if it is possible to excel in this advanced areas of science then green tech should be a snap.
On an individual level we should be investing our capital in solar power, wind power, tidal flow energy (these are all free and sustainable sources of energy, once the initial investment is made). As well as lobbying for massively increasing fuel efficiency in current fossil fuel industries (with an emphasis of developing options like electric cars and scooters, more on this to come). We absolutely must but more pressure on our governments with letters, emails, petitions and protests showing them what we want them to do to clean up the world. I believe that this truly is what the citizens of the planet want, a Green future; we need to show our leaders that they must do it! We should be studying and researching new developments that are taking place around the world and teaching our children, the generation of tomorrow, what these changes are and how they can help to fix the problems of today. It's not too late to make a change. Start today. Find out something that you can do in your home community and take action to make a personal difference.
Sunday 1 March 2009
10 Green Acts
Recently while watching the National on CBC I saw a piece on how the CBC had challenged viewers across Canada to perform 'one million acts of green' http://green.cbc.ca/Default.aspx. I thought that this was a really great idea and decided to take it to the next level. Over the past week I have been trying to perform 10 green acts each day. The overall goal is to change the way that I live and the way that I think about the resources that I am using on a daily basis. In truth I think the biggest problem with regards to being environmentally economic is not a lack of will but rather not knowing where to start or what to do. The first thing that I did was to think about the resources that I use and therefore could try to conserve. What I came up with was mind numbing simple: water and electricity. On top of these two biggies there are other things like paper (being a teacher this one can add up), plastics (bags and what not) and the killer, the dreaded fossil fuels. I began to think about what I could do on a personal level to try to be more frugal with these important resources.
Here's my list:
Matt's 10 Daily Green Acts:
1. I've begun timing my showers: that's right I know it sounds crazy, but if I realized that if I could even shave 3 or 4 minutes off my daily shower time that over the course of a year, and then beyond, it would amount to massive savings in water and in the long run on all of the carbon needed to heat the water. Keep in mind that an average family in India exists on 50 liters of water a day (that's for eight people to wash, drink and do dishes and laundry). I was amazed at what I accomplished in just over a week. I timed my showers (how long the water was running) the average was about nine mintues of water use. Then I tried to cut it down as much as possible. I've come up with a pretty good, simple, water saving system. I get wet, turn of the water and soup up, then I rinse off. My personal best time is 1:58! With my average (including water heat up time) at around 2:50. This is a huge improvement from 9 minutes.
2. Plastic bags: one of the things that really drives me crazy this flagrant wasteful use of plastic bags that is happening on such a massive scale around the globe. Every time that I go out to get groceries over here in Korea for each new item that I buy a small black plastic bag is presented to me to carry my goods. I thought to myself, "even if I just carry seven or eight of these things around in my backpack then I'll never have to waste another plastic bag". I've begun doing this and made a personal vow to try my hardest not to support frivolous use of plastics bags... a campaign that is actually becoming rather wide spread around the world. Check out this link. http://video.nationalgeographic.com (do a search for 'Edward Norton: Bag the Bag').
3. Appliances: (the use of electricity): another common and overlooked problem that I am trying to make part of my daily ritual is to turn off and unplug all of the appliances in my house before I go to bed (or even when I know I'm not going to be using them for an extended period of time) . I recently found out that if you don't unplug your appliances even if they are turned on they are still using some energy. Now I go around before going to bed and unplug everything that I can. Also in the future whenever I have to by new appliances I am going to make sure that I ask which options are the most eco-friendly and use my consumer dollars to support such products.
4. Transportation: This is a big one. Especially for people who live in the countryside or in massive countries like Canada and the US, but I really believe that if people start to make a commitment to more energy efficient forms of transportation that the companies that make these products will respond in kind. Personally, I am very lucky because I live close enough to work to walk, but even when I am moving around in Seoul I always make sure to travel by public rail or at very least bus. My wife and I rarely travel by car. This is a habit that I am committed to try and keep alive, even when I move back to Canada.
5. CFL (The amazing Compact Florescent Lightbulb): If you aren't using them yet you really should be. Said to be "the bulb that can help save the planet" there is really no reason why every household, business, government office and basically every light socket on the planet should not house a CFL. The stats are pretty impressive, when compared to a conventional light bulb. Here are just a few... (i) if every household in America changed just one bulb in their house to a CFL it would be the equivalent of taking a million cars off the road over a year. And (ii) each CFL that you switch on, in place of the old heat-making carbon-sucking waste-monger conventional light bulb, would prevent 1000lbs of CO2 greenhouse emission from being released into the atmosphere. On top of this (iii) they last 10 times longer than conventional bulbs! Join the lightbulb revolution! Think green; think CFL.
6. Internet use: another big one that most people don't usually think about, I know that I didn't until recently, is how much energy we burn while using the Internet use. For every window that you keep opened with Internet Explorer or Firefox there is another computer, or more likely a series of computers buzzing and humming away to provide you with that Internet connection. It is kind of like leaving the lights on in your house when you go out or leaving the tap running when you brush your teeth; essentially it is unnecessary waste. So from now on when I am not using a website I close the window down. Be conservative with this resource just as you would with any other.
7. RECYCLE EVERYTHING: This one is a bit of a no brainer but you'd be surprised how much of what you can throw out can actually be recycled and used again. Do a little bit of research about your local recycling system and what can be recycled. If you aren't happy with what the local infrastructure is doing and want more action taken write letters to your local government representative. Given your concerns a voice. If we don't voice our opinions then they are never heard.
8. Free Environmental Donations: there are 3 websites that I visit each day, from as many computers as I can, where I can click on certain 'buttons' that make automatic donations from the sponsors of each page. This is a quick, easy, free way to help some interested corporations add some of their mega-dollar-muscle to the cause of trying to make a difference. Check these websites out, favorite them and visit them everyday. It takes about 3 minutes to do and I always feel a little bit better afterwards. http://www.therainforestsite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=4, http://www.ecologyfund.com/ecology/_ecology.html,
http://rainforest.care2.com/
9. Purchase Personal Carbon Offsets: this is a way for all of us environmental hardcores to put our money where our mouths are. If you are preaching ecological sustainability but driving a hummer the hypocrisy no longer has to drive you insane. You can go online and google 'personal carbon offsets' and entire bevy of websites will pop up that will allow you to pay to offset the carbon that you cannot avoid using for transportation and travel. I am planning to use this kind of personal offset to compensate from the CO2 used when I fly back to Canada or just when I go traveling in general. Research the options and find a site that fits you; this is a great way to offset emissions.
10. Research, Learn more and Teach: this last one is one of my favorites. It is something that I am constantly trying to do. The more that I can learn about helping the environment the more action I can take; and the more people who I teach this knowledge to, hopefully, the greater the overall effect will be. I had one student tell me last semester that he was truly touched by the passion that he felt when I was teaching about sustainability and the challenges that face humanity in the near future. It felt really great to make an impact and it is part of the reason that I have started this forum. In an attempt to reach more people.
If you have anything to add, any personal things that you do that I could start doing please comment!
Here's my list:
Matt's 10 Daily Green Acts:
1. I've begun timing my showers: that's right I know it sounds crazy, but if I realized that if I could even shave 3 or 4 minutes off my daily shower time that over the course of a year, and then beyond, it would amount to massive savings in water and in the long run on all of the carbon needed to heat the water. Keep in mind that an average family in India exists on 50 liters of water a day (that's for eight people to wash, drink and do dishes and laundry). I was amazed at what I accomplished in just over a week. I timed my showers (how long the water was running) the average was about nine mintues of water use. Then I tried to cut it down as much as possible. I've come up with a pretty good, simple, water saving system. I get wet, turn of the water and soup up, then I rinse off. My personal best time is 1:58! With my average (including water heat up time) at around 2:50. This is a huge improvement from 9 minutes.
2. Plastic bags: one of the things that really drives me crazy this flagrant wasteful use of plastic bags that is happening on such a massive scale around the globe. Every time that I go out to get groceries over here in Korea for each new item that I buy a small black plastic bag is presented to me to carry my goods. I thought to myself, "even if I just carry seven or eight of these things around in my backpack then I'll never have to waste another plastic bag". I've begun doing this and made a personal vow to try my hardest not to support frivolous use of plastics bags... a campaign that is actually becoming rather wide spread around the world. Check out this link. http://video.nationalgeographic.com (do a search for 'Edward Norton: Bag the Bag').
3. Appliances: (the use of electricity): another common and overlooked problem that I am trying to make part of my daily ritual is to turn off and unplug all of the appliances in my house before I go to bed (or even when I know I'm not going to be using them for an extended period of time) . I recently found out that if you don't unplug your appliances even if they are turned on they are still using some energy. Now I go around before going to bed and unplug everything that I can. Also in the future whenever I have to by new appliances I am going to make sure that I ask which options are the most eco-friendly and use my consumer dollars to support such products.
4. Transportation: This is a big one. Especially for people who live in the countryside or in massive countries like Canada and the US, but I really believe that if people start to make a commitment to more energy efficient forms of transportation that the companies that make these products will respond in kind. Personally, I am very lucky because I live close enough to work to walk, but even when I am moving around in Seoul I always make sure to travel by public rail or at very least bus. My wife and I rarely travel by car. This is a habit that I am committed to try and keep alive, even when I move back to Canada.
5. CFL (The amazing Compact Florescent Lightbulb): If you aren't using them yet you really should be. Said to be "the bulb that can help save the planet" there is really no reason why every household, business, government office and basically every light socket on the planet should not house a CFL. The stats are pretty impressive, when compared to a conventional light bulb. Here are just a few... (i) if every household in America changed just one bulb in their house to a CFL it would be the equivalent of taking a million cars off the road over a year. And (ii) each CFL that you switch on, in place of the old heat-making carbon-sucking waste-monger conventional light bulb, would prevent 1000lbs of CO2 greenhouse emission from being released into the atmosphere. On top of this (iii) they last 10 times longer than conventional bulbs! Join the lightbulb revolution! Think green; think CFL.
6. Internet use: another big one that most people don't usually think about, I know that I didn't until recently, is how much energy we burn while using the Internet use. For every window that you keep opened with Internet Explorer or Firefox there is another computer, or more likely a series of computers buzzing and humming away to provide you with that Internet connection. It is kind of like leaving the lights on in your house when you go out or leaving the tap running when you brush your teeth; essentially it is unnecessary waste. So from now on when I am not using a website I close the window down. Be conservative with this resource just as you would with any other.
7. RECYCLE EVERYTHING: This one is a bit of a no brainer but you'd be surprised how much of what you can throw out can actually be recycled and used again. Do a little bit of research about your local recycling system and what can be recycled. If you aren't happy with what the local infrastructure is doing and want more action taken write letters to your local government representative. Given your concerns a voice. If we don't voice our opinions then they are never heard.
8. Free Environmental Donations: there are 3 websites that I visit each day, from as many computers as I can, where I can click on certain 'buttons' that make automatic donations from the sponsors of each page. This is a quick, easy, free way to help some interested corporations add some of their mega-dollar-muscle to the cause of trying to make a difference. Check these websites out, favorite them and visit them everyday. It takes about 3 minutes to do and I always feel a little bit better afterwards. http://www.therainforestsite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=4, http://www.ecologyfund.com/ecology/_ecology.html,
http://rainforest.care2.com/
9. Purchase Personal Carbon Offsets: this is a way for all of us environmental hardcores to put our money where our mouths are. If you are preaching ecological sustainability but driving a hummer the hypocrisy no longer has to drive you insane. You can go online and google 'personal carbon offsets' and entire bevy of websites will pop up that will allow you to pay to offset the carbon that you cannot avoid using for transportation and travel. I am planning to use this kind of personal offset to compensate from the CO2 used when I fly back to Canada or just when I go traveling in general. Research the options and find a site that fits you; this is a great way to offset emissions.
10. Research, Learn more and Teach: this last one is one of my favorites. It is something that I am constantly trying to do. The more that I can learn about helping the environment the more action I can take; and the more people who I teach this knowledge to, hopefully, the greater the overall effect will be. I had one student tell me last semester that he was truly touched by the passion that he felt when I was teaching about sustainability and the challenges that face humanity in the near future. It felt really great to make an impact and it is part of the reason that I have started this forum. In an attempt to reach more people.
If you have anything to add, any personal things that you do that I could start doing please comment!
Saturday 21 February 2009
Canada and The USA dialog on clean energy
This past Thursday, February 19th 2009, United States President Barak Obama made his first international trip. His destination was Ottawa, the capital of Canada. One of the central issues discussed by the two leaders was clean energy and the research and development of technologies to help North Americans combat the growing dangers of climate change. Specifically the 'green issues' that Obama and Harper discussed were threefold: development of advanced bio fuel pilots and demonstration plants, coordinated efforts on building carbon capture and sequestration sites and a sharing of technologies on smart-tech energy grids for the efficient distribution and use of renewable energies such as hydroelectricity.
The issue of bio fuels is one that has been growing in interest for green communities over the last several years because it offers a cleaner alternative to conventional fuel sources such as diesel and gasoline. In North America especially, where so much of the freight trade going back and forth over the border is trucked by fossil fuel burning dinosaurs such as 18 wheelers a cleaner alternative fuel source could make a big difference for the environment, significantly reducing green house gases (GHGs). Alternative fuels such as B20 (20% Bio diesel mixed with 80% regular diesel) appears to be an good option, decreasing CO (carbon monoxide) emissions by 12% and particulate matter (PM) by 12% as well (link 1: http://www.greenfuels.org/biofaq.php?id=f1397af8-4285-102b-b3dc-0030488d2a96). In addition little or no retooling is needed for the engines of the trucks which keeps the start up costs low for shipping companies. Prevalent issues that could stand of the way of making a smooth transition to fuels like B20 possible are issues such as accessibility and cost at the pump. Hopefully the governments will see fit to divide the funds allocated to this area on both research and the development of practical infrastructure to get this alternative up and running as soon as possible. For all this good news fuel techs like B20 are essentially little more than a finger in dam because even though they do cut harmful GHG emissions they do not eliminate them altogether. There needs to be more creative and far sighted options discussed such as alternative forms of transportation techs and investment in clean engines and electric vehicles before this emissions problem can truly be solved.
Carbon sequestration is another new technology that is being heralded as a possible champion of green solutions that will help us to solve the looming two headed hydra of climate change and global warming. Essentially the basic concept is rather simple; on major CO2 producing sites like coal burning energy plants and oil refineries (like the plants refining the 'dirty oil' out of the tar sands of Alberta and Saskatchewan) you attempt to capture the CO2 emissions before they can be released into the atmosphere and sequester them in deep underground storage facilities. Harper and Obama discussed collaborative efforts between the two countries and indeed there are already pilot projects under way in both Alberta and Saskatchewan, some of which are storing CO2 for coal burning plants from the USA (information sources on the cbc news show the National February 20th, 2009). This is a technology that does have potential to stem the tide of two of the most harmful sources of large scale emissions from industry in North America but it does not get to heart of the problem, which is that if consumers continue to choose to buy vehicles that use fossil fuels we can not completely solve this issue. In addition there are some concerns that this kind of out of sight out of mind mentality to 'storing' harmful wastes is short sighted. It begs such questions as: what will happen to the stored CO2 in the future? how much can be safely stored? how expensive will the storage facilities be and will they be cost effective? More discussion on this topic will follow in future posts are further research has been conducted.
The final technology discussed seems to be very logical. Improving the end efficiency, distribution and use of the resources that we already have is a must do. This is a hallmark for what is to come. As the energy needs of humans around the globe increase, if there are no rapid jumps in the green production technologies, then there will have to be a global belt-tightening of our energy use. Increasing the intelligence and distribution of renewable energy resource, such as hydroelectricity is a good start. Again further posts will elucidate this matter once properly researched.
In closing it is heartening that in his first international trip in office of the US President Obama is pushing hard to put environmental issues to the forefront. Hopefully both the Canadian and American government will show initiative beyond rhetoric and actually follow through with efficient and sagacious use of the funds that have been earmarked to stimulate the 'green sector'; hopefully they will do so quickly. Further the greater the transparency of the use of these valuable tax dollars the more confidence the citizens of these two great nations can place in their leaders. Obama's leadership on making environmental issues a priority this early in his term makes me feel optomistic that he will exercise similar leadership and force that the upcoming coference in Copenhagen this winter. It could be a turning point for all nations; for humanities interaction with the planet that sustains us.
Perhaps we might ask ourselves: What can we do to make sure that this prospective 'green push' stays on course and moves us closer to living healthier more productive lives in harmony with the Earth. The answer is simple: make your voice heard. Write letters to your local, provincal and federal constituents telling them of your interest in these issues and the importance of getting the green solution right. Research these salient questions on the Internet and tell your friends about it. Basically make a stink about making things green. Be active, get involved and don't take no for an answer. Together we can make the Earth a greener better place! Let's get to it.
The issue of bio fuels is one that has been growing in interest for green communities over the last several years because it offers a cleaner alternative to conventional fuel sources such as diesel and gasoline. In North America especially, where so much of the freight trade going back and forth over the border is trucked by fossil fuel burning dinosaurs such as 18 wheelers a cleaner alternative fuel source could make a big difference for the environment, significantly reducing green house gases (GHGs). Alternative fuels such as B20 (20% Bio diesel mixed with 80% regular diesel) appears to be an good option, decreasing CO (carbon monoxide) emissions by 12% and particulate matter (PM) by 12% as well (link 1: http://www.greenfuels.org/biofaq.php?id=f1397af8-4285-102b-b3dc-0030488d2a96). In addition little or no retooling is needed for the engines of the trucks which keeps the start up costs low for shipping companies. Prevalent issues that could stand of the way of making a smooth transition to fuels like B20 possible are issues such as accessibility and cost at the pump. Hopefully the governments will see fit to divide the funds allocated to this area on both research and the development of practical infrastructure to get this alternative up and running as soon as possible. For all this good news fuel techs like B20 are essentially little more than a finger in dam because even though they do cut harmful GHG emissions they do not eliminate them altogether. There needs to be more creative and far sighted options discussed such as alternative forms of transportation techs and investment in clean engines and electric vehicles before this emissions problem can truly be solved.
Carbon sequestration is another new technology that is being heralded as a possible champion of green solutions that will help us to solve the looming two headed hydra of climate change and global warming. Essentially the basic concept is rather simple; on major CO2 producing sites like coal burning energy plants and oil refineries (like the plants refining the 'dirty oil' out of the tar sands of Alberta and Saskatchewan) you attempt to capture the CO2 emissions before they can be released into the atmosphere and sequester them in deep underground storage facilities. Harper and Obama discussed collaborative efforts between the two countries and indeed there are already pilot projects under way in both Alberta and Saskatchewan, some of which are storing CO2 for coal burning plants from the USA (information sources on the cbc news show the National February 20th, 2009). This is a technology that does have potential to stem the tide of two of the most harmful sources of large scale emissions from industry in North America but it does not get to heart of the problem, which is that if consumers continue to choose to buy vehicles that use fossil fuels we can not completely solve this issue. In addition there are some concerns that this kind of out of sight out of mind mentality to 'storing' harmful wastes is short sighted. It begs such questions as: what will happen to the stored CO2 in the future? how much can be safely stored? how expensive will the storage facilities be and will they be cost effective? More discussion on this topic will follow in future posts are further research has been conducted.
The final technology discussed seems to be very logical. Improving the end efficiency, distribution and use of the resources that we already have is a must do. This is a hallmark for what is to come. As the energy needs of humans around the globe increase, if there are no rapid jumps in the green production technologies, then there will have to be a global belt-tightening of our energy use. Increasing the intelligence and distribution of renewable energy resource, such as hydroelectricity is a good start. Again further posts will elucidate this matter once properly researched.
In closing it is heartening that in his first international trip in office of the US President Obama is pushing hard to put environmental issues to the forefront. Hopefully both the Canadian and American government will show initiative beyond rhetoric and actually follow through with efficient and sagacious use of the funds that have been earmarked to stimulate the 'green sector'; hopefully they will do so quickly. Further the greater the transparency of the use of these valuable tax dollars the more confidence the citizens of these two great nations can place in their leaders. Obama's leadership on making environmental issues a priority this early in his term makes me feel optomistic that he will exercise similar leadership and force that the upcoming coference in Copenhagen this winter. It could be a turning point for all nations; for humanities interaction with the planet that sustains us.
Perhaps we might ask ourselves: What can we do to make sure that this prospective 'green push' stays on course and moves us closer to living healthier more productive lives in harmony with the Earth. The answer is simple: make your voice heard. Write letters to your local, provincal and federal constituents telling them of your interest in these issues and the importance of getting the green solution right. Research these salient questions on the Internet and tell your friends about it. Basically make a stink about making things green. Be active, get involved and don't take no for an answer. Together we can make the Earth a greener better place! Let's get to it.
Thursday 19 February 2009
Mission Statement: "Sound the Trumpets"
I am starting this blog to add my voice to the growing chorus of people around the globe who are trying to do something to combat the growing environmental crisis that humanity faces. I have been an environmentalist since I was a small boy, not so much actively or consciously, but more or less just because I fell in love with the Earth as a child, running and swimming in the natural beauty of British Columbia, Canada. Lately I have had a growing sense of both hope and dread as I watched humanity pushing itself to what I see as the dangerous precipice of environmental destruction and therefore extinction. I have sat idly by for long enough and if this is all that I can do to make my voice heard then this much I will undertake.
The Earth is beautiful and I feel lucky to have the chance to live this life in this important time of crisis; I think that such catastrophe and danger (like the imminent danger that I perceive humans to be in now) is not only bad. We are creatures of survival, like all of the other organisms on the planet, and we will only evolve when forced to. I view the current global climate crisis as just such a force. If we don't adapt now our time left on the Earth as a species is limited. If we do hopefully we can grow our role to take on the mantle of what I think is our true duty on this planet: to be stewards and protectors who nurture and heal the Earth, guiding it to full bloom This is our chance. We must make our voices heard and convince the governments of the world that we require an environmentally friendly alternative of living to the destructive and solely consumptive option that is available to us now.
I know that so far this probably sounds like a bunch of hippy dippy bull. Ultimately I am a pragmatist. I thrive on action. I am sick and tired of hearing so many people complain about what our governments do but not taking any tangible action to try to affect change. I am done being one of the silent invisible whiners who wallows in lassitude and bitches from the sidelines. At the very least we have to stand up and scream: maybe then we will be heard!
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