If anyone is still checking this blog, I'm sorry. I think I'll be taking a hiatus for quite a while. We've decided that we are doing ok with the non-wired life, so we probably won't have Internet access for quite a while (I'm sitting in my neighbor's driveway pilforing their connection to post this ; ). We won't have many spare moments for the next few months anyway, so why add another bill? I'll shoot for September, but we'll see.
'Til then, use your guts and your brain and CONSERVE! Oh, and consider resource use policies/awarness in selecting your presidential candidate please.
All my best!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Progress?!?!
I'm starting to feel really optimistic about the environmental turn-around that appears to be taking place within our country. Just one illustrative example: I've been in awe that several of the presidential contenders have given little to no attention to this issue. Despite the choice of many to deny/ignore issues such as global warming, it seems that great headway has been made in the past month alone. Probably many thanks are due to Mr. Al Gore - the Nobel Peace Prize committee apparently thinks so! How nice as well to have the President finally acknowledge that something is going on and that we can do some things to improve our contribution to the situation - go EU!
Of course, we have far to go, but it seems that the process is finally starting! We're finally remembering what we have forgotten for so many generations... that we really are tied to our environment and that we do play a part in the whole chain. The bulk of our progenitors couldn't afford to forget that. We have for a while, but maybe that's ending.
I hope it's not just a fad.
Of course, we have far to go, but it seems that the process is finally starting! We're finally remembering what we have forgotten for so many generations... that we really are tied to our environment and that we do play a part in the whole chain. The bulk of our progenitors couldn't afford to forget that. We have for a while, but maybe that's ending.
I hope it's not just a fad.
Friday, December 7, 2007
On the Water Note
This interview was EXCELLENT! It helped me to feel more informed and hopeful regarding the whole water crisis. We have so far to go though. Hopefully development will start to follow a wiser path.
We don't have Internet service yet. Sorry, I probably won't post for a long time. I apologize for the anticlimactic blog!
We don't have Internet service yet. Sorry, I probably won't post for a long time. I apologize for the anticlimactic blog!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Oh Where Is the Water?...
Oh where is the water? Oh where, oh where, oh where, oh where, oh where... is the water?!?! (sing in a cucumber voice)
Crazy. People are crazy. How do you get an enormous population to the brink of being waterless and not do anything about it until 37 days before zero? The news is filled with reports of area municipalities about to run out of water. I just don't understand what's going on here. I have been impressed by the attention being paid to water conservation in this area since moving here. But figured that the campaigns would be much stronger if they were this close to trouble. This is way too little, way too late. They've only scratched the surface. There are so many other water saving tips/incentives that should have been pushed LONG before now.
We're now embarking on a tri-state battle for water allocation. Someone wisely asked the governor, "How could growth go unchecked for so long while so little was being done about this? Why are we only now concerned about this?" The governor refused to respond.
This isn't just Georgia's story. It's the same everywhere. Our family is swapping one clueless place for another. I'm embarrassed to admit that the place we've decided to rent is surrounded by a lovely lawn... in the dessert, and there's not much we can do about it. (Does that sound weak of me or what? I vow to tackle the HOA as soon as I settle.)
Why aren't people getting this? How can politicians (who I otherwise like) get this far in presidential campaigns without paying a scrap of attention to climate change and the exploitation of finite resources? Projecting what could happen if we stay this course is enough to make me consider basing my vote on this one factor alone. I'm not a doomsayer, I'm a scientist. The writing's on the wall. The earth is changing. We've got to adapt our patterns.
I'll start... I'm proud of our car that hasn't been washed since we moved here. (Ha ha ha, I wish our intentions were that noble.)
Crazy. People are crazy. How do you get an enormous population to the brink of being waterless and not do anything about it until 37 days before zero? The news is filled with reports of area municipalities about to run out of water. I just don't understand what's going on here. I have been impressed by the attention being paid to water conservation in this area since moving here. But figured that the campaigns would be much stronger if they were this close to trouble. This is way too little, way too late. They've only scratched the surface. There are so many other water saving tips/incentives that should have been pushed LONG before now.
We're now embarking on a tri-state battle for water allocation. Someone wisely asked the governor, "How could growth go unchecked for so long while so little was being done about this? Why are we only now concerned about this?" The governor refused to respond.
This isn't just Georgia's story. It's the same everywhere. Our family is swapping one clueless place for another. I'm embarrassed to admit that the place we've decided to rent is surrounded by a lovely lawn... in the dessert, and there's not much we can do about it. (Does that sound weak of me or what? I vow to tackle the HOA as soon as I settle.)
Why aren't people getting this? How can politicians (who I otherwise like) get this far in presidential campaigns without paying a scrap of attention to climate change and the exploitation of finite resources? Projecting what could happen if we stay this course is enough to make me consider basing my vote on this one factor alone. I'm not a doomsayer, I'm a scientist. The writing's on the wall. The earth is changing. We've got to adapt our patterns.
I'll start... I'm proud of our car that hasn't been washed since we moved here. (Ha ha ha, I wish our intentions were that noble.)
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
go nuclear!!!...???
I enjoyed this insight on nuclear energy. The article humbly addresses the most common myths related to this form of energy production. So far, there are no "perfect" solutions for keeping up with our energy need (though reduction is a start - see sidebar), but it appears that nuclear technologies have come a lot further than many of us realize. I was especially interested to learn that nuclear waste can now be recycled. My own strongest held misconception has been ameliorated! Thanks for the link Mel!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Origins
This blog was started as a substitute for a book that I've known I should write for years. I finally had to just bite the bullet and start something. For now though, I'm not quite ready to write more except to explain the title...
My education was in Natural Resources and Environmental Management. When I embarked upon this path, I felt a bit awkward given the subculture from which I stemmed... that of uber-consumerism that somehow had come to define Utah urban existence.
Unfortunately, the prevailing approach to natural resource management among many members of my faith (which almost predominates Utah) seems to be to ignore it and pretend that it'll all work out. It'll all burn up one day anyway, right?.... The earth and it's wares are here for our use, right? Somehow, as a culture, we've gotten that we need to be wise stewards of our finances, food, families, and homes, but the temporal responsibilities seem to end at the curbs surrounding our great green expanses of water-hogging lawn (which unfortunately I would love to have one day too ; ).
Anyway, one day as I prepared to leave for my program in Hawai`i, I encountered the following passage which many use to justify the pervasive environmental apathy. But that's not how it spoke to me - For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare... ~Doctrine and Covenants 104:17
This is where too many seem to stop, but this whole section is talking about how this won't just happen if left to (man's) nature. There is a certain way for this abundance to be possible... from the surrounding verses, it doesn't sound like uber-consumerism is it. It's referring to a law that we are not expected to live in its fullness right now, but the underlying principles still desperately need to be applied. The earth can be a beautiful (non-smog encased/exploited place), but not without conscious effort. Daunting as it may be, our stewardship should extend to the earth too. We each have an impact upon it. But as with most things in this life, making that a good impact requires some thought, effort, and consciousness on our part.
Fortunately, that is what my field is about. NREM is a field of study that believes that in a natural system which includes man, environmental approaches are not solutions unless they are physically (scientifically/biologically) and socially (economically/culturally) sustainable. Neither side can be ignored. It's like a great big puzzle to find solutions that fit both needs. Think on that for a while.
Eventually, on this website you will find everyday practical teasers to help you reflect on what you are doing/can do to make your impact a positive one. I myself (being far from perfect in this and all regards) find that I do much better when I can put my impact in a bigger context. To some, this will be elementary - kudos! This exercise is simply intended as a springboard for myself and others who are coming into their own environmental druthers.
Stay tuned!
My education was in Natural Resources and Environmental Management. When I embarked upon this path, I felt a bit awkward given the subculture from which I stemmed... that of uber-consumerism that somehow had come to define Utah urban existence.
Unfortunately, the prevailing approach to natural resource management among many members of my faith (which almost predominates Utah) seems to be to ignore it and pretend that it'll all work out. It'll all burn up one day anyway, right?.... The earth and it's wares are here for our use, right? Somehow, as a culture, we've gotten that we need to be wise stewards of our finances, food, families, and homes, but the temporal responsibilities seem to end at the curbs surrounding our great green expanses of water-hogging lawn (which unfortunately I would love to have one day too ; ).
Anyway, one day as I prepared to leave for my program in Hawai`i, I encountered the following passage which many use to justify the pervasive environmental apathy. But that's not how it spoke to me - For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare... ~Doctrine and Covenants 104:17
This is where too many seem to stop, but this whole section is talking about how this won't just happen if left to (man's) nature. There is a certain way for this abundance to be possible... from the surrounding verses, it doesn't sound like uber-consumerism is it. It's referring to a law that we are not expected to live in its fullness right now, but the underlying principles still desperately need to be applied. The earth can be a beautiful (non-smog encased/exploited place), but not without conscious effort. Daunting as it may be, our stewardship should extend to the earth too. We each have an impact upon it. But as with most things in this life, making that a good impact requires some thought, effort, and consciousness on our part.
Fortunately, that is what my field is about. NREM is a field of study that believes that in a natural system which includes man, environmental approaches are not solutions unless they are physically (scientifically/biologically) and socially (economically/culturally) sustainable. Neither side can be ignored. It's like a great big puzzle to find solutions that fit both needs. Think on that for a while.
Eventually, on this website you will find everyday practical teasers to help you reflect on what you are doing/can do to make your impact a positive one. I myself (being far from perfect in this and all regards) find that I do much better when I can put my impact in a bigger context. To some, this will be elementary - kudos! This exercise is simply intended as a springboard for myself and others who are coming into their own environmental druthers.
Stay tuned!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
