The uncertainty of our times is no reason to be certain about hopelessness.
–Vandana Shiva, Soil Association Conference, Jan 2007, as quoted on TransitionCulture.org
I’ve been reading the latest climate change report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that was released last week. It really is good news.
It’s good news that the projections haven’t worsened since […]
Petunias? Snapdragons? Lately I’ve been growing impatient with impatiens. Bougainvilla, ficus, bird-of-paradise – our Southern California cities luxuriate in year-round ornamental gardens.
Pretty bloomers, yes. But truly, a mix of non-functional tropical plants slurping water in what is really a desert climate, usurping land use where urban space is now so precious.
Lawns and nonfunctional landscapes are […]
posted to Transition Culture blog:
Ah, I see there is now some sort of label for myself, a neo-Jeffersonian-agrarian-what was it?
My first knee-jerk reaction was to Zachary’s declaration that “survival and sustainability are, in the long run, the same thing.” He partially redeemed himself on that one later in his essay by expressing his belief in the unlikelihood of neighbors […]
A well-meaning friend brought to our attention some new disposable utensils by Clear Creek Compostables - replacements for plastic forks, spoons, etc - which are made from 90% sugar cane and are billed as “compostable.” At the same time I had just read this piece about degradable plastics:
DEGRADABLE plastic
Degrade is another word for rot. It’s nature’s way […]
In the “not quite what it seems” department …
“Indiana farming town tries for all-renewable energy” (AP 7/9/06)
Headline sounds great. They’re going to go for 100% renewables, “generating [their] own electricity and gas, using everything from municipal trash to farm waste, hog manure and even town sewage.”
Using what they have locally - that sounds great. Breaking […]
posted to Grist.org
Sunflower wrote about solar, and quoted solar in terms of units on the desert. The desert is a valuable ecosystem to the planet, also. Just because humans find it rather uncomfortable there, doesn’t make it worthless in terms of natural capital (def: Paul Hawken, E.M.Schumacker).
Take a close look at any photo of […]
posted to Grist.org http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2006/5/31/121534/125
Corn, soy, it doesn’t matter, all of it is merely a transition-era bandaid. Wide-scale adoption is not possible. It is firstly a land-use issue. We do not have the planetary surface to grow biofuels in sufficient quantity to replace our appetite for oil.
When it comes to “crop waste,” which is often […]
posted to Grist.org
Another poster said: “With the new quick charge lithium batteries electric cars charged by solar power and the other renewable electric power sources are THE future of transportation.”
Coincidentally, I tried to research batteries last night. Someone had told me the batteries in a Prius were toxic to the environment, moreso than the enviro […]
posted to Transition Culture
I’d say:
‘Energy descent’ describes the process of departing from our culture’s current energy-intensive processes: copious transportation (ground, air, water); energy-intensive technologies; fossil-sourced-chemical intensive agriculture & medicine; and the business & political models dependent thereon.
I like the 2nd & 3rd sentences of your definition (”It also refers to a future scenario in which […]
(posted to Grist.org 4/12/06)
It sounds wonderful that Wal-Mart has “goals” to cap their greenhouse emissions. That’s a lot of Wal-Mart trucks, store locations, offices and supply chains to bring under ghg limitations, and would be a terrific thing. I look forward to seeing CERES level reporting which declares that they have put action behind those […]