reinvigorate

My friends, I am on break, and I am living the life.
I've been snowboarding in Vermont, playing pond hockey in the moonlight, falling asleep late and waking up early. Today, snow fell thick, and as I type I am looking out into a winter wonderland. Life has been fantastic, but I am feeling like a complete slacker. Because I don't feel like telling cute anecdotes to supplement the bores of research, I am going to update you, the glorious and always curious internet user, by tossing out a bunch of ideas, thoughts and lists.

I have finished, with some scanning, The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices (1999). I thought a lot of the information presented was obvious, but enjoyed the concrete studies and examples used to back their conclusions. 7 things the book discussed--

1. The leading sonsuption-related environmental problems are air pollution, global warming, habitat alteration, and water pollution. Pretty straight foward.
2. The most harmful consumer activities come from Household operations, Food, and Transportation. I call these The Big Three. The Big Three will be concentrated on in 2 week segments, but more on this later.
3. Choosing where you live is extremely important. Suburban sprawl is a major problem, and is the result of subsidized road development, a car oriented culture, and a lack of proper planning.
4. Don't fret over minor consumption choices, but limit high impact activities. A concentration by the media on overconsumption has hurt the environmental movement (the fallacy of a garbage crisis in 1980s). Frugality is not the answer, and instead smarter, more efficient, development is needed.
5. In 1997 an American citizen, on average, consumed 106 times as much commercial energy than a citizen of Bangladesh. At that time we represented only 5 percent of the worlds population, yet we used 25% of the oil, 23% of the coal, 27 % of the aluminum and 19% of the copper (British Petroleum, statistical review of world energy, 97')
6. Purchase products that don't harm the environment as much- organic food , energy star appliances, renewable energy...
7. While we must change our individual habits it is crucial to bug the heck out of the government. Ask them to make the marketplace work for the environment (German companies have to pay for the disposal of what they sell, while American companies don't have any connection to the waste their sold packaging and goods produce). Ask them to search for a way to tax pollution,  very controversial but exceptionally effective, "Economists like the fact that even as taxes provide financial reasons to take better care of the environment, they ultimately leave the final decision on what to buy and do up to consumers acting through the free market." (152) . Tax shifting also is a viable option as it wouldn't  cost more overall, but would shift from income taxes to taxes on polluting activities. (check this article out for more info http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/04/lowering-income-taxes-raising-pollution-taxes.php) At this time our greatest industries rely on the most polluting activities. The government subsidizes the oil industry, they pay only a 11 percent income tax rate while the average for other companies is 18%. Water is subsidized; in 1999 irrigation received subsides totaling 2.5 billion, and because of this farmers don't have the incentive to install more efficient irrigation systems. Timber companies are subsided around 1 billion dollars a year.The list goes on. Tax incentives, a nuance of tax hikes, seems more easily accepted--  for example $3000 tax credits for buying a Prius (an incentive that has just expired, as hybrid cars have become a more established market click for more info). Finally we should continue to ask the government to set a limit on emissions and allow companies to trade pollution permits, a method used in the Kyoto Protocol.

Educate yourself, educate the public, be ambitious, focus on ecosystem protection, make existing communities and older housing attractive, these are some of the many calls to arms of the Consumers Guide.

 Last week I had a mentor meeting with the Old WISE One, aka Miss G, in which we discussed, or rather she told me in the 20 seconds (literally) we had, that I needed a plan. 

"We all love to wander, but without direction you wont end up where you want to be." 

"Ya I know Miss G, I watched Winne the Pooh."

Here's the plan, mam. 

I will have a two week concentration on The Big Three- Household Operations, Food, and Transportation. I will start with food. In that two week span I will

• Research, primarily, said topic
• Concentrate on lowering my environmental impact in that area
• Conduct at least one interview related to concentration
• Have a "I wonder session" (Mrs. Gergely's method of brainstorming and gently suggestion to myself and others)
• Make a short film about the topic

After these next 6 weeks I will concentrate on connecting with organizations--school, and local government.


Along with the concentration I must continue to have data on--

• Water use
• electricity use
• miles driven
• money spent by parents and me on food/groceries 

and have recorded--

• the local food I've eaten
• notes on research

Weekly Words

I drove over 100 miles less last week than the week before, as a result of biking and mooching rides. However, I drove 480 miles, with 2 friends,  to Vermont and back. Ski resorts produce fake snow, containing harmful chemicals, and they use a plethora of energy for lifts, grooming, etc. ouchhhhhhhhh.

Sunday I will interview Scott VanGaasbeck, owner of Frog Hill Pottery, about his journey living off the land. I just visited the new house he is building, it's huge, and he is constructing it all by himself.

Thank you Jenny for showing me this carbon calculator-http://calc.zerofootprint.net/branches/10642. Will use.

Thank you Jackie for telling me about The CSA farm fair on March 5th

I just received in email from a member of Energy Independent Caroline, asking if I was interested in getting involved in teaching Caroline Elementary kids about sustainable living. So sweet!

I cooked a meal for the first time since 7th grade, a simple beef bone soup, which came out surprisingly well. The beef was local, as is most of our meat now. I cannot wait to cook more in the weeks ahead. Tonight or tomorrow night I am making a steak dinner with my dad. 

Thoughts on things

"In every deliberation we must consider the 7th generation"

sustainability is an awareness

sustainability calls each of us to consider; is what we are doing harming the environment, ourselves, or others?

sustainability doesn't entail frugality, but it certainly calls for a more efficient use of technology. Purchasing a more energy efficient refrigerator may cost $180 more, however you save $31 on electricity annually so that in 10 years you have a $310 payback, that is  10.5% interest, much, much better than if that $180 was put in the bank. It is also requires less effort and produces a greater impact than if you were to concentrate on unplugging your cell phone charger, or turn off lights in unoccupied rooms

Sustainability is simply looking ahead

Well, time to go sledding, the old fashion mode of snow sliding. 

You kids and your fancy snowboards and chairlifts.....

P.S Miss Gergely I will answer all your questions when I get back