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helwenNews articles on the latest IPCC report:
Washington Post
MSNBC
CNN
They all basically saying that the IPCC report got softened by the big boys, but also gives some info on what's in the report. But I know some people prefer different news sources, so there you go.
When you choose to take life a little more slowly, what do you lose? What do you gain? One take on that:
No Impact Man
I just had an odd thought. One of the big users of fuel is how stuff is made/grown in one place, then shipped somewhere far away for sale other places. In manufacturing, there also are materials shipped to the plant from far away, some of which really can't be helped, if those things are going to be made. Anyway, my perhaps simplistic thought, for those companies that want to be big, is not have giant plants, but more smaller ones, spread out across the country. Each plant delivers its goods within its region. If the plant produces recyclable goods, then they can handle that part too, cutting down on how much materials they need to import.
I suspect this would be highly impractical from some goods, but it ought to work for some. I know it costs me more to mail a package to CA than to GA, so it should save them money too. Re: food stuffs, well, the agricultural scene would have to change a lot, and some things would definitely be even greater luxury items (like star fruit or kiwi in New England) -- they probably will be anyway, given the rising cost of fuel.
Regarding food, while I do like some imports (chili powder for one), for the most part I have to wonder why the imported food should be preferred over more locally-produced food? I mean, what _wrong_ with the food I grow? Why does Michigan, for instance, spend more on imported foods than they make on selling their crops for export? Is their food inferior in some way? Is mine or the food of any of the serious farmers market folks here in the Valley? I doubt it. I think our food is just as good as anyone else's. And as for winter, well, I can't stand the imported winter tomatoes anyway, so if I'm going to eat canned ones, I might as well grow my own to can as buy them from wherever.
I know, I know. What about the global economy? Well, what about it? Used to be, people made money importing things you couldn't get locally _at all_. I remember reading years ago about how we were buying oil from Saudi Arabia and other places, while selling some of our own to Japan. ??? I'm assuming there was some sort of good reason for that, but I don't know what it is. When it comes to things our local folks can produce though, I'd rather support them if I can. Because if we don't support ourselves, how are we supposed to not only live, but thrive? Too often the locations that aren't considered choice by big businesses are forced to take a subordinate role to other locations. Too often those now the people of those "subordinate" locations believe the lie and figure there's nothing they can do about it. I've tried to come up with money-making ideas myself, but I'm not a large-scale kind of person so I don't really think of mass production sorts of things.
Fortunately there are other people doing that in our area. Pursuit of green technologies and industry seem to be on the upswing, and there's a group from Easthampton that are working on creating a Green Industry Park in Holyoke, of all places. They're renovating a couple of warehouses down by the river and looking for tenants who are into green stuff or are non-profits, etc. Amazing what can happen in an old paper mill city.
And maybe profit and success need to be re-defined. I wouldn't mind having more free capital than we currently have, but I wouldn't want to be a rich person. Not my definition of success. And if I really knuckle down on the spending and stuff, then pretty soon we'll have the capital we need (we do like our books and music). Not tomorrow, not next month either, but soon enough, I think. Success isn't determined for me by how many gadgets I have, how many CDs, or even how much money is in the bank (although we could do with more in there). It's having time to enjoy life and living. Time with friends and family. Growing some of my own food and making some of my own clothing (just finished a shirt this weekend). It's having time to take a walk, seeing what's coming up in the garden, reading, learning, working on getting healthier, etc. A life with purpose is the best kind of success I can think of.
Washington Post
MSNBC
CNN
They all basically saying that the IPCC report got softened by the big boys, but also gives some info on what's in the report. But I know some people prefer different news sources, so there you go.
When you choose to take life a little more slowly, what do you lose? What do you gain? One take on that:
No Impact Man
I just had an odd thought. One of the big users of fuel is how stuff is made/grown in one place, then shipped somewhere far away for sale other places. In manufacturing, there also are materials shipped to the plant from far away, some of which really can't be helped, if those things are going to be made. Anyway, my perhaps simplistic thought, for those companies that want to be big, is not have giant plants, but more smaller ones, spread out across the country. Each plant delivers its goods within its region. If the plant produces recyclable goods, then they can handle that part too, cutting down on how much materials they need to import.
I suspect this would be highly impractical from some goods, but it ought to work for some. I know it costs me more to mail a package to CA than to GA, so it should save them money too. Re: food stuffs, well, the agricultural scene would have to change a lot, and some things would definitely be even greater luxury items (like star fruit or kiwi in New England) -- they probably will be anyway, given the rising cost of fuel.
Regarding food, while I do like some imports (chili powder for one), for the most part I have to wonder why the imported food should be preferred over more locally-produced food? I mean, what _wrong_ with the food I grow? Why does Michigan, for instance, spend more on imported foods than they make on selling their crops for export? Is their food inferior in some way? Is mine or the food of any of the serious farmers market folks here in the Valley? I doubt it. I think our food is just as good as anyone else's. And as for winter, well, I can't stand the imported winter tomatoes anyway, so if I'm going to eat canned ones, I might as well grow my own to can as buy them from wherever.
I know, I know. What about the global economy? Well, what about it? Used to be, people made money importing things you couldn't get locally _at all_. I remember reading years ago about how we were buying oil from Saudi Arabia and other places, while selling some of our own to Japan. ??? I'm assuming there was some sort of good reason for that, but I don't know what it is. When it comes to things our local folks can produce though, I'd rather support them if I can. Because if we don't support ourselves, how are we supposed to not only live, but thrive? Too often the locations that aren't considered choice by big businesses are forced to take a subordinate role to other locations. Too often those now the people of those "subordinate" locations believe the lie and figure there's nothing they can do about it. I've tried to come up with money-making ideas myself, but I'm not a large-scale kind of person so I don't really think of mass production sorts of things.
Fortunately there are other people doing that in our area. Pursuit of green technologies and industry seem to be on the upswing, and there's a group from Easthampton that are working on creating a Green Industry Park in Holyoke, of all places. They're renovating a couple of warehouses down by the river and looking for tenants who are into green stuff or are non-profits, etc. Amazing what can happen in an old paper mill city.
And maybe profit and success need to be re-defined. I wouldn't mind having more free capital than we currently have, but I wouldn't want to be a rich person. Not my definition of success. And if I really knuckle down on the spending and stuff, then pretty soon we'll have the capital we need (we do like our books and music). Not tomorrow, not next month either, but soon enough, I think. Success isn't determined for me by how many gadgets I have, how many CDs, or even how much money is in the bank (although we could do with more in there). It's having time to enjoy life and living. Time with friends and family. Growing some of my own food and making some of my own clothing (just finished a shirt this weekend). It's having time to take a walk, seeing what's coming up in the garden, reading, learning, working on getting healthier, etc. A life with purpose is the best kind of success I can think of.
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no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 05:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 08:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 09:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 02:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 04:30 pm (UTC)Not mine; I swiped it from historical cooking books, where it's much used.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 07:25 pm (UTC)http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/01/22/070122fa_fact_green
It seems like colleges may be the first places to really think in the long term, because we have to. We will be in the same buildings in the same place in 40, 60, and hopefully 100 years-- so we can see savings over the long haul.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 08:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 07:46 pm (UTC)Hugs to you both.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 08:29 pm (UTC)Yes, it sure can be hard! And every decision has its positives and negatives. Like my decision to buy a bunch of linen for making every clothing, not just medieval clothing. It's commercially grown/woven/dyed, and I certainly can't get it locally. But it's a very long-lasting fiber, so hopefully the net impact will be as good or better than buying organic cotton (which we also can't get locally), and we aren't contributing to the disposable fashion economy as much, either.
I'm not ready to make my own shoes yet though!
I am glad that you and other folks enjoy reading my posts, and even find some of them inspiring; I really enjoy the opportunity to share my enthusiasm and adventures with others.
Hugs!