saw this quote today outside of Long Island University in Brooklyn, how fitting given the recent events in my life...here's to building that current.
Showing posts with label climate change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label climate change. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Friday, June 27, 2008
is it just me...
Last night I attended a public forum, Cities Respond to Climate Change: The Challenge of Energy Efficiency at The New School , which happens to be my alma mater. All in all, I thought the event was great and really provided some very relevant and timely information about cities and their responses to climate change currently and overtime (Portland, Oregan has definately taken a historical lead in this sense).
The reason I wanted to write about it was because I was so bothered by one of the panelists and the approaches he was advocating for. Max Schulz is a senior fellow at The Manhattan Institute , Center for Energy Policy and the Environment . According to his bio he served as senior policy advisor and director of speechwriting for United States secretaries of energy Samuel Bodman and Spencer Abraham , both Bush appointees.
Schulz was advocating for an increase in the nuclear share of energy (such a bad road to go down...not to mention scarey) - he also was attempting to advance the idea that energy efficency has only lead to an increase in energy consumption (I'm pretty sure that EnergyStar rated products in homes DOES NOT lead to people using them MORE - think about it, you buy a new fridge, its rated well - do you now use it more? No, it's plugged in the same as the old one - the difference, it is simply consuming less energy...) WAKE UP PEOPLE!
Now the thing that I have always enjoyed about The New School is that they will structure their panels in such a way that there is always someone whose policy agenda is different from the progressive ideals that The New School was founded upon and carries forward today. Last year I attended a forum where Newt Gingrich was the keynote speaker. Many students were angry that he was invited to address the school, as was I, but I wasn't upset that he was invited, I was upset at the way the forum was structured. At this particular forum there was no Q and A period; this is what bother me most. I appreciate hearing from folks who hold different ideas and opinions than me, but give me a chance to question them, give them a change to defend their agendas, give them a chance to skew science and data to support their outlandish proposals, give them a chance to hear the frustrations of the "leaders of tomorrow", give them a chance to hear that people think they are wrong and of course give them the chance to stumble over their words as they try to defend themselves.
On a similar note - I once decided to read Ann Coulter's book How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) . My mother bought the book for my brother (this is a whole other entry in and of itself)...anyway, he wasn't reading it and I decided that I should read up on what misinformation Ann Coulter is spewing. I got about halfway through the book and I couldn't read anymore - I really am convinced that she is crazy, and for that matter anyone who could believe the ideas she is defending is as well.
It all just makes me wonder, am I living in a different world than these people? Is it just me or are they CRAZY?
The reason I wanted to write about it was because I was so bothered by one of the panelists and the approaches he was advocating for. Max Schulz is a senior fellow at The Manhattan Institute , Center for Energy Policy and the Environment . According to his bio he served as senior policy advisor and director of speechwriting for United States secretaries of energy Samuel Bodman and Spencer Abraham , both Bush appointees.
Schulz was advocating for an increase in the nuclear share of energy (such a bad road to go down...not to mention scarey) - he also was attempting to advance the idea that energy efficency has only lead to an increase in energy consumption (I'm pretty sure that EnergyStar rated products in homes DOES NOT lead to people using them MORE - think about it, you buy a new fridge, its rated well - do you now use it more? No, it's plugged in the same as the old one - the difference, it is simply consuming less energy...) WAKE UP PEOPLE!
Now the thing that I have always enjoyed about The New School is that they will structure their panels in such a way that there is always someone whose policy agenda is different from the progressive ideals that The New School was founded upon and carries forward today. Last year I attended a forum where Newt Gingrich was the keynote speaker. Many students were angry that he was invited to address the school, as was I, but I wasn't upset that he was invited, I was upset at the way the forum was structured. At this particular forum there was no Q and A period; this is what bother me most. I appreciate hearing from folks who hold different ideas and opinions than me, but give me a chance to question them, give them a change to defend their agendas, give them a chance to skew science and data to support their outlandish proposals, give them a chance to hear the frustrations of the "leaders of tomorrow", give them a chance to hear that people think they are wrong and of course give them the chance to stumble over their words as they try to defend themselves.
On a similar note - I once decided to read Ann Coulter's book How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) . My mother bought the book for my brother (this is a whole other entry in and of itself)...anyway, he wasn't reading it and I decided that I should read up on what misinformation Ann Coulter is spewing. I got about halfway through the book and I couldn't read anymore - I really am convinced that she is crazy, and for that matter anyone who could believe the ideas she is defending is as well.
It all just makes me wonder, am I living in a different world than these people? Is it just me or are they CRAZY?
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
changes
if you know me at all, you'd know how i feel about lists - i love them. i make lists of just about anything. to-do lists, books i want to read, books i have read, grocery lists, things to sell list, a research list, holiday lists, birthday lists...you get the point. well yesterday, while i was sitting in a forum, i decided that i would make a list of my behaviors as an environmentalist and a list of my behaviors as a consumer. it would be wrong of me not to mention that the idea of this list came from a recent meeting with No Impact Man. i wouldnt say that i am "new" to being an environmentalist (my mom claims she started the whole thing by using cloth diapers when i was wee), but i will admit that since moving to NYC i've had a much more difficult time. i could say it was a function of my busy lifestyle, or various roommate situations, or being surounded by a society that is, generally speaking, consumed (no pun intended) with the ease and convenience of take-out, or the fact that there is always some newer, hipper, sleaker model of everything. but this is just a cop out and the only way that things are going to change is for us each to take some responsibility for our actions as individuals. i continue to fear the collective apathetic.
here are the lists (in no particular order).
ENVIRONMENTALIST
vegetarian
keeper --- check this out
i use cloth bags - no plastic bags
hankerchief
use natural cleaning products
short showers
choice flushing (if its yellow let it mellow; if its brown flush it down)
use of public transportation
bike to work
use blackle
asking the janitor at work to only empty my trash when its full
using both sides of paper
limiting printing of reports at work
reuseable waterbottle
reuseable coffee mug
no air conditioner
no paper towels
buy dried goods in bulk
abide by reduce, reuse, recycle
attempt to reduce junk mail here and here
sign up for paperless billing
internet banking
freecycle
member of the public library
online magazine subscriptions instead of paper
buy local - farmers market
cold wash clothes
donate old clothes to orgs i dig: Ali Forney Center, Medical Missionaries, Inc
CONSUMER
things i own/do that increase my carbon footprint
ipod w/ rechargeable battery
laptop and external harddrive
digital camera w/ rechargable battery
blackberry w/ rechargeable battery
blender
alarm clock
clothes
shoes
bags
books
cds
dvds
movies
limited air travel
i order take out on occassion
SO NOW WHAT???
here are some steps i plan on making to further my commitment to helping out mother earth
consider every purchase by asking:
1. do i need this;
2. what waste is involved in the purchase;
3. what will happen to the waste upon purchase;
4. is there another item with less waste involved;
5. where did this item come from, can i get it locally;
6. what will happen with item when i am finished with it, can it be recycled,
reused, passed on to someone else who can use it;
7. would the money be better spent by making a donation
urban composting(convince my roommates to join me)
plant my rooftop garden or get a plot in a community garden
reduce the amount of plastic in my life
continue bringing my lunch to work and cooking instead of ordering out
talk to people - not in that preachy annoying sort of way
recommend books to people (here are 3 for today):
Common Wealth
Collapse: How Societies Chose to Fail or Succeed
Making Globalization Work
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