Is Our Way of Life Sustainable? NO!
Topic: Sustainability
Sustainability is a measure of how long we can keep doing something. If you're talking about a small business, ten years is not a bad sustainability level, because most small businesses fail in the first year or two. However, if you're talking about the earth's ecosystem, ten years is a low sustainability level. Ten thousand years is better. "Indefinitely" is perhaps the ultimate goal.

Actually, the sustainability of life on this planet is currently dependent upon the sun. If its radiation were to change by much more than a few percent, say for a year, it would have huge effects on our ecosystem. So let's assume that the sun remains stable for a while longer (scientists estimate another five billion years, after which we'll have to look for another inhabitable planet—if we can't generate our own sun-like radiation on a widespread basis).

I think that most sustainability proponents would say it also means with no harmful effects--on people or the environment. At least none that build up to harmful levels over time. Often implicit in the concept of sustainability is a "steady state" system, with no long-term accumulations of unwanted substances or effects.

Example Sustainable System
The ecosphere has the ability to use its own "waste products". Let me qualify that: in healthy ecosystems, there are no real waste products—every organism's wastes are used as input/energy for another class of organisms. For example, a rodent eats insects, a hawk eats the rodent, bacteria decompose the hawk's carcass after it dies, insects eat the bacteria and decomposing carcass, and the cycle begins again. OK, there are also a few trees involved—with sunlight and water, they turn the waste carbon dioxide from decomposition into oxygen and food. Perfect equilibrium, which could last indefinitely—if not over-polluted, over-heated, or frozen.

There is another large assumption here: that the "wastes" produced by one subsystem or species is an amount that the next subsystem/species can handle. Think of dumping your table scraps in your backyard. No harm done, right? In fact, if you start a compost pile, and let it process the scraps long enough, you have some useful garden & lawn fertilizer. But what's the limit of table scraps (composted) that your garden and lawn could handle? The amount from your family? From your whole neighborhood? From your entire town. As you might imagine, your lawn and garden have a limit on how much compost they can handle per year.

Non-Sustainable Systems
Many experts think that we're dumping more wastes into the environment than it can handle. Just like trying to dump your entire town's table scraps into your back yard, we've exceeded the ecosystem's capacity to process them. The result is an increasing accumulation of wastes, an imbalance in the otherwise steady-state condition of nature.

Petroleum use is not sustainable; the supply is limited, so "eventually" we'll run out. Many experts believe that we have 25-50 years worth of relatively inexpensive oil left at current rates of consumption—and less if we keep increasing its use. But even if we had unlimited petroleum, burning it is not a sustainable practice because of the hydrocarbons released, which create greenhouse gases—and are causing global warming.

A Few Sustainability-Threat Indicators
I've created some links to one work of a great man--Lester Brown. He's proposed a "Plan B" for turning ourselves back from an otherwise grave danger. The links below are to an online version of his book, made possible by Earth-Policy.org. (Don't worry, he's not the only one forecasting sustainability threats, as you'll quickly see if you follow any of the links at the end of this article.)

Fresh water is harder to find: Water tables are shrinking, and being polluted. Deserts are expanding, and rainforests are shrinking.

Topsoil is eroding We're washing off topsoil in agricultural areas. Would you like to eat affordable food for only 20 more years?

Storms are becoming increasingly destructive: I read a statistic recently---something like the four most active, destructive storm seasons have been in the last 10 years. This last season was the worst. What will next year's be like?


For More Information

Union of Concerned Scientists—great discussion of global warming and environmental solutions.

National Academies—more smart people looking for solutions.

Sustainability Info Source—"Info Gateway Empowering ... Environmental Sustainability".

Sustainability Web Ring—Web sites dealing with principles, policies, practices for sustainable development.

Sustainability Institute—example of a sustainability consulting firm.

Sustainable Measures—helps organizations & communities develop indicators of sustainability progress.

Alliance for Sustainability —projects that are ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just and humane.

A More Deliberate Way of Life
Topic: LifeDesign
I used to feel so harried. I never had enough time to spend with kids or doing the things which were meaningful to me. So I bought and expanded a duplex, quit my high-pressure corporate job, and did a major career change (from technical writing to counseling).

I love my new life, and I want to show others how to do what I've done. I also want to propose several social changes that will help everyone be able to live this more deliberate way of living.

Individual Changes
Start by identifying what's meaningful—to you:
- Identifying your beliefs, passions/dreams, and strengths.
- What's blocking you from living your dreams?
- Sketching out ways of increasing satisfaction.

Then determine how much change you want/need to make:
- Assess your dissatisfaction.
- Evaluate your income and spending.
- Look at alternatives.
- Making decisions for changes--perhaps a life re-design.

Institutional Changes

- Experiential, constructivist schools: wider viewpoint; relevant topics; more field trips; constructivist design activities!!

- Early, continued work exposure/experience, with ties to school studies.

- Build your own home (with help from parents & neighbors & friends).

- Stay out of debt!

- Go to college only after sampling a few work/career choices. (College would be several 1-year stints, not 4-5 year, high-pressure, perhaps-binge-drinking bash.)

I recommend plenty of opportunity to get some career-related experience before career training. There wouldn't be college as such, but instead I'd like to take "a season or two" to learn about a career direction I was both interested in and capable of learning about.

This would be a life-long process, not a "drink from a firehose" like college is now. No wonder kids party and get so wild on weekends & breaks! They live in cramped quarters, with someone they've never met before, under huge pressures of coursework--in which they may not have much interest, and in classes & majors whose life-relevance is not obvious--and perhaps not that relevant.

Instead of going right from high school to college, I propose that students build a house first. Or even earlier, you could help your parents build a bedroom for you to live in, then have your family & friends & neighbors help you build a house for yourself when you move out of your parents' house.
I propose building smaller houses, made of low-energy indigenous materials. (Some materials, like insulation, may require more energy to make and ship to the site than they'll save over the life of the building.)


Daily Eco-Sustaining Choices
All cultures used to have many ecologically respectful, sustainable-lifestyle technologies and infrastructure pieces in place. What happened? This article will describe how we as individuals can make choices that will help this comfy little planet remain inhabitable for more than one or two more generations.

- Housing: owner-built means no mortgage payments; energy efficient; natural lighting; no noxious building materials; etc.

- Transportation: lots of support for walking, bicycling, & public transport; cars are "last resort", and shared by multiple people or families or groups.

- Landscaping: climate-appropriate (Colorado is a semi-arid region, so Kentucky Bluegrass should be illegal!).

- Cleaning & hygiene; low water usage (bathwater for plants!); non-polluting cleaners & personal-hygiene products.

- Waste management: buy only items with less packaging (so less waste from the beginning); or use the cardboard to make furniture or decorations for your house; learn about and use eco-friendly types of toilets & sanitation systems.

- Shopping: consume only what's needed; buy items with less packaging; buy fair-trade items (produced under humane conditions); shop at stores near your home, or carpool to stores farther away; start a food co-op for you and your friends, to buy things in bulk.

- Travel: visit someone from another culture, to get a different perspective on yours ("a fish doesn't know it's in water" effect)---you'll be amazed at how dumb some of our cultural behaviors are when you return!

- Lifelong education: don't expect to get all your education completed by the time you're 22 years old; instead, take time after high school to get some job experience--perhaps in another city/state/culture/country;
read The Three Boxes of Life, by Bowles.

Parental Requirement: Be Prepared & Competent!
Topic: Relationships
Due to the possible harmful consequences, each state in the USA requires its citizens to prove that they are qualified to drive automobiles. Similarly, there are licenses required for many other activities, such as: medicine, dentistry, highway design, hunting, fishing, home-building, teaching, counseling, and hairstyling. Just think of the horrible consequences of a hairstylist without a license! Contrast that to the consequences of negligent, absent, and/or abusive parenting.

Isn't effective parenting much more important—and risky—than styling hair??

Negative Effects of Ineffective Parenting

• Violent crime.



• Substance abuse.



• Mental health problems.



• Incarceration (short- and long-term).



• Multi-generational welfare dependence.

(Note: Sorry about not explaining the items on this list. I wanted to get it published in my blog as an example of an idea to be developed. I'll flesh it out later.)

Possible Scenarios and Benefits:
There are so many possible benefits of this proposal.

• A world of wanted children. Supportive homes create productive citizens. (They can pay taxes, Mr. Bush, instead of requiring incarceration.)



• Reduced social-infrastructure costs (law enforcement, prisons, etc,) means more money for wars, golf courses, and big boats for the rich.
  (Just kidding...wanted to see if you were paying attention.)



• Reduced/zero population growth means less pollution, and less competition for increasingly scarce commodities (such as clean water and fresh air).


• Parenting tools are fun, and give parents more energy, money—and sex!

How to Prepare for Parenting
One of my premises for this article is that if a person is in a supportive environment, they'll have the highest chance of fully developing their potential to function effectively. When I had this sort of environment at work, I flourished. I worked to set up this kind of environment for my kids, and I think it helped them in school, sports, and socially.

Being completely prepared for parenting is impossible. But there are some things you can do to make it easier on yourself--and on your kid(s).

• Save up $232,000 for each child. That's what it costs to raise each one (as per a 1980's TV commercial from the '80s). I don't think I spent quite this much raising my three kids... probably only about $150,000 each.
  
  
• Get some parenting skills, preferably from
  taking a class where you role-play. You'll need to practice answering the question "why?" and dealing with "no" at least 30 times in succession---without showing the least bit of weakness.
  
  
• Learn now to get by on 4-6 hours sleep on a regular basis.
  
  
• Learn how to get by with only 1 hour of free time every day... that's if you have a spouse and only one job. If you're a single parent, make that 0 free time and learn to get by on 6 hours of sleep.
  
  
• I could go on, but I think you get the idea. If not, go ask a single parent--which is what you have a 60% chance of being--what it's like. Better yet, spend a week with them. Did you ever tote around a 10-pound sack of flour for Home Ec class? That was a breeze compared to parenting!!
  

The Making of a Political Perspective
Topic: Politics
My Goal for My Perspective
As I said in previous posts, I'm confused but gaining clarity. I want to develop an "unbiased, comprehensive, global perspective". I like to be aware of what's going on in the world, so that I act in the best interests of us all—as "fellow Spaceship Earth passengers".

Sources of My Initial Perspective
Early family experiences have a huge influence on people's beliefs, including political ones. And the psychotherapist in me knows that if I understand someone's beliefs, I can predict how they will act. It's also easier to help them learn new beliefs and behaviors.

Personal Interactions: My Kindly Kinfolk My parents were both lower-middle-class folks, who seemed to care more about being kind and fair toward everyone than making lots of money. They were the ones in the neighborhood who took big groups of kids to the skating rink. I could tell they liked helping those less fortunate than us.

A Campaign Button: Tricky Dick's Grin Nixes Northeastern Nemesis I remember a couple family members wearing Kennedy buttons, but I didn't like the way he looked: skin too pale, and cheeks too rosy. Nixon seemed more like characters in my storybooks, so he was my man. Such are the political criteria of a five-year-old boy. It reinforces how powerful childhood stories and myths are in our lives. Sadly enough, I think that a non-trivial percentage of voters use this kind of criteria when choosing candidates.

A Moving Convention Speech: Hubie Hits a Heartstring I watched bits of the 1968 conventions on TV. I remember feeling touched by a couple things that Humphrey talked about. So my criteria had changed from "familiar face" to "warmer words". I don't recall either of my parents trying to influence me either way by saying anything about either party or any candidate.

Sources of Initial Perspectives (My Generalization)
I would guess that most voters rely on outside sources for their first political views and interpretation of issues:

  • Family.
  • Educational institutions.
  • Neighbors.
  • Religious affiliations, if any.
  • Widely held cultural beliefs.
  • Media—which can be objective or more biased.

I'm really interested in how people get political views from religion, culture, and the media. But that's a huge topic, best postponed for another day. (I'll come back here to this spot later and put in a link to that discussion, after I've written and posted it.)

I'm also very concerned about a guess I have: most people have one primary source of information.

Before Expanding Your Perspective, Identify Your Current Beliefs
Whenever I approach a new topic, I like to jot down a few notes about what I already know or believe about it. I've usually been surprized at what I know about a topic. Plus it helps me prepare for subsequent learning--by warming my brain up, and by helping me generate curiosity and questions to answer in my research.

Here is a quick list of political issues that seem important to me. I've also taken the liberty to jot down some questions that come to mind in each category.

Government:

What is its purpose?
Is our current government effective?
What should it not attempt to do?

Taxation:

What should we each pay for?
What is the basis for their taxation level?
(income, consumption, luxuries owned, use of services, etc.)

Environment:

Who "owns" natural resources?
What protection is needed, if any?
What are the rules for using them?

Energy:

When will we get to 100% renewable?
How to make transportation efficient--quickly?

The Unborn:

When do they become humans?
What rights do they have?
What rights do mothers have?
Which is more important?

Business & Corporations:

What are the rules & taxes for employers?
For employees?
Customers?
Should corporations get special favors?
Are they "good" or "bad"?
Where are free markets?
Are they good or bad?

Do This Exercise Yourself—Please! I highly encourage you to do your own version of this exercise. So go and get yourself paper and pencil, or fire up your trusty text editor, and create your own list of issues and questions for each. Jot down ideas quickly, without regard to whether they are "right or wrong". You can edit and refine them later. Go. Now. Shoo!

Snapshot of My Beliefs Here are a few thoughts about the categories I created off the top of my head:

Government:

I believe that the purpose of government is to create an environment of fairness... a sustainable environment of fairness.

I re-read the preamble to the constitution. Great stuff: union, justice, domestic tranquility, common welfare & defense, liberty ... for ourselves and our prosperity (sustainability!!).

It should not: force beliefs, stifle creativity, or allow people to offend and harm each other.

Taxation:

I believe that everyone should be taxed a percentage of their wages for maintaining the fair system. People who make more money owe more, because they have a lot more benefits---made possible by the system, which means that more people are working--and therefore contributing--to their prosperity.

I also believe that people who use the infrastructure ought to pay more. Driving more means more transportation taxes, since you benefit more from the roads. Those who commit crimes ought to pay for their incarceration. When you have become trained, and worked off your debts, then you can go free (better able to cope in society because you have skills and experience in paying your own way!).

Environment:

We all share "ownership" of our natural resources. Some we can own individually (land for dwellings), but we should not be allowed to abuse it---so that it causes neighbors problems.

I don't think this would happen with some sort of "rule of law".

Energy:

We're blowing billions of dollars on the Iraq War, a lot of which is for petroleum. A lot was spent on making the tanks and warships and bombs, etc. This could be spent on research for clean energy--hydrogen, solar, wind, etc. And on education.

The Unborn:

I believe that a fetus is a human being from the moment of conception. It seems odd that it would suddenly become human at month 16 or 20. One of the (only) things that I agree with Bush on, in my reading thus far, is his effort to give pregnant women the option of adoption over abortion.

This also brings up the issue of parenting. I think that it ought to be a privilege which only those well prepared for it can utilize. Having fewer people on this planet again would go a long way toward easing some of the environmental problems we have.

Business & Corporations:

I think large corporations make big mistakes. Because they're so large, they often squash things in their path. For example, cutting back 10% on employee benefits might save a small company a few thousand dollars a year; but it could save a large corporation millions. This larger number justifies the cut in the corporation, but likely seems not worth the annoyance it would create for employees in the smaller companies.

Corporations should NOT get special favors! And their CEOs are paid upwards of 500 to 1,000 times what the bottom-level workers are paid. NOT FAIR! Who does the work?

I believe in free markets. However, can anyone show me one that is truly free? Maybe eBay. Conservatives yack on and on about free markets, yet they are also the ones who lobby for special considerations, subsidies, and other things that keep their markets from being free!! Foul!!

My Reaction to This Exercise I benefited from this self-exam for several reasons:
  • I am energized by expressing myself freely.
  • I a deeper understanding of some of these topics than I thought.
  • I have some unusual ideas, and maybe I can write some useful articles about them.
  • I have a lot of gaps in my "comprehensive, worldwide perspective", and now I have more questions to answer. Where will I find the answers? See the subsequent "Sources I Consult as an Adult" section.

Your Reaction to Your Exercise? I hope you found this exercise useful.
  • What did you come up with for issues?
  • Did the list surprise you?
  • How will the results help you in future voting, and other activities?

Sources I Consult as an Adult
I've read books and articles, watched TV programs, listened to radio commentary, and talked to politically-involved friends. Unfortunately, I'm often overwhelmed by the amount of information I need to search out and sift through in order to get that.

My slowly widening view of what's going on, and why, is satisfying. The picture is somewhat bleak—increasing political-party polarization, widening gaps between rich and poor, and heightening ecological risks. It's also motivating me to get more involved.

Note: I'll be adding sources to this simple list soon, as I expand the ideas and answer the questions that I've generated.


This First Step Feels Complete Enough
This is a good stopping point. Besides, it's late, and I'm tired. But I had fun figuring out "where I'm at". The next step will be to figure out "where I want to go". Specifically, it will be filling in holes in my worldview, which includes the political parts.

Make Sure You Fill Out Your Own Issues List and Beliefs!
Did you create a "mind map" of your own beliefs/worldview, and how did that go?

Where I'm At, Where I Want to Go
Topic: LifeDesign
Appreciating Complexity, But Not Overwhelmed by It
I am still concerned, confused, and skeptical about the survival of the human race—but relieved about my part in it. I feel happy that I've let go of some irrational responsibility beliefs, and some perfectionism. For example, here's a revised belief: "I didn't single-handedly cause global warming, so I'm not solely responsible for solving it." Furthermore, I don't think I'm going to die from its effects for at least a couple of years. In the mean time, I'm going to determine how I can get more involved in "community"—which could be locally, or nationally.

My New Strategy
I want to focus on a few concrete ways to contribute, and write some simple articles about my experiences. I prefer to teach by example, rather than blather on about abstractions and ideologies. People learn better inductively—from specifics to generalities. "Children rarely do what you say, but they never fail to mimic your behaviors." Or something like that. You know what I mean, I think.

I suppose I'm like a lot of people, who want to get involved in their communities, but don't know where to start. Usually I tend to research things a bit before I get involved with them. But this time, I think I will start with a description of where I'm at and let others watch the process of someone searching for places to interact and contribute to the community.

So where am I at? I have a moderate understanding of politics and the world situation. I watched CSpan while I remodeled my last house, and saw the gorey details of "sausage-making" live. That bumper sticker was suddenly more relevant:

"What's the opposite of progress? Congress!"

It seems that some leaders get elected via carefully spun rhetoric, and then do whatever they want once in office. Do we have a "representative democracy", or "narrowly elected incompetency". I don't like to be so cynical, but sometimes that's what it seems like.

One Possible Starting Place
I have not found many places to get unbiased opinions of current issues. And that seems like such a key ingredient of a democracy. So maybe that's the first issue to research and write about—the process of how people form their political opinions and then vote. I know it's large, but I at least want to investigate enough to develop a sketch of that "educational" process.

I'm aiming at posting updates at least every third day, which will help me break this large task down into more manageable chunks. (I am also building a solar cabin, so my time is a bit limited.) I think it will be fun...difficult, but fun. I'll check the library first, then the internet. If there's already a lot written about this subject, then I'll boil it down and post it.

Change of Perspective, and Direction
Topic: Sustainability
 
My Former Quest

For several years now, I've been searching for an answer to this question:

"Will the human race survive?"

After much investigation, observation, discussion, and intuitive speculation, I am:
- Partially informed.
- Less confused.
- Often enraged.
- Nearly overwhelmed.
- Frequently discouraged (temporarily).
- Still curious.

I've decided it's too big a question for me to answer. I don't like to take on a challenge when I have little chance for success. However, I'm still interested in the possible outcomes.

My New & Improved Perspective

Fortunately, I've come up with a simple, consoling conclusion:

"Life will never be like it was before."

I even have a new theme song playing in my head:

"It's the end of the world, as we know it... but I feel fine".

Now I'm not feeling as apprehensive about the future, and not as angry at people who don't seem to share my beliefs in environmental stewardship. I'm not giving up, but I'm also not taking on so much worry and responsibility for things I can't control.

The Effects on My Life, and on My Blog

Much of my life, I'll not change. I will continue to focus on things that individuals can do—like drive a fuel-efficient car (in my case, a Geo Metro), because I've read that "the car they drive is the biggest environmental decision that most individuals make". I will still bicycle, recycle, buy low-enviro-impact products, and contribute to political and green causes.

On the other hand, I'm going to make this blog more of a running commentary on a variety of topics that come to my attention, give me twinges, or for any reason seem to warrant some thought and commentary. I no longer feel like I personally have to keep quiet until I have some "grand, amazing answer" that will enable the human race to escape this situation. That's a big relief. My years of existential pondering and self-examination have helped me modify a line in my life-strategy:

"Keep focusing on meaningful things, but choose smaller issues—ones which are not overwhelmingly large, and therefore I can influence them more".

If humans have damaged the environment beyond our ability to help it recover to its former state, then we'll likely see humans dying by the millions. Wait... that's already happening in third world countries. I will not have contributed much to that, so I won't feel overwhelmed and guilty. Sad, yes; guilty, no.

Wow! I feel so much more relaxed, and also happier.

If the world situation does indeed revert back to a relatively few organisms stuggling to eke out a meager existence in a who-knows-how-hostile environment, so be it. Those individuals and groups who survive the coming challenges will likely have some amazing skills, adaptations, mutations, and/or locations that will allow them to survive. What an interesting time to be alive! I hope the survivors like to read, so they won't make the same mistakes over and over again. If not, so what? It's not the end of the world, after all.

I believe that Karma or God or The Universe will deal out appropriate consequences for actions. If not, then does that make me less of a whole, self-respecting person? No. Only I can take away my self-respect. Only I can let people steal my beliefs and dreams. Do I have to have "perfect justice" in order to feel happy? No. I can find the good in what I have, who I'm with, and where I'm at—or I can make changes in these things.


What do you think will happen?

Renewed Hope in Colorado's Legislators ... sorta
Topic: Energy
A SierraClub friend recently asked me to send input to our state legislators regarding an upcoming clean energy bill. As I was looking for the status of the bill, I found several other proposed bills that increased my hope in the favorable odds of the human species surviving.

• Tax credits for hybrid cars, which are high-efficiency due to being electric-and-petroleum powered (see HB05-1133).


• Tax credits for solar collectors and other renewable-energy appliances that we buy for our homes (see HB05-1129).

Unfortunately, HB05-1129 was postponed indefinitely, and HB05-1133 was vetoed by our Republican Governor Owens. (Maybe he'd rather give the tax credits for oil wells on the scenic Roan Plateau?) On his behalf, I will say that Mr. Owens is investing (albeit "lightly") in Colorado becoming a leading producer of fuel cells, which seems like a very forward-thinking, eco-friendly goal. I hope the initial $2M is enough seed money to attract more funding for this program. I also found that they are outlawing "toy" vehicles—defined as those with rear wheels smaller than 14 inches in diameter—on public roadways. This bill is meant to prevent kids (of all ages) from riding GoPeds, "pocket bikes", and other small, less unstable vehicles on roadways where cars also drive. That's a good thing. I can still ride my home-brew electric-moped bike on streets, even though the rear wheel is only 13 inches in diameter, because it's got pedals in addition to electric power. However, I will ride it on low-traffic streets. Also, I'm going to make the rear wheel larger so that I won't take the chance of getting a ticket!

Welcome to My Blog
Topic: Sustainability
I finally decided to create a blog for myself. Initially, I wanted to focus it on the survival, and hopefully the sustainability, of the humans on this planet. I honestly don't know if we humans have polluted ourselves out of existence. I do believe that we're in for many more decades of hurricanes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters worsened by global warming.

Enjoy, and feel free to post comments as you desire.