Last week The New York Times had an editorial singing the praises of energy efficiency. It wasn’t bad, nor particularly great—mixing up conservation with efficiency, focusing too much on oil/transportation, and never giving a decent sense of scale.
On Sunday, however, came a battery of letters in response to the editorial, all of which are excellent and all of which expand the focus in new ways. One of them is from Tom Casten, father of our own Sean and champion of recycled energy. Another emphasizes steady long-term research; several praise solar power’s potential; another notes the key role of walkable communities and transit; another mentions meat consumption.
There’s a lot of untapped, unaggregated expertise out there on this. I hope the NYT notices the great feedback and pursues the issue further. Imagine how much efficiency we could wring out of our economy if we had the whole culture focused on it.
Making buildings more efficient: rationalizing retrofit markets
Making buildings more efficient: looking beyond price
Comments
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vincentcarragher Posted 11:51 pm
28 Jan 2009
I apologise for starting this with the word sorry in a sentence - sorry but I have to comment on the energy inefficient article!
The most inefficient thing about the NYT article is the lack of mention of sufficiency. As I see it the article is a commentary and opinion and in that context I see why sufficiency would not be mentioned. However it's the elephant in the corner!
Successive waves of deferred responsibility have passed during the industrial revolution and technological advance. Successive waves of technologies with improved efficiency. Succesive increases in population. Successive increases in nations energy use. Basically we are looking at successive bouts of deferred responsibility coming from virtually all energy users in the western world.
Maybe the effiency message telling us we can rely on others to reduce our energy usage is popular in countries like Australia, Canada & USA. I mention these as these countries use a lot of energy per capita. So one might think a leading newspaper in one of these countries in its editorial page might push for intelligent comment and discussion; some of this comment may hedge its way around uncomfortable home truths.
No I don't think so. Sorry - oops! I lost my way as you can tell I love to fantasise.
Until we in the western world (that includes where I live in Ireland) grasp the uncomfortable hometruths we will always use more! Was it Gandhi who best put it with `there is enough on this planet for our needs but not for our greed'. Sufficiency; we must look at what is enough - we must set limits. Not a popular message to energy guzzlers but this is what I cannot believe.
Why editorial comment would miss the elephant in the corner? What does it say about the comment? Moreso what does it say about the population which that comment or newspaper editor seeks to service? What does it say about you and me? Bill Hicks may have put it best with ` a virus on legs'. But miiroring the GAIA hypothesis we may be very similar to a viral population on the outside of a living cell.
I welcome the discussion on efficiency. However please do not defer the discussion on sufficiency any longer. We have one planet so take your responsibility seriously editors, public, governments one and all and discuss the elephant in the corner.
Deferred manufacturing capacity means we export our emissions ....... Look forget it I really do not know where to start.
Just accept that because you put in an energy efficient bulb or a more energy efficient heating system does not mean you should use it the same amount of time as you did or even for more time. This is often the case where efficiency is installed we use more! It means that if you say I will buy this because its your job to make my life more efficient you defer your responsibility.
One question do you do this for your kids - childminders. Do you do this for your old relatives - nursing homes. Etc. etc. etc. Deferred responsibility is the friend of energy guzzlers but moreso the friend of us all. Accept your responsibility and buy efficiency why not we consume so much more than that we might aswell start consuming efficiency. Imagine if there was none left. Where would your capacity to feel responsibility be then.
Sufficiency is simple I will use as much as I use today tomorrow and no more. I will even try my best to use less. Its about behaviour and change and it can be done. My community in Ballina, tipperary is living proof!
http://www.ul.ie/lowcarbonfutures
Yours
Tired from Shopping
regards
Vincent Carragher
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amazingdrx Posted 12:01 am
29 Jan 2009
Remember WW II and the gas rationing and recycling of rubber and metal, victory gardens, and on and on. Obama has the personality to jawbone efficiency into the culture from the grassroots.
It really is patriotic, to the nation and the planet.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin
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gamma1 Posted 11:53 pm
01 Feb 2009
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