thunksalot’s Recent Comments

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  too funny

  Wow, that was a pretty good April Fools.  My breathing totally stopped for a about a minute.  Nicely done.  People who don't agree should grow a sense of humor.  I highly recommend Humanure compost for accelerating humor growth.On Gore will run for president as independent, sources tell Grist posted 1 year, 7 months ago 34 Responses

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  One review of the report

  Julian Dautremont-Smith, from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) wrote a review of the 2008 College Sustainability Report Card.  Now that you've read the College Sustainability Report Card for yourself, join the discussion about it on the AASHE Campus Sustainability Perspectives Blog.  Did the report accurately reflect your school's environmental performance? How will you use the report's findings on your campus?  Is there anything that should be added to the report next year?On Colleges graded on sustainability posted 2 years ago 1 Response

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  Campus Sustainability Perspectives on the Report

  Julian Dautremont-Smith, from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) wrote a review of the 2008 College Sustainability Report Card.  Now that you've read the College Sustainability Report Card for yourself, join the discussion about it on the AASHE Campus Sustainability Perspectives Blog.  Did the report accurately reflect your school's environmental performance? How will you use the report's findings on your campus?  Is there anything that should be added to the report next year?  On College Sustainability Report Card 2008 released posted 2 years ago 3 Responses

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  Air, Water, Fertile Top Soil are also public goods

  The author mentioned transportation infrastructure and health care as public goods.  I just wanted to assert that the distribution of fresh water is a public good that should not be left to market forces (though that's what many companies want to see happen).  And, clean/breathable air is a public good.  That too, should not be left to market forces.  And when you leave land-use planning to market forces, you get fertile farmland plowed-under for the construction of unnecessary housing stock in California.  

  Also, to address this whole straw-man argument:  Yes, you will rarely find an economist in a university who says "free markets are the best way to go all the time."  BUT, you can't move without stepping on a corporate "expert" (often trained as an economist) who is happy to take a huge paycheck in exchange for saying things like "yes, privatizing water is the most efficient way to make sure everyone has water" at public hearings or behind closed doors when the regulations are being written.  They probably know that economics textbooks are full of counter-examples but they don't care.    On Nobel winner explains why markets can't replace public goods posted 2 years ago 15 Responses

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  Taking a page from Rosalio Mendiola's book

  Great article!  Thank you, Ansje, for bringing us a dispatch from such an important conference.  It would be impossible (not to mention an ecological disaster) for everyone that needs to hear the messages shared at the conference to be there in person, so it is fortunate that Ansje is sharing those messages with the rest of us.

  I can't help but admit that I was curious why Ansje didn't take the train to LA.  I've taken Amtrack from Oakland to LA and gotten around LA just fine by bus.  (While the bus service is unsatisfactory for regular use by residents, particularly in low-income areas, it can generally get you to a conference site and back.) The train takes a few hours longer and costs a little more than driving, but, driving is not really so cheap if you include all the externalities (insurance, taxes for road maintenance, etc...)

  A fair answer would be that our train and bus options are far less convenient than they should be, and therefore are not a good option at this time.  What can we do to change that?  Maybe we need to learn a thing or two from Rosalio Mendiola.On Ansje Miller sends a dispatch from a conference on transportation and justice posted 4 years, 8 months ago 1 Response