Comments sycamore has made

  • Let them get their $ 25 B - from the Mexican gov.

    That's where all the jobs went. Let the Mexican Government bail them out. If we bail them out, they will restructure and close U.S. factories and use our money to build new factories in Mexico. Oh yeah, and maybe the Canadians can kick in a few billion to save their jobs.On Nix fuel-efficiency requirement from Big Auto loan, says White House posted 1 year ago 11 Responses

  • more legal action - less talking

    I agree with Wolverine. You can talk until you are blue in the face and nothing will get done, but when you draw that lawyer you get their attention.On Acidifying oceans need to be addressed, says litigous green group posted 1 year ago 2 Responses

  • One foot in the grave.

    Having children is a natural process. We are all hardwired to reproduce, as with all species on this planet it is our primary function and to deny this is to lie to ones self. Social engineering of our society has failed time and again. Western society is already out of balance with an aging population. Look around you, in any room there are fewer and fewer children and all one sees are gray hairs. I grew up as a baby boomer and children were everywhere, there was joy in family life and today we have become a bunch of old farts sitting around on our scooters worrying about making it to the early bird special and our hip replacements. This social decline is what will destroy the human race not children. Too many resources going to support a non producing population, no other species survives like this and we can't either.

    So all you social engineers out there I suggest that you start at the top and find a way to solve the real problem, which is an aging population and change the population ratios, our pyramid is up side down and too few young people will be pulled down by the too many old people. Get real no other species has this problem.

    Suggestion: Let's fight all our wars with the old people, since they are the ones that voted these idiots in to office. This will "kill "two birds with one stone. Children are the future. On Umbra on small steps with big impacts posted 1 year, 1 month ago 18 Responses

  • jolly good - LEForbes

    Could not have said it better myself. We all are familiar with the untrustworthy reputation of pit bulls. I think she has chosen her "spirit animal" well. On Palin asks Schwarzenegger to veto bill that would reduce port pollution posted 1 year, 2 months ago 7 Responses

  • Call me a worshiper of Knowledge

    Increasing knowledge is never useless.  Forest-science Professor Beverly Law has taken a postulate and through the scientific process (please refer to high school science books on how one follows basic research procedures) gathered data and analyzed this data, arriving at a conclusion. She presents this data and conclusions in a respected and peer reviewed journal for others to read and duplicate.  Now this is not as sexy as the procedure you recommended, "common sense, wisdom, and value judgments", but it is far more accurate. Let us not forget that we have just come through almost eight years of George Bush science and I prefer Professor Laws' methods over Georges' wisdom and value judgments

    Science does not take sides.  Science presents facts. Facts can not be changed they can only be lied about. How the logging industry may have used the study if the results had been different is not a good reason to remain ignorant. Only a few hundred years ago we thought that the Earth was flat and that the Sun revolved around the Earth. Science is just another tool in our tool box. Science has given us knowledge that we can use to improve ourselves. The way we have used that knowledge is where the fault lies, not with the science. This constant bashing of science shows a complete lack of understanding of the role that science plays in the Human equation. Making science the scrape goat for Humanity's poor social performance is a misrepresentation of the facts. Your fight is with the politicians not the scientists.

    Knowledge will set you free.
    On Old-growth forests absorb more CO2 than they release, study finds posted 1 year, 2 months ago 6 Responses

  • Actually science and technology will save us!

    Science, technology and conservation are what will save human kind. Creative solutions like white roofs and reflective pavement are solutions that can be implemented by multiple people and governments. Local government and individuals acting on their own has been the only bright spot in the Save Our Planet movement. The federal government under George Bush has work tireless to block and roll back environmental progress. The two major parties have their hands so deep in corporate Americas pocket that there will be no political will to legislate good environmental laws and policies, just listen to the BS coming out of Washington on the need to drill off shore, need I say more.

    We do not have time to wait for the World population to drop. The reduction of World population is an important part of a sustainable Planet but it is a part of the long term solution. The need is immediate and short of George starting another War I don't see a quick reduction in the billions of people on this Planet.

    So when a creative solution is proposed, like white roofs and reflective pavement, the proper environmental response should be to support this technology and work at a local level to improve our environment.

    Education is our only defense against the return of the Dark Ages.
    On White roofs could help keep climate change at bay posted 1 year, 2 months ago 6 Responses

  • I don't believe it!

    A scientist reports on a study and you guys have to climb way-way- way out on a limb to find something to criticize. The article in no way states or implies that trees and eco systems exist solely for the benefit of human kind. The complete lack of understanding of the scientific process has reared its ugly head above the tree tops and I fear the Dark Ages are coming again.

    Dam the ignorance full speed ahead!
    On Old-growth forests absorb more CO2 than they release, study finds posted 1 year, 2 months ago 6 Responses

  • Wisdom?

    "Even if science can't produce evidence of the harms of placing human contraptions in natural areas, your intuition and wisdom should alert you to them."

    The Dark Ages were filled with people whose intuition and wisdom told them that the Earth was flat. Good science, not George Bush selective science, takes large volumes of information and data and willows the chaff from the wheat. Good science forces people to support their statements and theories with verifiable facts. When people start to accept statements that can't be verified than all we have is ignorance. Wisdom comes from studying the facts and reducing this information by applying logic to separate the chaff from the wheat. Without applying these methods all we have is chaff and the human race can not survive on chaff.

    We need solutions that solve our energy needs and protect the Planet. If wind turbines are a poor choice than a sound economic and scientific argument is the best way to present ones objections.

    The economic argument being made in this discussion seems to allude that wind turbines are the only method of energy generation that relies on government subsidies to survive. The reality is that all the forms of energy generation that we use have relied and continue to rely on vast government subsidies. Oil, gas, hydro, solar, coal and nuclear energy generation receive support from government in the form of cheap drilling leases, tax credits and public works projects like dams. Wind generation has one of the smallest environmental foot prints and should be given serious consideration.
    On Offshore wind power in U.S. poised to take off posted 1 year, 2 months ago 7 Responses

  • More science and less rhetoric.

    "not more annihilation of bird/bat populations and ecosystem destruction."

    I am all for net "net zero".  I would also like to see some citations to support statements like the one you just made. Statements like this without source documentation are meaningless. More science and less rhetoric.
    On Offshore wind power in U.S. poised to take off posted 1 year, 2 months ago 7 Responses

  • Where is our man in the know?

    What happened to Patrick in Beijing? He should be giving us a blow by blow account of the air quality situation in Beijing.On Olympic Games begin; pollution worries, haze hang over opening ceremonies posted 1 year, 3 months ago 1 Response

  • WVO

    Alison,
     I am making several assumptions. The first is that you have an oil fired boiler and that you heating system is a hot water or steam heat system.

    If you have enough lot space a geothermal ground loop could cut you heating fuel needs. Zoning your rooms so that you can heat individual rooms would also save fuel.

    You might try collecting waste vegetable (WVO) directly and burning it in your furnace.  This requires a degree of resourcefulness that not everyone possesses. Collecting WVO from restaurant fryers and cleaning it takes requires a commitment and time. I burn WVO in my diesel tractors and in my 1995 GMC 6.5 diesel van. I clean the WVO by allowing it to settle in the containers for several weeks and then I siphon it off leaving the settled food particles in the bottom of the container. I then just dump the oil in my fuel tank and it mixes with diesel already in the tank. I run a blend of no more than 50/50. Diesel at $4.69 a gal makes this a good return on the time that I have invested. Some weeks I drive my produce to market for free. This should work for your furnace. You may want to filter the WVO through a filter that takes out particles down to 5 microns depending on the requirement of the nozzle on your furnaces injection system. A pre -heater in front of your furnace injection system should allow you to run strait WVO if you are lucky enough to source the amount need to heat your home for the season. A good open minded heating service person would also be a plus if you are not familiar with heating systems. Below is a web site with related information on collecting and using WVO.
    http://www.plantdrive.com/

    Farming organically in Ohio.
    On USDA pessimistic on hunger outlook posted 1 year, 4 months ago 11 Responses

  • Food for thought

    Smithfield attempt to increase its market share by setting up production in China has little chance of working. China does not grow enough grain to feed its people today and has to import grain to meet the current needs. Hogs consume 7 pounds of corn for every pound of meat produced. Corn this week was selling for $7.45 a bushel (56 lbs) double what it was a couple years ago. The increased competition for corn and other grains in a growing population and a shrinking production base is going to continue to increase the price of pork and in developed countries like the USA meat consumption will continue to decline as people shift their food dollars to cheaper food. I do not see developing countries, which have even fewer dollars for food, being able to buy increasingly higher priced pork.

    The more likely scenario is that overall meat and dairy production will continue to decline in the western world and will grow very little in the developing world. The increased competition for food calories in the "free" market will change the allocation of grain uses and the inefficient production of meat will suffer the market forces. In other words we won't be eating meat at every meal. This has already started in the Mid-West. Many small farmers have discontinued feeding cattle and hogs and are getting more money for their corn by selling the grain instead of feeding livestock. It is all about money. The consumer can only spend so much for meat. I would start selling my stocks in fast food hamburger places and meat packers.What the doctors have been unable to do, balancing the American diet the Market is going to accomplish. Welcome to the brave new balanced diet World.

    Farming organically in Ohio.
    On As the ground shifts under their feet, food giants experiment with new strategies posted 1 year, 4 months ago 8 Responses

  • The World we wish to see:

    christophersj,

    I find it refreshing to see some clear thinking. It is always about money! I don't have any problem with Wal-Mart hyping it's "local, Green" changes as it gets the public to think about the problem.

    Green girl,
    Glad to see you doing something. Do not be discouraged, as example is the best teacher. Working at Wal-Mart is no worse than working at GM. Ford or the Government all of whom has huge carbon foot prints and need to be doing more to build a sustainable world. Keep up the good work.

    Environmental change is brought about by political change. The current "two party system" is a cancer on our society. If all the people who are concerned about the environment donated the money that they contributed to political candidates to an environmental organization of their choice the millions of dollars donated would give us environmentalist some real results that you could see and measure. What we get for our dollars from the candidates is just "talk". They are both owned by the corporations and our voices won't be hears.

    Farming organically in OhioOn Wal-Mart gobbles up local produce posted 1 year, 4 months ago 23 Responses

  • Pro active

    Manhattan,

    You may be right that the energy crises will be solved when one can buy a fuel cell at Home Depot, but since there are not any environmentally cost efficient ones available today we might try do something in the mean time. So instead of wishing and praying for a technical fix to pull us out of the fire I suggest that "we the people", our Federal government, begin by mandating a 20% across the board energy reduction within the year. This would help solve the global warming crises, budget deficit crises and the energy crises. This is easily achievable and will not affect the economy. This will have and added bonus of kicking the oil barons in the ass, ups I mean wallets. I have already done this and it has not affected my quality of live negatively. Just the opposite it has saved me money.

    Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.

    -- Soren Kierkegaard
    On New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns, leaving behind eco-legacy posted 1 year, 8 months ago 5 Responses

  • Once a liar?

    I see that Tony Blair has got himself a new paycheck. I wonder which one of his corporate buddies is picking up the tab in payment for services rendered. How creditable is a liar whose best buddy is George Bush. You can bet that nothing will be done if Tony has any say.

    Remember the best use of your money is not to donate to politicians. Instead donate the same amount to your favorite environmental group. Those millions in their hand can really get results.
    On Tony Blair to lead international climate team posted 1 year, 8 months ago 11 Responses

  • Profit is not a dirty word.

    Dear Tasermons Partner,

    "Their main concern is money." It better be after all they are Banks and as corporations their responsibility is to their share holders and their depositors. If you put your savings in the Bank and they were not concerned with managing it properly and getting a good return you would, quite correctly, be upset. Banks are concerned with a barrower's ability to repay a loan. If a project can show that the barrower had a history of timely loan repayment, adequate collateral to secure the loan and had a cash flow / income stream that could repay a loan than loans are made. It is not the responsibility or right of commercial banks to make moral judgments about your project.
    There are Community Resource Banks that are founded and mandated to make loans only on social and environmental projects. Below are three banks that were founded as environmental banks.

    Permaculture Credit Union
    http://www.pcuonline.org/
    Credit Union
    ShoreBank Pacific
    http://www.eco-bank.com/
    New Resource Bank,
    http://www.newresourcebank.com

    Most commercial banks have set up divisions that deal with community financing projects. These projects still must make economic sense. This is not their money it belongs to the depositors.

    Profit is not a dirty word. If banks make a profit then they will lend on more projects.

    I don't know what criteria you use to judge a project to be environmentally friendly if creating clean energy is not included. Perhaps you might have a constructive idea on how achieve clean energy independency and how one would finance the project.
    On Three Wall Street banks announce funding restrictions for new coal power plants posted 1 year, 9 months ago 20 Responses

  • The World I live in

    Dear Wolverine and Tasermons Partner,

    Banks are the underlying financing for most business ventures. Environmental lending takes on many forms. Large wind turbine projects cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars and are not funded by donations. Several government agencies have grant program but most of the money comes from private funding. This is just a quick list of some of the finical institutions that are involved in financing wind generation and is by no means a complete list.
        Hardin County Savings Bank, $550,000.00  - Eldora- New Providence School Dist. Iowa - 750 kw wind turbine
        Farmers And Merchants Bank, 60% of project debt - Mini Wind I & II - Buffalo Ridge are of southwestern Minn. - each turbine with the capacity of 1.9 MW
        AgStar Financial - a Minnesota based lender, associated with Farm Credit Administration.
        GE Structured Finance
        Commercial Banks "Foreign banks have financed almost all large U.S. wind powered projects."

    Source for the above information from: Environmental Law and Policy Center, elpc.org, Community Wind Financing Handbook.

    Demonizing banks is an easy way to shed responsibility for the state of the World. There is no easy fix. We are past the time that {do no harm} or a small ecological foot print is all that is required of a responsible environmentalist. You have pointed out that the Earth is being destroyed at an accelerating rate. No one knows if there will be enough time to solve some of the environmental problems that we face but we do know that if we do nothing we are condemned.

    There is nothing wrong with high P.R. projects or tax write offs. Economic incentives are commonly used to stimulate development in areas that society wants to see developed. The lack of understanding of how the business world operates is one of fundamental problems with environmentalism today. Environmentalism does not operate outside the natural order of human society and weather we like it or not as environmentalists we will have to learn to use the tools of the business world to achieve our goals.

    Getting results should be the goal of every environmentalist. It is time to stop nay-saying and come up with some ideas that will make a measurable difference. Hey, maybe buy a share in one of those wind turbine or solar projects.

    Reduce, reuse, recycle and be pro-active (do something).

    Mahatma Gandhi: "You may never know what results from your action. But, if you do nothing, there will be no results."
    On Three Wall Street banks announce funding restrictions for new coal power plants posted 1 year, 9 months ago 20 Responses

  • Greenwashing, I have another name for it..........

    Of course they only care about money after all banks are corporations and are primarily responsible to their share holders. It is their job to maximize profits and to make loans based on the ability of the barrower to repay the loan not to make moral judgments about the projects that they fund. It is the job of our government to instruct and hold corporations to the moral and social standards of the community. Oops, I almost forgot that the two Democrat candidates we are now offered and who are our elected officials have been taking Hugh sums of money from Big Coal and Energy companies throughout their careers. It is no wonder that we can't get good environmental policy passed and enforced. Four years from this election if we think Clinton or Obama will have made any significant improvement in the quality of our environment then we are fools. A dog does not bite the hand that feeds it.

    Wolverine, lets not forget that these same banks have also funded all the good environmental projects that are making the Planet better. Money is not good or evil it just does what it is told to do. We should let our money talk for us by funding environmental organizations and not the Presidential candidates. The millions of dollars wasted on these lame candidates would really give us a voice when spent directly on environmental problems. We as environmentalists should be directly funding environmental projects and turn our backs on these imposters. Go for Results not for the Promise.

    "Do not let circumstances control you. You change your circumstances."
    Jackie Chan
    On Three Wall Street banks announce funding restrictions for new coal power plants posted 1 year, 9 months ago 20 Responses

  • Show me the results!

    It's an economic solution. The social justice side of this problem is a result of the influence of money. The poor of the World (mostly people of color) are responding to the hierarchy of needs, food, clothing and shelter. Joining environmental groups is very low on their list of needs. The poor can not move away from pollution and the ones with money feel that science and technology can pull their butts out of the fire before they get burned and after all the pollution is not in their back yard. When was the last time that a new landfill was cited in an upscale neighborhood?

    Cleaning up the environment will only happen when it is more costly to ignore the problem than to address the problem. The solution of how to bring more people into the environmental movement is to show them results. Even people who are actively involved in environmental organizations have a difficult time in seeing the results of their donations. We keep donating and the environment continues to worsen.

    What's a fellow to do? Well I for one have changed the way that I donate to environmental organizations. I want to see tangible, measurable and timely results for my donations. I am no longer willing to donate to the "greater cause" and hope for change. Getting measurable results requires direct action. This most often takes the form of litigation. Businesses change their practices when it makes economic sense. If you want companies to obey the law and government to do something about the environment we must make it more costly for them to ignore you than to deal with you. Be quick on the draw with that lawyer. Require environmental organizations to be more concerned about quarterly results and less about the five year plan. If you don't see results demand that management leave and new blood is brought in to correct the situation. If they don't listen take your efforts and money elsewhere. Hold elected officials accountable and when they are found to have their hands deep in corporate pockets (are you listing Hillary and Barrack) drag them out into the light of day. As an old farmer once told me, when referring to politicians, "maggots can't stand the light of day". We need to be spending our money on direct confrontation. The old way of being a nice guy and believing that corporations and government will do the right thing is not working. Now is the time for an "environmental revolution". Revolutions are not accomplished by committees, conciliation and compromise but by direct action. Take a page from Green Peace's book. They are actually doing something and according to their latest reports have saved over 100 whales from the Japanese whaling fleet. Now that is a measurable result. If the money that we donate to the lame Democrat and Republican candidates was give to an organization like Green Peace or the Environmental Law and Policy Center (elpc.org) think of what they could do with those millions. Now there would be results that we could see!

    "People don't change their behavior unless it makes a difference for them to do so."
    Sharon Stone
    On U.S. green movement is decidedly white posted 1 year, 9 months ago 16 Responses

  • Wave - you win

    Wave,

    Hats off to you, I applaud anyone who is actually doing something. Don't let this talk about failing discourage you. Seems to me from what you wrote that you had a positive impact on your group of co-workers and your office environment. After all the people are talking with you and they feel it is necessary to defend their position of not recycling. Your office is now recycling everything that is recyclable Bravo!! As to the individuals in your office who do not recycle it is not a cultural thing it is a LAZY thing. This is a problem that we all face, even in our own families.

    First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. Then they fight you. Then you win."
    --Mahatma K. Gandhi
    On U.S. green movement is decidedly white posted 1 year, 10 months ago 16 Responses

  • The tale of two sales

    Dear amc89,
    Maybe I should been more detailed in my explanation of the actual process by which the farmer or feed-lot operator sells the cattle. There are two ways cattle are sold. Cattle are either sold on the hoof, also known as live weight and on the rail which is the slaughter weight. The slaughter weight is determined after the cow has been killed and the hide and all non-edible parts have been removed. You have probably seen movies where sides of beef were hanging in a cold room. In either way the farmer has passed ownership of the cow long before the quality of the hide is determined. The trading of cow hides and other cattle by-products is not in the hands of farmers. The last time the farmer sees his cattle is as it goes through the sale ring at the local stock yard.
    Your information on the leather trade and hide value is not really important to the farmer because he has no direct connection to the after slaughter product processing.  
    On Umbra on leather vs. pleather shoes posted 1 year, 10 months ago 22 Responses

  • American individualism a NOTION ???

    Dear Patrick in Beijing.

    Planning seems to be the one thing our societies can actually accomplish. It did not escape me that you failed to address the incongruity between England's and China's rhetoric and their planned power plant expansions. Maybe this is not a problem for you but it seems like the same old - same old public pacifying talk to me. When one considers the control that the nuclear and coal industries have over the governments of the world I am confident that my assessment is correct. This is the age old shell game, distract the public and offer hope while actually doing the opposite. Give the front runner presidential candidates (corporate lackeys, doesn't matter which party) the talking points so they can tell the American public how nuclear and coal power have by some miracle become "GreeN". Where is the talk about conserving power? I am not hearing any serious conversation or public debate in the USA. I think that Hillary said it best when asked why the candidates weren't talking about global warming.....the public is not interested. Here in the Mid-West people are not cutting back, carpooling or combining trips they just pump the gas and grumble.

    I hope that you do not really think that Iraq Disaster occurred because of a lack of planning. There was no lack of planning. I guess that for governments to plan to act irresponsible is somehow acting responsible at least that is how our continued involvement in the War is now being sold to the public. After all it is not GWB's children that are fighting and dying, they selling books and tour the country.

    Now this statement; "The American individualist notion is one of the blocks to progress." I can't give you a pass on this! Individual, from the Latin word individuus, indivisible-in, not, and dividuus, divisible, DIVIDE. Subsisting as one indivisible entity or distinct being. To mark as an individual; to distinguish by peculiar or distinctive characters. The American Individualist used to be admired and revered in the World. Then along came George W. Bush and in less than two terms in office has reduced the name of America to a curse word in most of the World, shame on us for letting this happen. American Individualism is not a Notion but a Goal and for most of the World it was a dream for over 200 years.

    It has been great having this conversation with you and I wish you the very best in your green endeavors. This will be my last post on this subject so you may have the last word. Tomorrow, I think I will catch a ride to the local mall and stand with the Ron Paul People with their signs and offer the American people a choice that you won't see on TV. They are not right about everything, but they are doing something. Then in November, when Ohio holds its primary, I will go vote for Dennis Kucinich.

    Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got.

    Janis Joplin

    P.S. People this is not a private conservation - jump in
    On Study quantifies ecological debt owed to world's poorest countries posted 1 year, 10 months ago 11 Responses

  • The good life

    Dear Wolverine,
    It appears that you have a very romantic notion about how a hunter-gatherer society lived. Life was short and brutal. Children most often died before 1 year of age. Hunter-gatherer spent their entire day looking for food and shelter. Agriculture made the development of permanent societies possible. The availability of a constant food source allowed for the specialization of a portion of the society which could devote themselves to non survival pursuits such as art, music, language, medicine etc. Humans adapt, that is one of our greatest strengths. Humans are not the only species that changes the local ecosystem for their benefit. The beaver for one dams up a stream to make a pond so that he may increase his chances of survival. The beaver has changed the ecosystem of that area and has destroyed the habitat of many plants and animals that used to live there.

    Agriculture does not have to be environmentally destructive. Many of us who farm are improving the soils where we farm and adding to the top soil. We don't have erosion because we plant cover crops and use sustainable farming practices. Agriculture is not destructive careless farmers are destructive.

    By the way there are still hunter-gatherer societies out there that one could join. I bet that the novelty would wear off in about a year and you would be back looking for your keyboard and think about how you could write a book about your experiences.
    Best of luck with that.

    Foraging for the good life in Ohio.
    On Erosion is as big a problem as climate change, say experts posted 1 year, 10 months ago 4 Responses

  • ethanol farce

    Countries that make their ethanol from waste, such as sugar cane stalk waste, can do so sustainably. The sugar cane stalks are a by product of sugar refining. Corn which is grown to produce ethanol is not sustainable and when grown primarily as a fuel stock adds very little to the net energy equation. The use of food stocks like corn drivers up food prices around the world which puts a greater burden on poor people. So, who do you think is promoting this farce? Look no further than Monsanto, Cargill and ADM.On European Union unveils detailed plans to cut GHG emissions posted 1 year, 10 months ago 3 Responses

  • Leather is better

    Leather makes for a better shoe than vinyl. Leather breathes naturally and your feet do not sweat as much as in the shoes made with artificial materials. Leather shoes don't gas-off like the vinyl shoes do. That gas can't be good for your body. Having worn both leather and vinyl shoes I feel that leather feels better and supports your legs and joints better.

    As for the fear that cattle are being killed to support the shoe industry that does not happen. Cattle are killed for the meat and the leather is a by product. The farmer gets nothing for the hide of the animal. If the leather was not being used in shoes and other products it would be wasted. The butchery waste from the slaughtering of animals is used in many things. The blood and bones become blood and bone meal. This is used instead of chemical fertilizers to grow the organic vegetables that our vegan friends consume.

    Man is an omnivore and meat is a natural part of our diet. A meatless diet is unnatural in human beings. I respect my vegan friend's right to choose to live their life as they see fit but don't try to take the moral high ground. There is nothing moral about denying ones nature. There is such a thing as the "Circle of Life" (even before Disney) we are a part of that circle which includes death. Everything on this planet lives off of some other form of life. Cattle consume only certain types of plants and we consume cattle.

    Trying to live a sustainable life and farming organically in Ohio.
    On Umbra on leather vs. pleather shoes posted 1 year, 10 months ago 22 Responses

  • It is all about the individual

    Dear Patrick in Beijing,

    Maybe I should have said, "Meaningful" discussion.  The fact that China an England has signed an agreement to work together on the green city concept would on the surface appear encouraging. However when one looks at their actions and compare it to their rhetoric it is easy to see that these green talks are just that talk. England is going forward with a new generation of nuclear power stations and China is going to build 50 new coal fired power plants. The public is easily placated with all the talk about all the talking our governments are doing. Green cities are not a concept. The knowledge and ability to create green cities have been around for many years. Now is the time to do not plan and talk.

    I see that we do disagree. It is all about the individual and nothing else! As individuals we are quick to pass the responsibility off to government or corporations. It is the individual through their actions and voice that bring change. Governments only do what we tell them to do. Here in the USA we are fat and comfortable and we are telling our government and our corporations to keep it that way. Their will be no change until we as individuals change.

    If the people lead..... eventually leaders will follow.

    Thomas Jefferson
    On Study quantifies ecological debt owed to world's poorest countries posted 1 year, 10 months ago 11 Responses

  • Hey , let's actually do something.

    I think that is what I said. We know already that the poor countries have little voice in the distribution of the resources of this planet. It is valueless because it is not relevant. It adds nothing to the discussion. What global discussion do you see going on in the next few years? Change does not come from adding up columns of figures that are not going to be used. Change is brought about when one person does something concrete about a problem and then another and another. Maybe the next grant could be used be used, oh -say for finding a solution for over population or desertification or water resource sharing, enough of this academic hair twirling.  

    Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

    -- Margaret Mead
    On Study quantifies ecological debt owed to world's poorest countries posted 1 year, 10 months ago 11 Responses

  • Amen.,can I have an Amen!

    You are right on.On Romney wins Michigan GOP primary after bashing McCain on fuel economy posted 1 year, 10 months ago 6 Responses

  • Where is the League of Women Voters?

     I am tired of these fake debates. We need The League of Women Voters to run the debates. I am tired of these Corporate run debates. We need to hear from all the Candidates not just the ones Corporate America has decided are acceptable to them. There is not 2 cents worth of difference in the three Democrat Candidates .Oh! Ralph why have you forsaken us? You have abandoned Dennis and Wonder Woman and have left us in the wilderness. Please come back and spoil the DNC's party!On At Dem debate, candidates agree on green jobs, fight over everything else posted 1 year, 10 months ago 6 Responses

  • We need a paddle!

    What a waste of time and resources. We already knew that the poor get less and the rich get more. What is the value of quantifying the environmental degradation when as she says their numbers are not to be taken literally? The World already knows that we are up the creek without a paddle. Who cares who is sitting at the front of the canoe or the back of the canoe? What we need researched are solutions. We need a paddle! On Study quantifies ecological debt owed to world's poorest countries posted 1 year, 10 months ago 11 Responses

  • A perfect environmental candidate

    Greta
    Well maybe that is the problem. Environmentalists should be making the country ready for a Dennis Kucinich. There is no need for a trade off. Edwards could have done both, built a modest, energy efficient and sustainable home for his family and still conserved 100 acre of land. How one chooses to live in their environment is one of the most important questions that we should be asking our Presidential candidates. If we think we are going to lead the world the people we elect should be the example. This along with other social questions like how we allocate the resources of this planet should be at the top of the debate. To Edwards credit he is trying to do some this with his campaign he just falls short as an environmental candidate.
    However, he is heads above Hillary and Barack as a candidate of the" people". So hey, you don't have to compromise on that dream candidate. He is out there right now and you just named him Dennis Kucinich. People need to vote their convictions not try to pick a candidate they think could win! Hey I did that in 2004 and I am still kicking myself.

    You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -- Mahatma Gandhi

    On 2008 will see another peaceful transfer of power in the U.S. posted 1 year, 10 months ago 20 Responses

  • Edwards

    caniscandida
    I am not being unkind when I point out the disparages between a candidates voiced positions and their actions. I have a lot of compassion for Mrs. Edwards battle with cancer and the great stress that it puts on the whole family. My wife is a cancer survivor and I know from personal experience of the horror of cancer. John Edwards has my respect in many areas. Anyone who sues corporate America is my best buddy. I don't care if he got rich doing it, power to him. Taking on big Pharm, Big Oil and old man Coal is what all the Democrat candidates should be doing. I am not an Edwards detractor but a voter who thinks if you talk the environmental talk you must walk on the path of conservation of resources and not the path of conspicuous consumption. As for the need for a big house, the second richest man in America lives in a modest ranch house in Oklahoma that the and his wife purchased a few years after they were married. He flies commercial airlines and catches rides with his friends. Now that is environmentalism.

    You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -- Mahatma Gandhi

    On 2008 will see another peaceful transfer of power in the U.S. posted 1 year, 10 months ago 20 Responses

  • John Edwards

    Greta -  John Edwards an environmentalist? Come on, what about his new 6 million, 28,000 sq. ft.  McMansion? How can we have environmental leadership from a guy who apparently doesn't understand the basic environmental terms sustainability, reduce, reuse and recycle? Environmental statements mean nothing. How you live your life is the measure of ones environmental commitment. Mahatma Gandhi  said it best "You must be the change you wish to see in the world".

    You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -- Mahatma Gandhi

    On 2008 will see another peaceful transfer of power in the U.S. posted 1 year, 10 months ago 20 Responses

  • The Way It Will Be in 2008

    Hillary and Barack will realize that they were meant for each other and get a " room " leaving the Campaign open for others who might really do something.

    The American people will finally get fed up and bring back the guillotine - drag that Georgia roadside amphibian Newt Gingridge onto the National Plaza and start to clean house in Washington.

    The Middle class suburban professional who have been selling their over priced legal, accounting, finical, medical, services etc. to the working stiffs of America will realize that the Lobotomy they had in 2000 when they voted for Bush is going to cost them their McMansion and their Lexus.

    The Bankers will get theirs. They have it coming. We the People are out of money!

    The Republicans will be unable to field a Presidential candidate due to ramped cannibalism. They eat their young.

    The one bright spot in 2008 will be Dennis Kucinich. He will quit politics and join the Justice League and with his new wife Wonder Woman they will fight evil, corruption, pollution, global warming, inequality, deforestation and religious fanaticism. Together they will restore the American way of life and bring peace to the World. This I believe.

    You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -- Mahatma Gandhi

    On 2008 will see another peaceful transfer of power in the U.S. posted 1 year, 11 months ago 20 Responses