Comments ImagesAndAdjectives has made

  • A Few Good Questions

    1. Where is the electricity going to come from to power the rods that will heat rock to 700F for 3 years - in the middle of the arid desert of northwestern Colorado? (BTW, I live in Colorado, near Boulder).

    2. Will new power plants need to be built in order to produce the electricity needed to heat and freeze mountains in order to extract the shale?

    3. What about the combined effect of burning that much coal (to provide electricity to the mining) and then burning that much oil (up to 800 billion barrels) - what is the net effect on our environment for the next 5-20 years? Does anyone care?

    4. If we're going through all this complicated processes to extract oil, that definitely means we're in Peak Oil. No more cheap, easy-to-get-to, gushes-out-of-the-ground light sweet crude. The oil that remains will get more expensive to extract, will require more and more energy than ever before, and will pose a greater threat to the environment if for no other reason than because it's being BURNED. Why aren't our politicians talking about Peak Oil?

    5. Is our way of life really more important than our health and the health and well-being of our children and their children? Is driving a car more important than clean drinking water? Is it more important than healthy, abundant food? Is it?
    On BLM finalizes plan for leasing oil shale in U.S. West posted 1 year, 2 months ago 10 Responses

  • Feeling Despair Over Oil Shale Propaganda

    I read this article today and felt utter despair.

    Why aren't the newspapers reporting the reality of the "800 billion barrels of oil" that they claim we could extract from western oil shale? How much would a barrel of that oil actually cost, after you consider how much energy is used to extract it? I read a report from Shell that the current technology for extracting it means heating the rocks to something like 700 degrees using metal rods, for a period of 3 years??! Link to this information is (http://www.dailyreckoning.com/rpt/OilShale.html)

    Not to mention how it pollutes water. Or how many power plants they'd have to build in the middle of nowhere to supply the electricity for this! ARe these people really serious about oil shale as a viable energy plan?

    I'm involved with the Transition Initiative in Boulder - the first official North American transition town. Our aim is to help communities become more resilient to energy decline and climate change through bioregionalism (produce and consume more locally).

    Is my work in vain? Will people get behind ANYTHING, no matter how destructive and insane, just to fill up their gas tanks?On BLM finalizes plan for leasing oil shale in U.S. West posted 1 year, 2 months ago 10 Responses

  • The heroic journey?

    Don't get me wrong, this ad campaign is certainly a step in a positive direction when it comes to awareness and motivating the masses. What concerns me is that the message -- one of the heroic journey of "progress" -- is what got us in this pickle in the first place.

    Growth, progress, development, civilization...those are all keywords of the industrial society and the paradigm that caused climate change and the energy crisis to begin with.

    But, what can you do? YOu have to appeal to the general public using ideas they're familiar with and a paradigm they can get behind.

    Margaret
    http://changingourparadigm.blogspot.comOn Gore-y climate ads are coming soon to a TV near you posted 1 year, 7 months ago 2 Responses

  • Freedom fighters

    Great point, wiscidea. There is nothing "noble" about what these people did in Washington. They are just showing that they are just as unethical and thoughtless as the developers they attacked.On 'Eco-terrorism' suspected in Seattle-area arson posted 1 year, 9 months ago 80 Responses

  • People With 6-Figure Incomes Won't Care...

    I have a friend who recently traded in her sedan for a gas-guzzling Acura SUV. She makes a very good income - probably 200K or more per year. Paying an extra $100-$500 per month for gas won't matter much to her. It seems her only concern is a) comfort and b) status.

    I have to hold myself back from being snide or critical. I know those tactics never work to change behavior. The only thing I can do is lead by example - my husband and I make enough money to be able to afford any kind of vehicle we want, but I drive a VW Golf diesel that gets 50mpg and he drives a Prius on the days he's NOT bike riding 25 miles to work. And yes, we have a child. And a dog. I don't need a friggin bus just because I have a kid.On Americans using less gasoline posted 1 year, 9 months ago 8 Responses

  • Forget the Joneses

    Ever since I embarked on pursuing a Master's Degree in ecopsychology, my values began to change. I can no longer keep up with the Joneses, and as a matter of fact, the Joneses irritate me. I have made a conscious decision to "let go" of friends whose values don't match mine. These are friends who are more concerned with personal comfort and status than about living in a respectful and sustainable way. These are friends who value making more money over their quality of life and their friendships.

    I really don't care about keeping up with those Joneses anymore, because their lifestyle bores me. I see the shallowness and emptiness of getting excited over purchasing a new SUV or a HD TV, or buying a bigger house they don't need, or showing off their fancy digs to all their friends and neighbors. These friends seem unhappy and unfulfilled, and the stress of maintaining and keeping up makes them ill all the time.

    We can't change people by preaching. The best we can do is lead by example and perhaps answer questions or express the joy we felt when we went hiking or saw a moose, or experienced deep silence in the wilderness.

    We can also blog, post messages, and let everyone know there are many, many of us out there who not only don't care about those Joneses, but we are already walking down a different street.

    changingourparadigm.blogspot.com

    Margaret E.

    On If people want to keep up with the Joneses, could they at least adopt a different set of Joneses? posted 1 year, 9 months ago 128 Responses