Category: Uncategorized

Sustainable Living & Crime Reduction

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When I saw this report, while I was pleased to read about programs that reduce violent crime, I wasn’t sure how that related to Sustainable Living.  If we define Sustainable Living as (1) living 100% in harmony with nature and (2) maximizing our quality-of-life experience, then I can see how having fewer worries about violent crime in my environment would, indeed, support my ability to enjoy a better quality-of-life experience.  Comments afterwards.

 

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A study gave cash and therapy to

men at risk of criminal behavior.

… Keep reading

Greenwashing

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It’s so difficult to separate actions that are truly sustainable from actions claiming – often by people and companies with positive reputations – to be sustainable but, in fact aren’t.  The term “sustainability” isn’t measurable.  And the majority of the public would not know how to measure it.

 

And asking companies to changing from practices that have been at the core of their successful businesses for decades is asking them to take a huge risk … and one that could be fatal to their future.  … Keep reading

Gutting Net Metering

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I think we forget that utility companies are private, for-profit organizations that are given permission to have a monopoly if they’re willing be overseen by a utility commission charged with ensuring benefit for the public.  When we, as individuals, generate our own power, it reduces the income enjoyed by the electric utilities.  So, they’ll pay lip service to sustainability with a few wind machines or a small solar farm … which they photograph and publicize so they’ll look like they really care about sustainability … but, bottom line, profit is still their goal.… Keep reading

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Changing Lifestyles


The climate change issue has been with us for a few decades now.  The number of deniers has shrunk, as more and more people are now experiencing the problems that were previously only forecast.

Inasmuch as governments – whose leaders rely on corporate contributions to get elected – have failed to contribute much more than lip service via “summit conferences” to a problem that actually threatens our ability to sustain life – or at least a desired quality-of-life – on Earth, change will have to come from individuals.… Keep reading

California Air Conditioning

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Here’s a departure from our usual blogs, a report that looks back almost three years at climate changing challenges to our lifestyle, and how we’ve dealt with those challenges.  I’ll add comments afterwards.

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California’s air conditioner-driven blackouts are only the start

 

James Temple

MIT Technology Review

1 September 2020

 

Rolling blackouts: As record-breaking heat waves baked Californians last month, the collective strain of millions of air conditioners forced the state’s grid operators to plunge hundreds of thousands of households into darkness.… Keep reading