Category: sustainability

Is this what is called “river kill”?

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I drive a lot more than I would like to.

Because my wife’s place of work is a non-selectable one she has to stay put far more than I would like. Which means I have to live where I live and commute to where I can find work.

Driving a lot means I also have a lot of what I like to call “micro” road kills. The front of my car and the wind shield is a graveyard of dead splattered bugs. I have a problem with this because being a Buddhist I have to live by the precept of “Do not kill”. Yet this is easier said than done.

If I were to be true to the word of non-violence to all living organisms then I would have to live like a Jain. I myself would feel better about it but my family would have a fit. It may be extreme but it is a morally rigorous and therefore attractive.

The amount of life I take on the road makes me feel guilty. It seems everything we do seems to affect the animals we share the planet with. The dilemma is one I have no answer but one I must ponder on nonetheless.

An important lesson from Fukushima

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It is simply heartbreaking to see what had happened in north-eastern Japan. Devastation by nature I can deal with. But unnecessary deaths from individual and collective action, I cannot.

Are the risks from nuclear energy worth this? As individuals we should not be indifferent but speak out when those who want to build these dangers, these nuclear power generation facilities. Sure we have a good life for while but we must question the wisdom of the reliance on infrastructures which as individuals we cannot control.

I still prefer to imagine a lifestyle which is “local”, which can be controlled or at least by managed by a small collective. Any larger and we will need to depend on something which is not dependable and maintainable by us.

By the time we realise it might be too late.

James Lovelock: it’s too late … we’ve pulled the (environmental) trigger

Warren Tang2 Comments

James Lovelock said that while the earth’s future was utterly uncertain, mankind was not aware it had “pulled the trigger” on global warming as it built its civilizations.

The human species is but a bit-player in the long story of the planet Earth. What we do affects little of the overall narrative. But nonetheless we have unwittingly pulled the trigger and shot ourselves in the foot. So enjoy the rest of your life because that is all you can really do. Enjoy it even if you have to limp for the rest of the time.

So do you want to Farmville … or farm?

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“Mooney [vice president and general manager of the company that created Farmville] says the game has had other positive benefits, like generating an interest in real farming.”

If I was the maker of a popular game like Farmville I too would probably say this.

But does generating interest in farming translate into people actually doing real farming?

The funny thing is these people who do play the game, at the end of the day, would still prefer to play the game than to farm, because it is easier, less dirty, you get points or gain levels, and you can beat your friends or “neighbours” at it. This something something real farming cannot give you.

Having said that though what real farming can give you is this:

  • a better sense of the natural cycle of the seasons
  • physical exercise
  • food

So you don’t have to ask me which – Farmville or farming – do I prefer.

Farming may be harder (in my opinion, only just), dirtier and without points (but not pointless) it is definitely more satisfying and a lot more rewarding. And you have actual neighbours that are nice.

Think about this: less people now produce food than any time in human history.

That is not to say we are producing less food, but less people are producing more food. For example, in a developed nation like America less than 10 percent of its population work on farms to produce food for its 300 million. One has to ask what does “developed” really mean and why the rest of the world should aspire to their ideals if these very ideals are the ruination of of our kind and the planet.

I mean, I think it is important to work but not all work is good. It seems we are putting our efforts into the wrong type of work when all we really want need, at the end of the day, is food, shelter and clothing.

And what about those less fortunate? We produce enough food to feed every person on the planet, yet we have starvation and obesity, sometimes within the same nation. Is something wrong here or not? I can go on but I won’t.

I think I’ll finish this post now and get back to my composting or to something more productive.

Seals take refuge in Peru from global warming

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It seems human beings are not the only refugees from global warming.

The Organisation for the Research and Conservation of Aquatic Animals (ORCA) have reported that a colony of fur seals from the Galapagos Islands – its natural habitat – have migrated to Peru some 1,500km away.

The BBC and other news sources say temperatures around waters have consistently risen from 17C (Peru’s average) to 23C (temperatures similar to the Galapagos Islands) in recent years. ORCA has suggested that with this rise in temperature other non-native marine species may begin to come to Peru soon.

So how much longer will it take for us to get the hint from nature that something is happening to our planet.

Reduce Reuse Recycle – the order of the 3Rs according to Google

Warren Tang3 Comments

In my last post a friend commented that isn’t that the order we all know.

So I decided to put it to the test in Google.

In Google if you quotation marks ” ” around a search term it returns the results as if the separate words were one word. So by putting in every possible combination of ‘reduce’, ‘reuse’ and ‘recycle’ I should get a good idea of how the English speaking world orders them. Below is the result:

Interestingly, the absolute opposite order of ‘Recycle Reuse Reduce’ came in 1st but its “pair” starting with ‘recycle’ (Recycle, Reduce, Reuse) came in last. The proper order of Reduce Reuse Recycle is ranked 4th of six. The order and number of hits are certainly a mixed bag with some reaching only low 5 digits. Well worth looking at in more detail, I think.

Even more amusing is Google Fight (put in each pair to see “the fight”) where the proper order is maintained. The problem is though the words are not linked to each other but rather it is about frequency without context. Not very scientific but fun to say the least.

Recycle, reduce, reuse – which is the most important?

Warren Tang3 Comments

Everyone has heard of the 3Rs – recycle, reduce, reuse. Some people like to add a fourth (refuse) or even fifth (recovery). But I think three is more than enough.

While all three are important they should not be considered equal. So which one is the most important and which one, the least? How should you rank them?

Recycle is where you take waste and turn it into the same thing or something else. For example, PET bottles can be returned to make another PET bottle. Or you can take twenty 1.5 litre PET bottles and turn it into fabric for a suit.

Reduce is where one uses less of something, anything. So when going shopping, bring your own bag to put in all your groceries. Or when eating out bring your own chopsticks instead of using the disposable ones.

Reuse is to use something, your own or someone elses, again. It can be as simple as (re)using a plastic bag, or continue using something, like a car or mobile, because it is still functioning.

So which of these is the most important? Well my order of importance is Continue reading “Recycle, reduce, reuse – which is the most important?” →

Sustainability Wit

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  1. We need science to solve all the problems we wouldn’t have if there were no science.
  2. “If sunbeams were weapons of war, we would have had solar energy long ago.” Sir George Porter
  3. Gravity is a myth – the Earth sucks.
  4. Whenever he thought about the environment he felt absolutely terrible. So he came to a fateful decision. He decided not to think about it.
  5. The modern electric toothbrushes are having an effect on tooth care. In fact, my dentist was telling me that in Great Britain today, the major cause of tooth decay is weak batteries.
  6. Progress: the continuing effort to make things to be as good as they used to be.
  7. Have you ever noticed how modern developers operate? They bulldoze the trees and then name the streets after them!
  8. Most people in the city have come up from the country to make enough money to leave the city and live in the country.
  9. The government is finally doing something about energy conservation. They are asking motorists to remember to turn off their wind-screen wipers whenever they drive under a bridge.
  10. How wonderful it is to wake up in the middle of London every morning to the sounds of the birds coughing.

Snow in March?

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Something is seriously wrong with the climate.

On my walk this afternoon all of the sudden began to snow. This is March, the end of March at that! This is not supposed to happen in late March.

The work of Helen Suzman is never truly done

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As a Buddhist, death is not a sad thing, especially when it was not in vain.

The recent passing away of Helen Suzman, an “undaunted champion of freedom”, should be a reminder of the kind of values we should hold and cherish, even in the face of contradictory views so often found throughout human history.

For those who are standing up against the undeservedly powerful, they should remember the fight is not lost as long as we believe in what is right and just, and keep our hope that one day our stand will be completed.

I believe one day there will be a lasting truce between Israel and the Palestinian state. That people will recall how petty the struggle was. I believe there will be a world that is nuclear-weapon free. I believe one day all people will trust one another, will be responsible, will be honest to not only others but more importantly to themselves.

With this trust, responsibility and honesty, then, we can change to be less competitive and more fair in sharing the world, which had not been ours to possess in the first place.

No, the passing of those with a spirit of freedom and fairness is not a time for mourning, but rather it is a time to reaffirm our struggles for what is right. Helen Suzman may rest now, but others must continue this work which is never truly done.