"The Weather Makers"

Over the holidays I read Tim Flannery's new book, "The Weather Makers" - and I have to say, if you were only to read ONE environmentally-themed book in your life, this should be it.

Flannery writes engagingly, intelligently, and with the confidence of an author who knows his subject inside and out. With supporting research in biology, chemistry, physics, and history he pieces together the problem of Climate Change and the fate of humankind. Most importantly, he does not drown the reader in scientific jargon or the bleakness of fatalism: it is not too late to make a difference! Flannery then offers a list of inexpensive, every-day things each of us can do to reduce our greenhouse emissions by 70%, an amount that would - by most estimates - allow the Earth's climate to stabilize, keeping us humans around for a few more generations at least!

Global Warming Christmas?

Some of the scare about global warming and ecological collapse can be couched in terms that the average consumer will understand: climate change will cut into annual sales of fur coats.

This seems to be the biggest worry for many US retailers as the East Coast is continuing to experience unusually high temperatures for winter. This has of course an opposite effect as customers who previously might have purchased a winter coat are left with extra money on their hands, preferring to buy electronic gadgets instead. However, the most incredible line is this NY Times article is:

Even if temperatures remain unusually warm, the season is unlikely to become a total washout for retailers. Michael Fink, head of women’s fashion at Saks, said that even in warm seasons like this one, “The key fashion coats sell no matter what.”

“It’s not about warmth,” he said, “it’s about want.”

Indeed, Mr. Fink, it is all about want.

Gift-giving is Economically Unsound

I'm not trying to beat a dead horse here, but if you were still intending to go all materialistic for the holidays (and that is your right, of course!) you should just pause one moment and check out this article suggesting that gift-giving is an inefficient use of resources from an economic standpoint!

Apparently, we only value gifts received at an average of 4/5 their intrinsic value! In other words, we as consumers know best how to spend our money at each marginal dollar. The conclusion to this is that buying gift certificates or giving cash is the most efficient way to allocate resources; of course, this is decried by the merciless consumerists and traditionalists as a kill-joy approach to Christmas (or birthdays, or what-have-you).

Scrooge just can't win, huh? (Thanks to ACOMMUNIST for the suggestion!)

Buy Nothing Christmas

Most of us aren't ready for this yet, but check out www.buynothingchristmas.org for environmentally and socially-conscious alternatives to the traditional Christmas consumerism.

Do you have Affluenza? Take this quiz.

Affluenza... It's a highly contagious and devastating illness. It threatens your happiness, your health, and your family life.

Test your consumption quotient to learn about the disease, then self-diagnose yourself with this quiz. But do not fear, it's a curable condition, and you'll be on your feet in no time.

Cycling in the Buff

I'm up to my eyeballs in final exams this week, so here's some light fare. If you haven't yet heard of the Naked Bike Rides for the environment, held in various cities world-wide... well now you have. All I can think of is... that's gotta hurt.

If you wanna learn more, check out their website. Personally, I think the Ottawa Critical Mass rides would be just as effective, and perhaps less offensive... oh well, it piqued your curiosity now, didn't it?

Apocalypse?

It's time for some philsophical thought on why we Go Green and what might happen if we continue to destroy our environment (à la QB):

I can think of three major apocalyptic scenarios resulting from the reckless destruction of our world:

1) We will finally push the limits of the natural order, and the Earth will restore her balance by reducing the human footprint through catastrophic disorder (floods, earthquakes, and/or plagues on a massive scale).

2) We will succeed in driving humanity totally to extinction, taking many other life-forms with us, and rendering the planet uninhabitable: a desolate wasteland orbiting the Sun. This does not discount the idea that evolution could begin all over again after millennia (as long as there is matter and energy in our universe, life is a possibility), but it is unlikely we would recognize the resulting organisms, since the very essence of the Earth—the balance of her elements—would have changed.

3) We will incur the wrath of an omnipotent Creator/ Divine Being, the consequences of which cannot be imagined, as they are not restricted to the laws of nature.

NOTE: It is a futile exercise to “prefer” any of these scenarios: if only we could all take a few minutes to look beyond our daily tasks and consider some of the most basic questions of life, how much we might be changed!

E-duce, E-use, E-cycle.

Ever wondered what to do with so-called "E-Waste", those old TV's, broken printers, and obsolete computers you have collecting dust in the basement?

While we might surreptitiously leave these items on the curb a night early, hoping for someone else to salvage/ recycle them for us, our friends in Saskatchewan know just what to do... 'E-Cycle. This means that the plastics, metal, and glass in various electronic devices can be recycled, while toxic wastes are safely disposed of.

OttawaU Kills Trees

The UO School of Managment, whose wonderful admin has bungled my registration countless times (now my Infoweb account shows that I have not graduated after all - just wait til I take a bite out of them tomorrow!) is prone to sending paper junk-mail to unsuspecting students.

This glossy piece of paper-waste is meant to inform us plebes about the Mindtrust Leadership Development Program. Now first of all, fellow students, this is your tuition money at work. Secondly, what the heck kind of name is Mindtrust? Reminds me of the Matrix, some brain-washing activity is definitely going on here; even if it's just to suck the creative energy out of young people. Bah, we know, we know: that's why we all signed up for this.

Well folks: if you need to take ANOTHER leadership development program after hacking away at a B.Com for 4+ years, there is something mightily wrong with you. Perhaps the SOM didn't teach us enough about self-confidence, or maybe they're just saving up for the next huge, state-of-the-art building to house their huge, state-0f-the-art ego. What will you actually learn? Well according to the Testimonials section of the Mindtrust pamphlet, you'll learn how to spin your rhetoric with the greatest of ease.

Classes we didn't take but might as well have:

1. Cumbersome verbosity 1101.
2. The art of looking smart 2020.
3. The art of looking smart 2021: Just in case you didn't get it the first time.
4. Defending a lost cause 4052.
5. Sucking up 3031: a social and economic history.

This should've been my last day as an undergraduate student; instead I have to f*** around with the administration and convince them that yes, ahem, I have completed all the d*** credits. And you know what you can do with your Dean's List? Stuff it up your f***ing a**.

I'm outa here.

Kyoto is, literally, Dion's dog

New Liberal leader Stéphane Dion is a staunch supporter of Kyoto, supposedly naming his dog Kyoto after the (pretty much failed) environmental Protocol. While the Conservatives attest that Canada's emissions actually rose while he was environment minister (under Martin), at least his heart is in the right place. However, he's thought up some crazy ways to save our natural world - including trying to tame Alberta's massive oilsands projects with the hopeful statement:

"We will not kill the industry. We will make the industry sustainable."

Yeah yeah, but Mr. Dion, we still have the problem of oil, the extraction of which is harmful to the environment, and the utilization of its end products (i.e. gasoline) which are also harmful to the environment. We can't make the oil industry sustainable because it is inherently not sustainable, and while big business is flush with petro-cash we can hardly begin to suggest alternative uses of energy.

What about economic incentives for renewable energy initiatives? Why don't we preach conservation? Why can't we make our current gas-powered engines more efficient?

We have to convince the rich, fat cats of the oil companies that the industry is going the way of the telegraph, that new sources of energy will prove even more lucrative to them in the future. And for that to happen, there needs to be a movement at the grassroots level, a shift in environmental awareness. To influence the supply of energy, we need to alter the demand.

"Kyoto, I've got a feeling we're not in Tansas anymore!"

Napkin Rations

Amazing, all these life lessons one can learn at a homeless shelter!

Today I discovered an economic principle related to the supplying of paper napkins at mealtime. After noticing for the past few weeks that the clients tended to hoard stacks of napkins and leave them unused on the table after meals, I suggested that we fill the dispensers only half full each time. Secretly, I expected an increase of complaints about the lack of napkins.

However, that did not happen! Instead, those unseemly "stacks" disappeared, and there were fewer unused napkins littering the floor. To date, I have not heard a single complaint; and the dispensers are rarely all emptied during mealtimes. Whether the clients barter among themselves for serviettes, or just have begun to realize the ecological hazards of waste, an important lesson has been learned: when we cannot see the "end" of the resources (when the supply of goods is high) we tend to consume more than we truly require.

As the Christmas season is upon us, I would also like to suggest that "when prices are relatively low, we tend to buy more 'stuff' than we actually need". If only we'd be able to see the big picture...