THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW YEAR FROM A GUEST BLOGGER (MY WIFE !!)

A few days back, Glen took a trip to the library with our 4-year-old to pick out some new books. It resulted in an exciting pile of Picture Books, a few Chapter Books to read together, some Music CD's and a few DVDs. Needless to say, our daughter was thrilled, as we hadn't been to the library for new materials in a while.

Well, Glen stumbled onto the Dr. Seuss section when they were browsing and took it upon himself to suggest The Lorax. Last night, just on the heels of New Year's Eve, our daughter chose Seuss' The Lorax as her bedtime story. She was full of questions and offered many opinions. She scowled with displeasure as I read aloud how the Once-ler chopped down his first Truffula Tree with one chop. She was further dismayed as the Once-ler said to the Lorax, "Look, there's no cause for alarm. I chopped just one tree. I am doing no harm." I was proud at our daughter's reaction, in knowing that we'd done something right. And as I continued to read, she became increasingly curious, asking more questions - and she saw how that one tree being chopped down, which the Once-ler saw as harmless, had consequences. Later on I was thinking, wouldn't it be great if one day the story of The Lorax is as well known as the story of The Grinch?

On this New Year's Eve, many of you are busy making new resolutions. Are you planning to lose some weight? stop smoking? go to the gym more? eat healthier? While those are all fine goals to strive for as we go about "renewing" ourselves in the new year, perhaps you might also consider resolving to do something positive for the world we are leaving our children. The things we do every day, big or small, can make such a huge difference. Here's a few simple resolutions that can help you return your thanks to our mother earth: Start a compost pile, Hang a load of laundry to dry, Walk to the corner store, Start bringing your cloth grocery bags with you, Stop using paper plates, Replace your light bulbs, Try public transportation, and last but certainly not least....Set a good example every day for your children - you can start by going to the library and reading The Lorax to them - make them understand the impact that we all have on our earth.

Or if you need some help coming up with some worthwhile resolutions, you might get inspired from this amusing but serious list of eco-resolutions from thedailygreen.com.

Also, enjoy this clip from The Animated Story of Seuss' The Lorax (What a brilliant man...) and I'd like to just close by remembering what Mahatma Gandhi said: He said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world." Wise words that we should all reflect on.....

Happy New Year!

Green Building and Design

Here is a couple that realized their green business ideas in a new business. They use the LEED Standards to help individuals and businesses build more efficient and sustainable living and work spaces. What kind of green business will you start during the new year?

A LAST MINUTE GIFT IDEA ! Eco-Friendly Snow Removal!

Want to remove your snow, save your back, save the environment and get a great work out all simultaneously? Or maybe you are lazy and you have someone on your gift list who would benefit from advantages like these. Well these three links will provide you with the perfect gift for you or them! While growing up my father didn't use a snow shovel much but instead a contraption he called an aberdickie (sp?) basically a big wooden sled/plow/shovel that was much easier on your back than a snow shovel. Today a similar product is available on the web for sale of course! One guy built a "pedal powered" snow plow. Below are a few amusing videos featuring these eco-friendly snow removal devices. They are pretty cool!
--Glen P.S. Many thanks to my Brother-In-Law for the idea for this post. He still lives in the North East, where they have been getting a lot of snow as of late. He also maintains a blog (Check it out!)about the First Day Cottage he and my Sister are building with their own hands in Upstate N.Y..
http://www.snowmaster.com/

Can't Afford a New "Green" Home?... How About Remodeling "Green"

From Berlin, Germany to Berlin Maryland, USA "Green" Business is the Operative Word. Ryan Murphy of Berlin MD, has started a green remodeling business for people who want to go green but have less to spend. He uses a combination of recycling existing features and items in the house and making green updates. Any contractor could easily turn his business green much like Ryan did.For more details read this article about him and his business. Below I have posted 2 videos that tell the story of a more extensive "Green" Remodeling but any of the things covered in this extreme make over could be implemented on a smaller scale in individual projects in your home. Besides that these projects provide plenty of work for contractors and opportunities for new green businesses.

Tight Budgets and a Poor Economy Lead to "Green" Building Trend

Despite the current Credit Crunch some people who are still building houses are consciously building "Green" and incorporate energy saving features into their homes. Obviously this investment makes sense even in hard economic times because it saves you money in the long run.

From Promoting Rock Bands and Movie Studios to Organic Restaurants...???

Lab one is a marketing company in Germany whose usual clients are Rock Bands and Movie Studios. But this time they are promoting one of the first totally organic and "carbon free" restaurants in Berlin. The name of the Restaurant is Foodorama. Could this be a trend of the Future or will we just continue to support the need for more McDonald's? Of course here in America we already have a Restaurant Chain promising only organics and promoting green practices like installing solar panels on their restaurants. That Restaurant would be Jason's Deli which is mostly found in the South Eastern United States and I must admit it is our family's favorite. It's our oasis here in Upstate South Carolina where we live because it is reasonably priced and we know we are feeding our family good REAL food. So to any of you food entrepreneurs out there... I believe there is a market for good healthy food from restaurants with a conscience. Below is a promotional video from Jason's Deli.

The Rest of Obama's Green Dream Team.....

Environmentalists are pleased with the President Elect's picks so far. They call it a 180 degree turn around from the Bush Administration's picks for the same positions over the last 8 years. Chu as Energy Secretary is especially interesting. Check out his qualifications in this Time Magazine Article. Or listen to Chu in the YouTube Video below. Enjoy ---Glen

Mmmm.... Very interesting... What do you make of this???

"Carol Browner's appointment as a 'climate czar' should signal to the world that the U.S. is taking a new direction on this issue." — Kathleen Rogers, environmental attorney and president of the Earth Day Network, in a statement on Dec. 15, 2008.

President Elect Obama has created a new Cabinet Position officially called "Energy Coordinator. The media however has already run with that and is calling her the "Energy Czarina"... Check out the Time Magazine article with the facts on her.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts ---Glen

"Make this Christmas Green"

This may be too much for most of you but here's somebody who posted an original song on YouTube called "Make this Christmas Green". It's cute... anyway have a great day!



Here's a couple more "Green Christmas Videos" just for fun first the Bare Naked Ladies and then some kids singing.

So When are You Getting Your Solar installed? Or do you need a job?

The Solar Industry has seen a 45% increase in solar installations in 2007 over 2006. So the Job market for that industry is also looking good. This New York Times article has great information about it.

Shades of Green....How far will you go????

Joan Pick hasn’t driven a car since 1973 and has only been in a car twice since then. She hasn’t flown on an airplane since 1971.

Now I must admit that this is an extreme example for someone living in the Western World (England) but I feel that we need to welcome everyone who wants to do something to change our economy and lifestyle to a more green one. Whether you are only looking for a more fuel efficient SUV and want to caulk your windows and doors to save on energy costs or you want to live in a hole in the ground and eat grubs as long as everybody is doing something to move us in the right direction I think we should embrace it. Read the comment section after the article it's amusing.

Eat an Orange and Save the Peel for your Engine???

Here's another set of entrepreneurs trying to get a piece of the green pie. Do you really think it will go anywhere? Many are vying for the engine or engines of the future. What do you think it will be?

I saw a girl with a "Save the Planet" T-Shirt on today...

While doing my afternoon duty at the school I work at I saw a student wearing a "Save the Planet" T-Shirt. The irony of the situation is that my duty is supervising the car loading area at the end of the day. So the girl was waiting for her parent to come in one of the many Hummers and other assorted SUVs that line up everyday, engines idling, to whisk their lovely children home. While thinking about this scene and the fact that the T-shirt she was wearing was probably shipped half-way around the world twice before she bought it made me ponder the question, can and will the U.S. really "go green"? As the cliche goes "habits are hard to break" Well later the same day I read an article from the New York Times that at least made me believe that maybe things are heading in the right direction again. The article talks about how the Bush-Cheney Administration is finally dropping it's efforts to relax pollution limits (Presumably to focus on the dastardly things they can accomplish before they relinquish the reigns of power to the Obama administration). I really would like to believe that we aren't doomed to repeat history and do nothing about alleviating our dependence on foreign oil as we did in the 70's. Ultimately the only things that will change anything are you and I and our actions or inaction.

Thinking about starting your own "Green" Business or Career?

Here is a great article with great links to other sites that get you thinking about the future of green Business.

Could the Future Lie with Green Jobs?

Well I have to agree with this writers view of the situation...(Click Link to view article ---->)Green Jobs the Future? Given the current economic downturn it seems like a no brainer to me what do you think?

How about some green toys? (The Most Wonderful time of the Year!)

Maybe you're contemplating what to buy as gifts this year for those little ones you love. My sister is making some of her purchases this Christmas from a "Green" Toy Company (called "Green Toys" of course). They create toys from recycled milk jugs (isn't everything made out of those these days?) and claim that they are non toxic and safe for kids to put in their mouth. Obviously trying to cash in on the recent stories of tainted Chinese toys. Well here's a link to their site and judge for yourself. You can even get their toys at your local Toys-R-Us or other retailers. Below you'll find a video about the company and below that a video report on the latest "scare" (Marketing technique??...) in the toy industry. Check it out and leave your comments.






Watch CBS Videos Online

What a difference a day makes...In Prius Sales that is

This morning my wife heard a report on NPR's All Things Considered which I listened to online as well. While we know that auto sales in general are tanking with the developments in the economy, America's interest in Hybrid vehicles is also waning now that gas prices are under $2 in many places in the country. Here in South Carolina we are paying $ 1.51 !! Question is how long will this trend last? Take a listen to this story - it's very interesting and includes an interview with a salesman who has witnessed the change in attitude first hand. (click link above or below to listen)

http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=97826096&m=97826084

What is Green anyhow?: Honda's Green Efforts

A frequent problem for businesses and people who are interested in going green is that, so far, there are few standards in the industry. However, when it comes to building there are some standards. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, are standards that the U.S. government have put together to encourage business, industry and individuals to rethink their construction practices. The video below explains some of the LEED standards and show how HONDA plants in the U.S. have employed them in their facilities and everyday operations.

So, my question to you: Is this green? Personally I think any efforts to change bad habits is good but currently they are still producing cars with combustion engines which pollute the environment. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think.

How else can I be green during the holidays?

Time Magazine also featured an article talking about other ways to think and act green during the holidays. They offer suggestions and links to websites that can help you be green with your LIGHTS( I say just don't have them), GIFT GIVING, GIFT WRAP, ORNAMENTS, WREATHS, TABLE DECOR, AND CANDLES.

Also, as an update to my last post "Which Christmas Tree Is Greener?", here's a link to a page with slideshows about how The Original Living Christmas Tree Company does their business. It is a business that others (certainly existing Christmas tree farmers) could duplicate anywhere.

Which Christmas Tree is Greener?!?!

Well, now that Thanksgiving is over our thoughts are turning to the Christmas season. As my wife and I pondered what kind of tree to get, the usual considerations of price and practicality came to mind. My wife thought we should get an artificial tree because then we wouldn't be killing another evergreen every year. I asked the question - what is greener? She said, "good question!". Well, of course the answer laid in our past...

We later discovered a Time Magazine article about this very subject and discovered we had made our best decision on a Christmas Tree while living in Germany. There we opted for a potted one that could be replanted after the holidays. In fact, the Time article talks about a company in Oregon that offers a service of supplying the tree for the holidays and then replanting it for you. Above you'll find a picture of our little guy in Germany and below you'll find a link to the Time article. Happy Reading!

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1862449,00.html

Green Search Engines: Starting Point for the "Green Web"

As a sign of the true resilience that is the Internet already one can find number of search engines that have "gone green". You go to these sites and anything you search for comes up with the greenest results first. Of course we are not naive I'm sure that the businesses that have paid the most "$$green$$" to the respective search engine get higher rankings. However it is a nice way to narrow your results and see them through a green lens while searching on the Internet. My favorite so far is Green Maven. I encourage you to check it out it has a simple and attractive setup and is easy to use. It even provides a list of the most common searches at the bottom of the home page. ALSO YOU CAN "LAUNCH" YOUR GREEN SEARCH RIGHT FROM HERE AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. Below I have linked to an article which outlines 15 of the top "Green Search Engines". The Second link links to another article about a newer Green Search Engine. Also to the right of my blog postings I will have a list of links to some more of these Search Engines. Enjoy! Also check out the video of the Truevert Green Search Engine Guy explaining the concept if you like.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/15_of_the_best_green_search_engines.php

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/14/elevator-pitch-friday-truevert-the-green-search-engine/

Grand Reopening of LaunchpadGreen.com

BMW PLANT USES OUR GAS !

A CAR THAT RUNS ON AIR?!?!?

Folks this is no joke: Don't write the green economy off it just might save us (in more ways than one)

They are talking about "The NEW GREEN DEAL" and organizations like Newsweek and the Washington Times are entertaining the idea of the Green Economy giving us a boost in these difficult economic times. Take a look at these articles. Wow put on your green seat belts and give these a read...

Ki-Moon Big Green Jobs Machine(Washington Times)

"A New Green Deal"(Newsweek)

Betting Long (Newsweek)

The Green Economy: It's not just a buzz word in Washington

With all the grim economic news as of late my thoughts have been turning to the emerging "Green Economy" and it's potential to jump start the lagging economy. Apparently I'm not alone in these thoughts. Check out these three very thought provoking articles which discuss this very subject.

A Green Economic Stimulus

Defra hosts UNEP’s Green Economy launch

A Great summary of McCain and Obama's energy policy

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while.  The baby and work have been keeping me busy.  I highly recommend thie article "Obama, McCain on energy: Together in words, apart in deeds"  This article sums up the canidates votes, plans, and rhetoric on the campain trail in an unbiased way .  Enjoy..... Glen

Obamafest! Just couldn't resist this one

Hi everyone although this doesn't directly have to do with going green I couldn't resist posting this after reading a German article with this picture. All politicians this year are claiming they are going to do tons for the environment and soon I plan to blog about Obama's and McCains stances. Tonight just enjoy the Obama button a vendor was selling to the crowd of 200,000 in Berlin last Thursday. Take care and keep going green!

Help your baby go green from day one!: Cloth diapers have come a long way baby!

My wife is due to give birth to our second child on the 25th of August. We are looking forward to it with great anticipation! Our first is now four years old and we brought her up on cloth diapers. Now don't think of the ones you or your brother or sister used to wear. Cloth diapers like Apple Computers have come a long way since the 80's. There are a number of brands available on the Internet but my sister helped us by having her child first and experimenting with several not so improved cloth diaper incarnations. We did try a few of them ourselves but for us Fuzzibunz was the best solution! These babies behave and preform as well as almost any disposable out there only they are reusable and baby's bottom will thank you as well because they cut down considerably on incidences of baby rash. They are of the family of cloth diapers called "pocket" diapers. The diaper is waterproof on the outside and warm fuzzy and absorbent on the inside thanks to a microfiber fleece that keeps babys' bottom warm and dry. The fleece acts as a wick and draws any wetness into the inserts. The inserts are the second part of the groovey technology you "stuff" 1-3 absorbent inserts into the pocket of the diaper and these help keep baby dry. We usally use 1 or 2 during the day and 3 at night. We have recommended them to many of our friends and some have taken us up on it! One friend even decided to use fuzzibunz on her third daughter after using disposables for their first two. With the money they saved on disposable diapers they bought themselves a new dinning room set. Really switching to these diapers can save you alot. The initial investment can be 2 to 3 hundred dollars but in the long run you save thousands. Worried about washing them? Don't worry just have a diaper pail with a little water and a teaspoon of your favorite detergent in it and run the diapers to the washing machine every evening after baby goes to bed. Really like any other suggestions I have made on my blog it is just a small new habit you have to start. Also these cloth diapers don't only save baby's bottom they help your bottom line!!!

Bag the Paper and the Plastic!/ Paper or Plastic neither nor!

First some facts

• The average reusable bag consumer uses only four bags per year
• The average disposable bag user consumes more than 700 bags a year.

Whenever you are standing in the checkout line you are sometimes faced with the question "paper or plastic?" Knee jerk logic has you thinking well paper is probably easier to recycle, so that's better, right? While you can reuse plastic bags as a trash bag liner, or a convenient pooper-scooper for your doggy and no trees had to be cut down to make the plastic bag, that doesn't mean it is lighter on the environment. So which choice do you think is truly better?

The deal with plastic bags

Plastic bags are not bio-degradable and are made from polyethylene (a byproduct of petroleum). So if we quit using them we might help cut down on the consumption of crude oil too! Besides plastic bags remain intact for thousands of years in the landfill. The U.S. uses about 100 billion of the 500 billion to a trillion plastic bags that are used and then thrown away every year worldwide ! The hundred billion we use in the U.S. use up 12 million barrels of crude oil to make them.

Only one percent of plastic bags actually get recycled, leaving 99% of the plastic to leach into soil and groundwater. Scientist are finding that the remaining discarded plastic bags (200,000 make their way to the landfill every hour!) are killing an estimated 100,00 marine mammals and sea turtles each year due to their ingesting the bags. Recent studies by these same scientists show that the oceans are full of tiny plastic pieces which in some areas of the ocean are beginning to outweigh plankton.

The deal with paper bags

In the production of paper bags many trees are used. Chainsaws, and all the other trucks and machinery needed to harvest trees require a lot of fossil fuel and the laying down of roads that put stress on forest ecology and wildlife. The process of making paper also involves using huge amounts of clean water. So the production of paper really has an huge environmental impact when you add it up.

Of course generally paper bags hold more groceries than the average plastic bag, so fewer are used (one paper bag can hold the same volume as three to four plastic bags). Even though paper bags can be made from 100 percent recycled content and they're considered CO2 neutral. Still more energy is used in their production than plastic, and the energy and chemicals involved pollutes our water and air.

So what do I do?
Here comes the challenge I promised. No don't stop reading now! There is an alternative to paper or plastic that most Americans don't consider mainly because it isn't as "convenient", and that is reusable cloth or canvas bags. I know this because even I have sacrificed sensibility and logic for convenience myself. While abroad in Germany 2 years ago, I always brought cloth bags along to the store because there I didn't have a choice. If you want a bag there you have to pay for it! (Not to mention we pay for it in the U.S. in the price of the products!). So really it is just a simple habit you need to change. I suggest you buy yourself a few good reusable bags and keep them in the trunk of your car so you never have the excuse you forgot them at home. Recently I remembered my bags and it felt so good to take the groceries that the clerk had already packed in plastic bags out of them and put the groceries in my cloth bags. So here's the challenge try to start using reusable bags when you go to the grocery store. It is a simple thing you can feel good about. I am going to be sure I always use mine from now on. Besides many stores will give you 5 cents of your bill for every reusable bag you bring with you to the store! Good luck and keep going green!

P.S. Other International inspirations

• China, France, and Bangladesh have all banned plastic bags.
• Ireland put a consumer tax on plastic bags that resulted in a 90 percent reduction in use.
• In an Indian province (Himachal Pradesh, people get fined $2,000 if caught with plastic bags.

I got the information for this article from the following books and sources: The Complete Idiot's Guide to green Living by Trish Riley ($16.95Alpha, 2007) * "The Great Plastic Bag Plague" by Tara Lohan, www.alternet.org, 9/5/07*www.cawrecycles.org*"Paper or Plastic-What's the Greener Choice?" by Anne Thompson, www.msnbc.mns.com, 5/7/07*www.reusablebags.com*www.techalive.mtu.edu*"paper, Plastic or Prada?" by Lisa McLauhlin, www.time.com 8/2/07

Building green suddenly becoming in Vogue!

Wow, you mean going green can actually save me money?!? While up until now solar panels and making your home more energy efficient was something that only the rich and famous could think about or afford, suddenly more middle class home owners are seeing the benefit. Bottom line - invest a little green now and save A LOT of "$$green$$" on energy costs down the road. My host family in Germany converted 2 years ago to solar to help with their heating costs. The house the family lives in is over 450 years old, has been in the family for many generations and is a case in point that the age of a house doesn't matter. As you can see by the picture, the historic beauty of this house is preserved and you can't even see the solar panels from the street...because they are on the backside of the house. All houses can be retrofitted and benefit from the new technologies. Not to mention, this activity will give jobs to people in the U.S. and bring us closer to energy independence. More details on the trend can be found in this A.P. article.

KEEP THINKING, ACTING AND GOING GREEN!!!

Alternative Mower Update

One of my investigative reporters brought this to my attention the other day I just thought I'd share it with you. Just a quick example of the lighter side of green. If someone could perfect this and mass produce it I might actually think about it... Your grass gets cut and you get a nice workout! Check out the link below to see the picture in its original context, the comments are amusing. Thanks Sean!
http://www.neatorama.com/2008/07/18/mowercycle/

The Late Night Debate on Global Warming: Gary weighs in again

Hi everyone, Before I get into the meat of todays responses from Gary. I want to share a picture my 4 yr. old daughter took yesterday while she was taking the lawnmower pic. I think it reminds us to stop and smell the roses look around and enjoy what we've got. Now on to the late night debate. Thanks again Gary for the thought provoking debate!

On Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 2:46 AM, Gary XXXXXXXXXXXXX wrote:

Hi Glen,
Sure, you can post my response.

I request though that you just say that I'm going to "vote for the Libertarian candidate whoever it may be; this election it is Bob Barr". Sorry for the equivocating, but alot of Libertarians (including me) have reservations regarding Barr so I'd rather it was clear that I'm voting Libertarian, rather than voting for Barr in the particular.

I just want to be clear here: I have nothing, whatsoever, against people privately doing whatever they wish, so long as they are not harming someone else. One of the Founders wrote: "Your Right to swing your fist ends at the tip of my nose" and that's completely right, in my mind, but the problem we're facing today is that way too many people are claiming to have noses that are ten miles long.

Essentially, I don't like government becoming involved. All government business is done, at the end of the day, at the forceful point of an authoritarian gun (which is something altogether different from the point of a privately owned gun).

Our government is not designed to grant us all a guarantee that we will live to be a 105 years old, or to protect us from ourselves, and our Rights as outlined in the Constitution were purposely phrased in a particular way so that they would not be confused with entitlements, which most people confuse them for. Specifically, our Rights are defined not in terms of what we are allowed, but in terms of what government has no authority to do to us ("Congress shall make no law..."). Rights are not "government permission slips". Rather, in the Founders view, they are viewed as being "natural rights" meaning that you are not permitted them, but naturally embodied with their Freedom as something self-evident. In the same way you have skin, you have Rights. They're not permissions, they're guarantees that, if push comes to shove, you are entitled to the use of force to protect. (That, btw, is why the Second Amendment exists. It isn't to be repealed because someone might shoot a cop; it is there for the very reason that you may have to shoot a cop. You'll notice that it doesn't say "feel free to shoot cops". In fact, it expects that you will probably be killed for doing so. It only says "Yes, you have every right to have a gun.")

Many people, for example, will say "I have a Right to breath clean air". First, there really is no such thing as "clean air". If one wants to just breath in the basic components of the atmosphere their entire life, I hope they don't mind dying before they are 40 due to their complete lack of immunity and resistance. Also, one has no such "Right", but they are not necessarily excluded it either, because the Ninth amendment serves the purpose of making this clear. Basically, it says "just because a Right isn't listed here, that doesn't mean that you are being denied such a Right just because we failed to list it."

I also believe history has proven that we have had some effect on that system and the decisions and behaviors we engage in effect that system and it's course. I also think that technological advances alone won't help solve some of the challenges we are facing and will be facing as time marches on. The point of my blog is to advance such discussion and maybe give people a few ideas of what they can do to make it a little easier on the system.

First, again, this is America and you have every Right to say what you like, share those ideas with others, and engage in behavior that pleases you. There's nothing wrong, at all, with "going green", etc., so long as one puts the dividing line at believing that other people should be coerced via government into doing the same.

More to the point, in what you've written above, you've engaged in what I perceive to be a real philosophical problem with environmentalism. Namely, that "nature" and "we" are two separate things.

This philosophical problem is known as "Russell's Paradox" named for Bertrand Russell, the philosopher who came up with it. Actually, let me simplify this by giving a simpler version of the same problem called "The Barber's Paradox" because "Russell's Paradox" is a bit complicated.
Here is "The Barber's Paradox":

Suppose there is a town with just one male barber; and that every man in the town keeps himself clean-shaven: some by shaving themselves, some by attending the barber. It seems reasonable to imagine that the barber obeys the following rule: He shaves all and only those men who do not shave themselves.

Under this scenario, we can ask the following question: Does the barber shave himself?
Asking this, however, we discover that the situation presented is in fact impossible:
If the barber does not shave himself, he must abide by the rule and shave himself.
If he does shave himself, according to the rule he will not shave himself.
Here is "Russell's Paradox" (skip it if you want, "The Barber's Paradox" will do. Russell's Paradox causes headaches.)

Libraries have catalogues. Some libraries list the catalogue itself within their catalogues. Let's call these library catalogues "Type I". Other libraries do not list their own catalogue within their catalogue. Let's call these catalogues "Type II." I am the Library Director at the central, master library for my region. I have been assigned the function of creating a list of all the "Type II" libraries in my region for the regional master catalogue. I finish my task and realize that I've left something out. My library catalogue, the central catalogue, does not create a listing for its own catalogue, just like all of the other Type II libraries. So, I add my library to the list of "Type II" libraries. I return to my desk, finished with the task, when I now realize that the "Type II" listing of catalogues that do not include themselves as a catalogue entry now includes my catalogue in the listing, so it now includes itself as a catalogue entry, thereby no longer making it a "Type II" library. So, I get up yet again... and it won't be my last trip. I'll be going back and forth forever because there is no way to solve this problem.

You can't create a set of all sets that do not refer to themselves within their respective sets. If you do so, the set you just created belongs in the set. But when you put your set into the set you just created, you've destroyed the defining property of that set.

(Told ya. Apirin's in the cupboard)

So, "who cares?" and "What the Hell does this have to do with global warming?"

Global warming makes a presumption that finds itself trapped in this paradox. One system (the ecology of Earth) created an inclusive system (the system of mankind); we were not "put on" this Earth; we "came out" of it and we are not the masters of the Earth's ecology, but, in fact, a part of that ecology. That is, until it becomes inconvenient for global warming alarmists to think that way.

If we see a factory with a smokestack, we point at it and arbitrarily label it "unnatural". However, the only property the factory has that sets it apart from anything else is that it was built by humans instead of some bear or whale or bird or flower. Suddenly, humans are not part of the ecology of Earth, but foreign entities that stand above it and outside the system of it. Which is it? Are we in or are we out? If we are part of the interwoven collective of nature, then what we do is by definition part of nature. If we are not part of the interwoven collection of nature, then what are we? Alien beings? I don't think so.

One can not say that we are part of an interwoven network when if fits their needs, then suddenly decide that we are outside that network and "masters" when that argument fits their needs.
Global warming is not environmental, it is political. It is a coercive sales pitch for Socialism and if one wants to discuss the merits and demerits of socialism, that is something quite different from "The World is Ending" ideas of global warming. There is quite a difference between asserting that we are harming ourselves and that we are "harming the planet". The planet and nature, I can assure you, has fully taken us into account and it will have its way with us long before we will ever our way with it. In fact, it is now, always has and always will do with us what it intends to do. It is a complete contradiction to believe that everything in nature is good, but then make a special exception for human beings born of our own self-perception.

I've gotten carried away. Please don't misinterpret my being assertive for aggression. I enjoy the discussion and I hope you take it in the intended spirit.

Take Care,

Gary

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Gary,
I totally understand your logic and have been down many of the same roads of thought you have as a result of the environmental science class I took at SUNY Albany. My philosophy with the blog is that if you can't beat them beat them(Them being, big energy, and big corporations). I want to eventually cover environmental business practices and help lead the market through free market principals and example not legislate it. Help contribute to economic evolution if you will because the minute you start labeling "Right Wing Whack-Jobs" and "Commie bastard leftie tree-huggers" it is counterproductive. Like our fore fatheres (framers of the constitution) I want to be active not apathetic in this crazy thing we label a democracy. Although I believe some legislation may be necessary because like nature everything in our society and our lives has to achieve some sort of balance. Our bodies do it everyday. Remember the old concept of homeostasis? (the body keeping it's systems up and running and in check?) Both government and Free market capitalism are needed because if one is given too much power it will run a muck. By the way Gary you should really start your own blog, you'd be good at it. Also can on cut and paste you last email in the comments section of my blog? Oh yeah check out today's posts "You're a star!" By the way it feels so good to be using my brain again for something other than being a German teacher.

Gary.....Friday July 18, at 1:07 AM

Glen,

Just found this.

http://www.aps.org/

Okay, I appreciate your practical outlook on the matter.

I was perusing your blog and, for instance, an electric lawn mower is a fine idea, especially for people with small yards. I'm quite skeptical regarding that websites statistics though and the comparisons drawn. As you are probably aware, statistics of that nature are not drawn from actual measurements but based on computer models that have a rotten tendency to be tweaked according to the political feelings of those who construct them. (Remind me some time to tell you about the skull measurements taken in the 19th century in Stephen Jay Gould's "The Mismeasure of Man".)

On some of the conservative sites I visit, there is this banner ad (you've probably seen it) where it proclaims "There is enough oil under America to power 60 million cars for the next 60 years!" Of course, since there are 240 milion cars on the road in America, that oil would last us only 15 years, and we don't even know for sure that it is accessible. So, just playing devil's advocate to make a further example of political motivation.

Also, I read this book called "Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology" (Wendy and/or Sean may have read this, because I think I remember discussing it with them the last time I saw them, but I might be mixing things up.) Anyway, I reviewed it on Amazon so I won't repeat myself. (Scroll to bottom of page).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A1PW0I19S34NZO?ie=UTF8&display=public&sort%5Fby=MostRecentReview&page=1

This book contains some of the themes in environmentalism that also disturb me; namely, the tendency to overemphasize the benefits of neo-luddism. I cover that in the review.

I find there to be a very disturbing subtext in modern environmentalism; a nihilistic undertone of self-hatred and misanthropy. There was a recent book that I didn't read that was very popular called "The World Without Us". Granted, this is an interesting concept, but I follow books a lot and I found it to be a bit of an oddball in terms of its popularity. I watched the History Channel documentary on it and basically it's "I Am Legend" without Robert Neville and the coldwar communist zombies. It's a documentary about weeds and decay destroying the remains of our infrastructure. I guess people find this fascinating because it puts humans "in their place" but, to me, this was not news. I've been quite aware for a long time that everything is a temporary state of affairs and that's kind of the inverse of what I was touching on in my previous email.

You, however, are not an extremist, so I'll give you some of my practical thoughts.

-Remember those old windmills that people had on farms? (Google "farm windmill" on image search). Why isn't something like that mounted on the roof of everyone's apartment building? In people's front yards? Why aren't larger windmills mounted on multistory buildings? I know that there is a serious cost prohibition in transporting wind power over power lines to municipalities, but this "windmill on a roof" option seems to me to be an easy solution that could be completely driven by the free market and be completely fostered through private property. In fact, probably the only obstacle in it's way would be, of course, government, which probably would forbid these structures as building violations. (Also, unlike RFK Jr., I happen to find the windmills aesthetically pleasing to look at.) Government should get out of the way of such alternative solutions or, at best, provide tax breaks for them. Hell, a lot of people have windmill replicas sitting in their yard or garden!

-I, like many, have apprehensions about nuclear power, but I also have apprehensions about flying and they are mostly irrational. Our Navy has nuclear subs floating around all over the place and has used nuclear power for decades without a single incident. If we are going to advance as a species and as a society, we are going to have to overcome our fears and take on our challenges and those challenges are likely to have risks, even if unlikely, that are comparable in scale to the challenges. (Obama, by the way, is the PERFECT guy to be saying this and it would serve him quite well considering the Kennedy-like place he holds in the imagination of many Americans. (Remember Kennedy saying "We're not going to do these things because they are easy, but because they are hard.") If Obama wants to start filling in the Superman outfit that has been placed on him, this would be an EXCELLENT step in the right direction. Truth be told, nuclear power would be much easier than going to the moon was. We already have the technology, but special interests keep us from using it.

-Hydroelectric power. ("Save the fish!" they'll scream)

-Regarding cars. I've watched "Who Killed the Electric Car?" and I wasn't blown away by it, to be honest. I don't think that there is a grand corporate conspiracy against electric cars, and their was also an issue with electric cars being a fire hazard ( a model named Veronica Webb had her house burned down from powering an electrical car). For now, we're stuck with oil and gas. This gets very, very involved on the grand scale so I can't give the issue proper service here. Drill. For now, we must drill. Also, if I ran the world, I would exempt commercial drivers only and totally from gas taxes and tolls, but we can't do that because it would be "unfair". Rush Limbaugh asked one of his corporate car manufacturing pals why the sell hybrids and his answer was simple: "Because they sell". If the technology and efficiency is there, car manufacturers will sell us energy efficient cars.

Sorry for running so long on these, but I like to write and it is a subject I'm interested in. I could keep this going for a hundred pages, I think. I'm actually stopping myself here.

The modern environmental movement has been overtaken by extremists who completely monopolize the discussion. There are "win-win" scenarios here, as you seem to recognize, but so many now have what I call a "sourcewatch" view of reality that it is becoming impossible to have a rational discussion. I take it that this is what you're looking to facilitate with your blog, so I will follow with interest. (Also, I've provided a video link as a P.S. It covers in a general sense some of my apprehensions.)

Take Care,

Gary

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9025137241544411194&q=Penn+and+Teller+environmentalism&ei=3iSASPrrCYr2rQKDlJm8DQ&hl=en

Me and my electric mower...

One other new habit I picked up from my time in Germany was mowing with an electric mower. I just came in from mowing my front lawn and had my four year old shoot this pic with my redneck hat and all. I picked it up at the local Bi-Lo for $1.99. I thought what a bargain and it will help this transplant New Yorker blend in here in South Carolina. I think the electric mower gives me away though, and yes that is a 100 foot cord you see slung over my shoulder. My neighbor from 5 doors down stopped me once while mowing and asked "Hey will that cord reach over to my house?" All kidding aside the reason I opted for this is I hate the smell of gas mowers and mowers aren't the most efficient things on gas I read somewhere once that gas mowers burn through nearly as much or more barrels of oil as our cars on the roads do. Every weekend, about 54 million Americans mow their lawns, using roughly 800 million gallons of gas per year according to the EPA. Here's a site if you want to find out more about the mower thing. It is where I got my facts for this post and the cute graphic below.
By the way there is a rechargeable battery version of the electric mower now which I wish I had purchased instead because when I moved down here the house I was renting had a much smaller lawn and I was used to the plug in kind, not to mention it was cheaper. Oh well live and lawn (learn, ha ha). And yes I know about the push option I actually bought one of those first but it broke after my first row of cutting at the rental house and my lawn now is way to big for that. My goal is to landscape the back more with shrubs and ground cover etc. so the mowing is kept to a minimum. Keep going green! Just don't stain your good sneakers with the grass too much...

Also the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states, a traditional gas powered lawn mower produces as much air pollution as 43 new cars each being driven 12,000 miles.

Gary responds to the mention of him in my new blog

(Notice the picture to the left from my year in Budenheim, Germany. I call it "The Greenhouse effect" hehe)

Glen,

Nature is a self-correcting system and we are part of that system. If nature has to deal with the exponential population growth you point out, it is not going to do so with environmental catastrophe. Rather, it is going to be the dogmatic mass-movement ideologies that form around contrived ideas like anthropogenic global warming.

Considering the effectiveness such methods have had, don't you think that would be alot easier than getting people to emit enough carbon to melt the ice caps?

http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/dictat.html

There is nothing wrong, at all, with one privately trying to be a bit more "green", or coming up with more efficient technologies. There are so many rational discussions to be had regarding such matters, that confusing the matter with the scare-tactic political demands of global warming alarmists is completely unnecessary, distracting and counter-productive.

http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/06/your_2007_carbon_footprint.html

Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore on why he left Greenpeace:

http://www.greenspirit.com/key_issues/the_log.cfm?booknum=12&page=3

I could write a book here. I'm trying to keep this short.

(BTW, I'm not, per se, a Bob Barr supporter so much as I am a supporter of the Libertarian Party. The Libertarians could have picked any one of many people to be the candidate and I would probably vote for him/her. So, if you could maybe clarify that a bit on your blog, I'd appreciate it.)

Hope all are Well,

Gary

Gary,

Could I post your response from this last e-mail as well as the links you provided in it on my blog? Because I agree with you on Nature being a self-correcting system and us being a part of it but I also believe history has proven that we have had some effect on that system and the decisions and behaviors we engage in effect that system and it's course. I also think that technological advances alone won't help solve some of the challenges we are facing and will be facing as time marches on. The point of my blog is to advance such discussion and maybe give people a few ideas of what they can do to make it a little easier on the system. I'm not talking about sounding alarms but simply making people aware of the choices they have and how those choices effect them and others. I liken the green economy movement to a buffet like everything else in the world you take the ideas and actions you believe in and you leave the rest. Because these small actions taken by many can also have an exponential impact. AND AS YOU ALL SEE I POSTED HIS COMMENTS…MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT. Keep thinking GREEN!!!!

Planet Elbow Room : Forget about global warming...How about globlal crowding?

On July 1st I opened my e-mail to find a response to a generic invitation I had sent out from Al Gore's We site . The response simply read: " Global Warming is a fraud.". Gary is a friend of mine from college who says he is voting for Bobb Barr the Libertarian candidate for president. I don't hold it against him or anything after all it is a free country. But my knee jerk (or maybe elbow jerk) response was... That may be true but even if it is there is one fact scientists have been pointing to for a while and that very few are disputing, that is the explosion in world population we have been seeing and will continue to see in the years to come. The planet has seen exponential growth in its population. There is no doubt this will put a squeeze on precious resources like fresh drinkable water and available farmland for food production. The chart to the left shows the J-shaped curve of past exponential world population growth.(besure to check out the links he has to other more "official" counters at the bottom of his page) Notice how it all started out slowly, but as time passes the curve becomes steeper and steeper. In 47 years the world population has more than doubled. In 1950 we were at 2.5 billion and had reached 5.9 billion by 1998. So unless death rates rise exponentially, world pop. will reach 8 billion by 2025 (that's only 17 years from now folks!) By the year 2050 it will be up to 10 or 11 Billion people and for 2100 the projection for our grandchildren is that they will be sharing elbow room with around 14 billion other human beings! I got my facts and figures from the World Bank and the United Nations.
Also I borrowed the graph from this site at Columbia University which explains the phenomenon well. The bottom line is some habits are going to have to change in order for that many people to live together on the planet and we can't forget we are all in the same boat. I want a livable future for my daughter who's elbow is featured with mine up above. See I told you the next post would be more concise. Keep going green!! Oh and Gary I love your responses because they keep me thinking and fired up!

I woke up this morning to the sound of a garbage truck going by

It doesn't currently stop at my house because I like to make sure things are sorted and end up in the right(ok better) places. My wife and I maintain a compost in the back corner of our lot and we recycle the majority of the paper, cardboard and assorted containers that make their way through our household. Then every 2 to three weeks I make a trip to the transfer station with my daughter and put it in the proper receptacles. It wasn't always like this I grew up in the 70's and as most Americans I was raised as a ravenous consumer of disposal of goods and services and most by-products ended up on the curb to be schlepped away by a dirty smelly gas-guzzling monster trash truck (unlike this one)that would then deposit all that stuff in a land-fill a few miles away from my home in the country somewhere. The cost of this fabulous service was rolled into my taxes. Now in the north and the south frequently trash removal services are yet another monthly bill on our credit card we need to pay. And I feel that these services don't always recycle the things we place in the recycling bin. That's why I do it myself now. In upstate New York they were very picky about what they would and wouldn't except in the recycling bin: this plastic and not that one, and only if sanitized, and only newspaper and only if it was in a separate bag etc. .

So currently we live in Upstate South Carolina. I am a German Teacher and my profession brought me here. My profession also led me to this point, this blog and many of the decisions I have made about the environment. I was born and raised in Upstate New York in a little town outside of Albany, NY called Voorheesville. The aforementioned dump has since closed and become a "transfer-station" itself. I wonder if officer Opey has measured it's (carbon) footprint or taken 8x10 glossy photos of it. (sorry for the random Alice's Restaurant reference, I'm an avid Arlo Guthrie fan as you can tell by my long winded blog post) So after graduating high school I "fled" to a little town in Germany for an 13th exchange year (they have one more year than we do for high school over there). It was during that year that I first learned about German culture, and habits. Even in 1987 Germany was far ahead of America when it came to environmental matters. Recycling and composting were commonplace. I didn't fully appreciate all the differences between these two industrialized countries until I returned to Germany with my wife and 2yr. old daughter in 2006 to obtain my masters degree through Middlebury college. In Germany they are organized as you may know and this extends even to their recycling. Even in public places like train stations and just out on the street they offer many receptacles for your trash (see photos above and below) At home it's easier though you have a composting bin (for food waste) and a "Gelbe Sack" (the yellow sack/bag) for everything else. You see in Germany there are laws about recycling and industry is responsible for all the packaging it produces and they must pay for the recycling of it. Since the enactment of this law in 1990 in Germany companies have rethought packaging and work with more recyclable materials and minimize packaging. This Wikipedia article explains it better look under concept for explanation of the yellow bags. Well that's it for today. I promise future posts will be more concise. I hope at least it gave you some food for thought. (here's another picture of a place to recycle/ put your trash in a Berlin subway.)

INSTAGREEN: Watch out Instapundit Glenn Reynolds, Glen is going green...

Obviously going green is not "INSTANT" like anything else in life is it is a process and with this Blog I hope to have a lively discussion about what we can do as individuals and collectively to help move our free market fossil fuel based toxic economy to one that will be more sustainable.
I share a name with another more prominent blogger and in the great American Spirit hope to capitalize on that and raise awareness about the choices ahead for our nation when it comes to energy independence and growing a green and more sustainable economy.