thinkplan

You hear people who claim expertise in “economics” come right out and say it: the economy needs consumption in order to do well, create jobs, etc.

It’s clear that consumption leads directly to a damaged environment which people fret and complain about in between changing channels and dutifully consuming.

One gets the feeling that most have already made their choice between the two.

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caps blowing off, ships bumping into pipes, 20 million gallons in the kalamazoo river.

think we might be doing something wrong?

you dare not think about how this can get worse…

I spotted this article on The Oil Drum which talks about how the BP Gulf spill relief well project is going, and some of the ins and outs about how they do it, potential obstacles. The article includes some illustrations and diagrams.

To read the story, please click here.

Snip:

The Deep Horizon explosion was the inevitable result of a relentless effort to extract oil from ever deeper and more hazardous locations. In fact, as long as the industry continues its relentless, reckless pursuit of “extreme energy”—oil, natural gas, coal, and uranium obtained from geologically, environmentally, and politically unsafe areas—more such calamities are destined to occur.

The way I read this is that Reality is speaking to us…very slowly, in simple terms that are easy to understand.

It’s practically saying; “Read my lips.”

Read the full article here.

According to Life After the Oil Crash, 1 barrel of oil contains 22,300 hours of human work output.*

This is roughly equivalent to 11 people working a standard 40-hour work week for 1 year, allowing for 2 weeks’ vacation.

That is a LOT of work or energy, or labor-saving, or ability to do very amazing things with very little human effort.

Something which deserves contemplation when considering using or squandering it.

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*link to spot with these statistics is here.

Photo says it all, but you can read the story here.

snip:
[Simmons] quantifies the leak at 120,000 bpd. What is scarier is that according to the Jefferson [research vessel] the oil lake underneath the surface of the water could be covering up to 40% of the entire Gulf of Mexico.

Simmons concludes that as punishment for BP’s arrogance and stupidity the government “will take all their cash.”

to read the article and see a Video clip, click here.

bp oil continues to wash ashore and into marshes. it’s a big deal because marshes and wetlands:

• Sustain wildlife by providing food, protection from predators, and spawning and nursery habitats for many fish and wildlife species
• Improve water quality by filtering out pollutants, helping to produce high-quality fish populations
• Prevent erosion by absorbing wave energy
• Form buffer zones during storms that help protect lands from flooding, and
• Provide recreational activities including hiking, hunting, fishing, and bird and wildlife observation.*

every part of the ecosystem helps the whole.

there are no throw-away areas.

consuming oil is destroying things we can’t live without.

*read more about the importance of wetlands here.

simply by your being in it.

and when you are in it, feeling, reconnecting, recognizing…

you can begin to acknowledge that you are not over nature.

you are OF nature.

Since the bp spill began, the comments have been flying.

Stuff like “this is normal,” or, “heck, nature creates tar balls, so oil spills are OK,” or “it’s a necessary evil…part of the oil bidness.”

This is what you say when you don’t want to cop to an incredibly huge screw-up, and you try to re-package it as a benefit. (That it’s normal means you’re A-OK).

Some offer that Obama “let this happen.” Or that his response is not what it could or should be.

All such comments are about externalizing responsiblity. That it’s not our fault; it’s either the mighty hand of God at work, or that other people did it, or what have you.

All variants of “Bobby stole my homework.”

Here’s a question for you: What are you willing to do to help ensure more spills and leaks don’t happen?

Are you willing to cut way back on driving and on buying consumer goodies?

Are you willing to endure inconvenience? Are you willing to find ways to have fun that don’t involve a trip to the mall?

What are you willing to do?

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I recently learned of an article* that talked about restoring your mental vitality, simply by taking a walk…in nature.

To nutshell, modern life places demands certain types of focused attention from us, which is fatiguing to our minds. Taking a walk where there  are trees and birds and flowers and insects is like hitting the reset button of our mind.

The idea is a simple one, the benefits clear. I can attest to the result of staying eyes glued to the monitor all day long. I also admit having difficulty tearing away to do something like taking a walk.

It’s not as though taking a walk to experience the natural world is unpleasant. It’s always restorative, and while I’m on the walk, I’m grateful that I got myself to do it. I will continue to take these walks, even if I have to make myself do it.

I need my brain. I need to be mentally sharp. I am not an adversary of nature; I am OF nature.

Is it possible that we are behaviorally re-wiring ourselves away from our natural state into that of being computer peripherals?

Lots of people talk about the stress of “modern” life.

Walking in Nature sounds like an obvious cure. Perhaps a little too obvious?

*To read this article, click here.

Thank You, Nature day happens on the same day as another well-known holiday. The idea is to express gratitude to nature for being patient with us as we learn to live in harmony.