After we are gone...

Okay, this is just fascinating. While it seems unlikely that the human species will ever disappear suddenly and cataclysmically, it is very interesting to consider how the earth would (slowly) recover from our presence. Check out the graphical time trend based on the book by Alan Weisman. What is so amazing about the lingering effects of humanity is that almost all of the long term negative impacts are from the last 100 years alone! It is just crazy how quickly we have degraded the earth, when you consider that humans have been around for over 3000 years and for the most part lived in cooperation with the environment. In just three generations we are facing major environmental crisis, including deforestation, global warming, air and water pollution, extinction of animal and plant species, etc.

I am not trying to be a doomsayer, indeed, I find that overly negative thinking is paralyzing and ultimate not productive. Rather, I think that if we could get ourselves into this mess so quickly, there is no reason we can't turn things around rapidly, if we get enough people committed to significant change.

War - And Its Terrible Cost

Viewing the Reuter's slide show portraying President Bush visiting a center for veterans badly injured during the war left me feeling both sad and outraged. Of course, the Iraqi people have borne a far greater cost than U.S. soliders, with over 70,000 civilians killed as of September this year!!!

I personally found the images disturbing, as I watched a cheerful Bush visit with men who had lost multiple limbs or were severly scarred as a result of this terribly misguided war. My limited consolation is that I believe history will not be kind to Bush and the legacy he created, but that won't bring back all the lost lives and alleviate all the suffering.

Gore Gets Involved in Green Investing

I continue to be excited about the potential for green and socially responsible investing. While it may seem counter-intuitive to enlist the help of the business world in combating problems that are often of their own making, I actually believe that this approach will be more effective in achieving real, sustainable change then grass roots efforts or policy changes. That is not to undermine the importance of the latter two, not in the least! But if we really want to impact the world in a meaningful and tangible manner, we need to go after the "big guns," in the arena's of energy, manufacturing, transportation, etc.

In an NPR interview yesterday Al Gore discussed a new alliance he is forming with a venture capital firm based in California. They will seek to invest in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and other green opportunities. Gore makes a very important point when he notes that "We've now reached the stage where this shift is going to happen with or without new government policies. ... The business sector is ahead of the policy maker community in recognizing this shift toward a low-carbon economy has to take place." This development, while clearly profit driven, is exciting.

Capitalism and the drive for profits clearly has many, many shortfalls when it comes to social justice and sustainable living. However, if we reach a point that it becomes profitable curb pollution, develop renewable energy, engage in ethical business practices, etc, the impact on the world will be staggering. Indeed, it now seems plausible that the industrial revolution will be followed by a sustainable living revolution!

What do you think? Can the power of the profit hungry business world be harnessed to do good for our planet and its people?

Dumpster Diving Panera

This past weekend my family finally took the plunge. After hearing the success stories of several locals who are professional dumpster divers, here and here, we made our first raid on the dumpsters behind Panera bread in Gainesville (we stayed away from Chantilly lest we run into our competition and start a fierce turf war!).

With my son sitting in the car chattering about being "sneaky," my wife on the look-out, I managed to snag several large bags of bread, bagels, and rolls! We brought our loot home, where we sorted it out and packaged it for freezing. It was an impressive haul! I have heard it said "once a dumpster diver, always a dumpster diver," I am afraid that may be the case for us! The one point of frustration encountered was the fact that I started a low carb diet last week, so I cannot partake of any of the goods for a couple weeks, and only in limited quantities after that... I guess it is time to dumpster dive behind the local steak house!

Here is a pic of our haul.



And here are my dumpster diving companions standing proudly in front of the haul.



Previous post on dumpster diving.

Election 08 Candidate Comparison

Well, we are officially into the countdown to the 2008 presidential elections (361 days left!). I created a matrix of the most important issues from a social justice and sustainable living standpoing. John Edwards and Barack Obama have the highest "scores" given the criteria I used, with Hillary Clinton the runner-up.* You can create your own custom grid using the issues most important to you, it is a very cool feature!

What are the most important issues to you in the 2008 election campaign?

*Note -There are candidates that score higher on these issues, but I excluded candidates that do not have a reasonable chance of winning the primary (<10% support).

Organic food shown to be healthier

There has been much debate in recent years about the actual health benefits of organic foods. While it seems rather intuitive that foods created without the use of hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, and other chemicals would be much better for you, most scientific studies on this subject came up inconclusive. However, a large study done in the UK confirms that natural foods are significantly healthier for you, both in the reduction of bad stuff (pesticides, hormones, etc), and an increase in nutritional value (minerals, anti-oxidants, vitamins, and other nutrients).

Razoo - Social Networking to Change the World

There are a growing number of social networks on the web, with the most popular being the familiar MySpace and Facebook, both platforms for meeting friends, goofing off, and staying connected. I also use LinkedIn, a social network for professionals to leverage connections, find new jobs, etc.

Needless to say, I was very excited to hear about a new social networking site that focuses on finding your passion, connecting with others who have a similar passion, and then finding ways to take action to change the world! This is way, way cool, it takes the power of social networking to a whole new level. It makes me very excited about the days and years to come, when people will be able to combine their individual efforts in a far more effective and powerful manner!

Check out Razoo and if you are interested, join up! Be sure to add me as a friend, just search for my name (Ken Tennyson).

Dumpster Diving

Recently a group of friends went on a top secret night-time mission to the local Panera bread. Their target: Bags of discarded pastries and bread that are thrown out each night. Having enjoyed the "fruits" of their labor for several weeks, I am a firm believer in the benefits of "dumpster diving." Browsing through the blogosphere today, I found a great article written by another D.C. local about his dumpster diving experiences and "philosophy." Check it out, it is a great read and entertaining!

I am not sure I have ever dumpster dived, unless you count grabbing old couches for my college dorm rooms. However, after the experiences of my friends and reading this article, I realize that dumpster diving is very consistent with my growing commitment to sustainable living, a cheap way to get great food that I would not otherwise purchase, and it appears to be (mostly) legal! I will draw the line at sushi though, even cooked it would pass my food risk assessment radar!

Squashed Philosophers

I enjoy philosophy, but I have found that lately my time available for philosophical reading has been a little crunched (can you say "two year old!"). I found the following website gives a condensed oversight of the history of "Western" philosophy (European and U.S.).

Of course, not everyone enjoys philosophy as much as I do, but come on, who could resist a twenty minute abridgement of Ludwig Wittgenstein's Tractatus! For those who like an even broader overview, there is a "very squashed" version that sums the philosopher's perspectives in a single page (if that isn't too much of a slight to a philosopher's life work!).

Green Glass Co.

I was really impressed by this company at Green Festival DC. They take used wine bottle, cut them in half, and then turn the bottom half into a glass (polishing the sharp edges), and turn the top half into a wine glass (heating the neck and stretching into a stem).

I can't imagine many things more satisfying then drinking from an attractive glass that is 100% re-used material. We haven't order glasses yet as they are currently a bit spendy at ~$30 for four glasses (hopefully they will become more reasonable as sales pick up).

Check out their products at the Green Glass Co. website. With the holiday season upon us, this would make a great gift for your sustainability oriented friends!

Right Brain vs. Left Brain

I found this quite interesting. The article states that most of us would see the dancer turning counter-clockwise, however I could initially only see her turning clockwise. After a bit of staring I was able to flip the rotation. Check it out and let me know which way she turns for you, and whether you can flip directions!

clipped from http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22556281-661,00.html THE Right Brain vs Left Brain test ... do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise? If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa. Most of us would see the dancer turning anti-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it. LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses logic detail oriented facts rule words and language present and past math and science can comprehend knowing acknowledges order/pattern perception knows object name reality based forms strategies practical safe RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses feeling "big picture" oriented imagination rules symbols and images present and future philosophy & religion can "get it" (i.e. meaning) believes appreciates spatial perception knows object function fantasy based presents possibilities impetuous risk taking

Invest in Change

What if I told you that you could change the world for the better and make a tidy profit doing it? Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, there is a big groundswell of interest these days in SRI (socially responsible investing). I realize this is counterculture to many progressives concerned about poverty, social justice, and the environment. We are far more comfortable boycotting Walmart and volunteering at soup kitchens then engaging the stock market!

However, the practical reality at the end of the day is that as long as unjust and environmentally unfriendly practices are profitable, they will be very difficult to defeat. We can use the power to withold our dollar from unethical businesses, but we can also award our investment dollars to those companies that are involved in sustainable, eco-friendly, socially ethical business. Indeed, with current trends in organic foods, fair trade, green energy, and the like, there is a great profit potential for investors who support this growing movement.

Now I realize that many activists do not have money in a private stock account. However, I would guess that most of us have money in either an IRA or a 401(k). Depending on your plan you may have the ability to purchase individual stocks or mutual funds that support green or SRI causes. If you are restricted in your investments (as many 401(k)'s are), you may want to consider rolling over your retirement funds to a private IRA account (no penalties incurred), so that you can have greater flexibility in your investments.

There are lots of resources out there to get you started. Here is a list that I have found useful.

http://sustainablebusiness.com/
http://www.calvert.com/
http://www.socialfunds.com/
http://www.domini.com/
http://www.paxworld.com/
http://www.socialinvest.org/
http://www.altenergystocks.com/


These sites offer information on SRI and Green investing, as well as reports on specific stocks and mutual funds of interest. You can order a free guide to SRI investments, I haven't received mine yet but it looks like it will be very useful. If you are someone who finds researching stocks as interesting as watching paint peel, a solid place to start is the Winslow Green Growth Fund (WGGFX).