Bill K:
The idea that sustainable technologies and sustainable lifeways are the
exclusive domain of the American Green Party is ludicrous. We have been
moving in
that direction with Two Party domination in the last half century in this
country long before there was an active US Green Party;
<<<<<
Gary H:
The Republicratic duopoly has not been moving us toward sustainability at
all -- quite to the contrary. At national and local levels the two parties
pursue public policy which exhausts resources, pollutes, and causes
geopolitical strife on a global scale. I'll post reference links to a
couple of articles and books at the end of this post, but imagine two models
for Minneapolis as an energyscape....
Unsustainable (current) Minneapolis model -- extends extractive tentacles
out to siphon energy from:
* Manitoba Hydro (see Green Green Water)
*from Canada's natural gas supply (of which the US already uses half, and
which the Canadians need more of for processing "tar sands" among other
things)
*from Nigeria ( military funded by big oil; conveniently butchers poor
people who are in the way)
*from the Middle East (USA subverted democracy in Iran, supported Saddam
Hussein, Saudi royal family, and so on...)
*from the Gulf of Mexico (petrochemical industry dredging created
environmental degradation of marshland which formed a natural storm barrier
along the southern shore of Louisiana; intense hurricanes will lower
energy/economic return on investment)
*from many other places at great environmental, economic, and geopolitical
costs...
Sustainable (Potential) model: Minneapolis works to harvest solar and wind
energy in the bioregion, adding more sustainable energy harvesting methods
as they are developed. We "powerdown" to live largely within a bioregional
energy budget.
Urgency for change: there are a number of books, articles, and websites
people can check to better understand why it is urgent that we change to a
sustainable model. Check this Seattle Times article:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002542956_oilwoes06e.html
It will take months to recover from this year's hurricane season so
far....check out the "shut in" stats. Will next year's season do any
damage? How does that affect our energy/dollar returns on energy and
dollars invested in such extraction...? Is there a better way?
http://www.mms.gov/
Two good websites to explore are:
http://www.theoildrum.com/
http://www.communitysolution.org/
The best books I've found relating to the urgency of the need for change so
far are Richard Heinberg's "Powerdown," Matt Simmon's "Twilight in the
Desert," Michael Klare's "Blood and Oil," and Kunstler's "The Long
Emergency." You can google for the homepages of the authors or find them at
bookstores or libraries.
The above works relate to energy issues alone. Others relate more fully to
sobering implications for food production and distribution and also to
concerns related to pollution.
Fuel for thought: "The aspects of things that are most important for us are
hidden because if their simplicity and familiarity....--and this means: we
fail to be struck by what, once seen, is most striking and most powerful."
(Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, #129)
-- still pedaling for peace and ecojustice from Lynnhurst -- Gary Hoover
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