Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Amazing BBC interview with Julian Assange
Assange was upset that the Swedish Govt leaked details of his case - love it! Great probing questions; more at bbcworldservice.co.uk
Monday, September 27, 2010
The argument against recycling
Whenever I read reports about how the number of people recycling has increased or how much more of our garbage is being recycled, my initial reaction used to be wow, that's great. If you think about it, though, how efficient is recycling?
First, it has to be collected from our homes, which is generally done by large trucks which crawl from house to house using up fuel. Then it's taken to a central facility (using more fuel) to be sorted.
More and more communities are using what's called single stream recycling which means that everything is in the same blue bin, as opposed to separating paper products from plastic and glass.
The argument for single stream is that more people will recycle because it's less effort to do so. Eco-Cycle calls it "the future for responsible resource conservation". The argument against single stream is now there's more work to be done at the sorting facility, which costs more in terms of equipment, labor and space.
Then there is the question of how much "junk" goes into recycling bins that then has to be discarded and carted away from the sorting facility, and the fact that apart from soda cans most items aren't worth much.
When you add up the sorting equipment, the trucks, real estate, fuel and labor costs many are questioning the net benefits of recycling, such as this article last week in the Boston Globe.
Most of what we read in the media has been about the costs of not recycling; I think we need discussion around the costs of recycling. It's easy for all of us to sit back and feel complacent about how much we're recycling.
That kind of complacency is not productive and allows us to conveniently ignore what the poor have long known: reduce and reuse is better than recycling.
First, it has to be collected from our homes, which is generally done by large trucks which crawl from house to house using up fuel. Then it's taken to a central facility (using more fuel) to be sorted.
More and more communities are using what's called single stream recycling which means that everything is in the same blue bin, as opposed to separating paper products from plastic and glass.
The argument for single stream is that more people will recycle because it's less effort to do so. Eco-Cycle calls it "the future for responsible resource conservation". The argument against single stream is now there's more work to be done at the sorting facility, which costs more in terms of equipment, labor and space.
Then there is the question of how much "junk" goes into recycling bins that then has to be discarded and carted away from the sorting facility, and the fact that apart from soda cans most items aren't worth much.
When you add up the sorting equipment, the trucks, real estate, fuel and labor costs many are questioning the net benefits of recycling, such as this article last week in the Boston Globe.
Most of what we read in the media has been about the costs of not recycling; I think we need discussion around the costs of recycling. It's easy for all of us to sit back and feel complacent about how much we're recycling.
That kind of complacency is not productive and allows us to conveniently ignore what the poor have long known: reduce and reuse is better than recycling.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Books I'm Reading
The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin, The Genius in All of Us, David Shenk, How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids will Talk, Faber and Mazlish
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Top Organic Candidates
For most of us, it's not practical to buy everything organic. That's why this list, that I gleaned from Renee Loux' book Easy Green Living, is very helpful. She lists what foods tend to be most loaded with pesticides and chemicals, so you can make informed decisions:
1. Meat and Poultry
2. Butter, Milk and Cheese
3. Strawberries, Raspberries and Cherries
4. Apples and Pears
5. Tomatoes
6. Potatoes
7. Spinach and other Greens, including Lettuce
8. Coffee
9. Peaches and Nectarines
10. Grapes
11. Celery
12. Peppers
1. Meat and Poultry
2. Butter, Milk and Cheese
3. Strawberries, Raspberries and Cherries
4. Apples and Pears
5. Tomatoes
6. Potatoes
7. Spinach and other Greens, including Lettuce
8. Coffee
9. Peaches and Nectarines
10. Grapes
11. Celery
12. Peppers
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Who gets to heaven first?
Growing up in India, I remember this song we used to sing. It went something like this: if you get to heaven before me, keep the door open for me. If I get to heaven before you, "I'll close that door, and to hell with you!"
And that's what any discussion of what needs to be done on global warming invariably reminds me of. The West, having for decades plundered the earth, now, having achieved their prosperity, wants the East to "learn from our mistakes" and make choices that may be the best long-term approach, but cost a lot of money, far more than these economies can afford, given the other, more pressing issues they have to deal with.
The data on how much garbage the West generates, especially the US and Canada, compared to less developed economies is astounding. It's an order of magnitude difference. Yet ask any American (or Canadian) to take the train to work instead of driving in, alone, every day, 10 times a week, and see the uproar you'll get. Driving is an American right, so we say. Raise the price of gas and you might even get us to put down the remote control long enough to email our senators!
Yes, we've now recycle a lot of what we consume, but the (main) problem is the amount we consume. Consumption in countries like India is far lower and reusing things (as opposed to recycling) is a way of life for most.
This was in response to this article http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2009/10/india-stands-lose-most-copenhagen
And that's what any discussion of what needs to be done on global warming invariably reminds me of. The West, having for decades plundered the earth, now, having achieved their prosperity, wants the East to "learn from our mistakes" and make choices that may be the best long-term approach, but cost a lot of money, far more than these economies can afford, given the other, more pressing issues they have to deal with.
The data on how much garbage the West generates, especially the US and Canada, compared to less developed economies is astounding. It's an order of magnitude difference. Yet ask any American (or Canadian) to take the train to work instead of driving in, alone, every day, 10 times a week, and see the uproar you'll get. Driving is an American right, so we say. Raise the price of gas and you might even get us to put down the remote control long enough to email our senators!
Yes, we've now recycle a lot of what we consume, but the (main) problem is the amount we consume. Consumption in countries like India is far lower and reusing things (as opposed to recycling) is a way of life for most.
This was in response to this article http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2009/10/india-stands-lose-most-copenhagen
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
You don't have to buy a Prius!
Green/sustainable living are hot topics these days and there's no shortage of resources advising you on the best products to save energy. Almost all of them involve buying something which to me is both typical of our American society - give me a pill to make the pain go away - and ironic because it encourages more consumption.
What seems like a much better way, to me at any rate, is apparently too simplistic or not sexy enough to warrant attention: take public transport to save money, reduce gas consumption, reduce air pollution, increase fitness, reduce health care costs and look better? No way! What I need to do to is to buy something - I have to go out and conquer; I cannot sit at home and reuse what I already have.
Hence the Prius popularity - let me show everyone how concerned I am about the environment by spending a boatload of money, instead of taking some much better, more effective, but less sexy steps. Even Chelsea, the city I live in, has jumped on the Prius brandwagon, for Parking Enforcement in spite of a low tax base and very small size: According to Wikipedia, Chelsea is 2.5 square miles - it would be a lot easier for all concerned if parking was enforced on foot, but no, that's not good enough. We have to buy a Prius and then keep it idling while we go checking cars for resident parking stickers.
Thankfully, I've seen at least Cambridge seems to have some parking enforcement done on foot. The entire Boston area is so small and dense that this could be done in many other areas. And maybe some day we'll see some meaningful steps taken in this direction, apart from playing to the gallery.
What seems like a much better way, to me at any rate, is apparently too simplistic or not sexy enough to warrant attention: take public transport to save money, reduce gas consumption, reduce air pollution, increase fitness, reduce health care costs and look better? No way! What I need to do to is to buy something - I have to go out and conquer; I cannot sit at home and reuse what I already have.
Hence the Prius popularity - let me show everyone how concerned I am about the environment by spending a boatload of money, instead of taking some much better, more effective, but less sexy steps. Even Chelsea, the city I live in, has jumped on the Prius brandwagon, for Parking Enforcement in spite of a low tax base and very small size: According to Wikipedia, Chelsea is 2.5 square miles - it would be a lot easier for all concerned if parking was enforced on foot, but no, that's not good enough. We have to buy a Prius and then keep it idling while we go checking cars for resident parking stickers.
Thankfully, I've seen at least Cambridge seems to have some parking enforcement done on foot. The entire Boston area is so small and dense that this could be done in many other areas. And maybe some day we'll see some meaningful steps taken in this direction, apart from playing to the gallery.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Went to my first meditation class today and I'm sold!
I started going to yoga about 2 years ago and really liked it and have continued to go, though not as often as I'd like, partly because I started mountain biking this year, which ironically makes yoga more beneficial for me!
Anyway, I hope to continue to go regularly. I prefer what I call a more contemplative style and Jesse at Karma Yoga Studio offers a style that he designed called Physio Yoga which draws heavily from the science of physical therapy and is very focused on prevention of injury, which is something I try to do with any sport or activity.
I've always wanted to practice meditation and have done a little bit - very little - and also tried to do it at home which is very challenging for me. Cambridge Insight Meditation Center has a beginner's class every Tuesday and that's where I went this evening.
It was crowded - about maybe 100 people! And I was surprised to see that there were a lot of men there, maybe as much as 50%, and a lot of them were fairly young ie about my age j/k. I plan to go there every Tuesday and maybe I'll see you there one of these days.
Anyway, I hope to continue to go regularly. I prefer what I call a more contemplative style and Jesse at Karma Yoga Studio offers a style that he designed called Physio Yoga which draws heavily from the science of physical therapy and is very focused on prevention of injury, which is something I try to do with any sport or activity.
I've always wanted to practice meditation and have done a little bit - very little - and also tried to do it at home which is very challenging for me. Cambridge Insight Meditation Center has a beginner's class every Tuesday and that's where I went this evening.
It was crowded - about maybe 100 people! And I was surprised to see that there were a lot of men there, maybe as much as 50%, and a lot of them were fairly young ie about my age j/k. I plan to go there every Tuesday and maybe I'll see you there one of these days.
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