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I remember reading a book by British energy person on renewables who talked about importance of 'order of magnitude' calculations and how switching off cell pho

by enugu 10y ago

I remember reading a book by British energy person on renewables who talked about importance of 'order of magnitude' calculations and how switching off cell phone chargers is not the way to campaign for energy savings. So, yes getting past the plastic problem is super important. But our solution has to match the scope of the problem. Personal responsibility, reducing consumption is good, but that shouldnt come in the way of thinking in terms of systems. Typically, the conversation moves away from a focus on the issue to an evaluation of ourselves and others. Some countries have packaging free supermarkets. There are biodegradable alternatives to plastics which keep being proposed but havent become popular for whatever reason. Discussing that would be a good place to start. Funding research or entreprenurship would be a great approach.

rtpg 10y ago
the power of the personal responsibility reasoning is that it's viral in two directions, and lays the infrastructure for executing on the results of systemic thinking. It makes you think more broadly about how your lifestyle is contributing to waste (so, you start thinking not just about bottles but about your car). So now you're considering more things. It also can affect people around you who see you making these decisions. You buy an electric car because "hey I rarely drive more than 50 miles", and more people will think about it. You get tap water, etc. The problem with systemic thinking is that the process usually starts with "how do we continue the same lifestyle we have". Real gains come from changing how we live our life, and that requires convincing people. For example, talking about how higher density housing allowing for less car usage first requires convincing people around us to accept higher density housing. Packaging-free supermarkets do not work in a universe where people don't care about their personal contribution to pollution, especially given that the packaging-free places are more expensive.
spodek 10y ago
The book is Sustainable Energy Without The Hot Air, a free download from http://withouthotair.com http://withouthotair.com. An excellent resource. I agree with avoiding packaging and more. Since I started avoiding food with packaging, I've reduced my landfill garbage to having to empty my household garbage two or three times per year. With an increase in deliciousness, convenience, and saving money. Here are a couple posts on it, for those interested: http://joshuaspodek.com/avoiding-food-packaging http://joshuaspodek.com/avoiding-food-packaging http://joshuaspodek.com/want-run-leaner-waste-less-literally-produce-less-waste http://joshuaspodek.com/want-run-leaner-waste-less-literally... These small practices contributed to a bigger practice of not flying for a year (and counting): https://www.inc.com/joshua-spodek/365-days-without-flying.html https://www.inc.com/joshua-spodek/365-days-without-flying.ht... so discovering the joys and rewards of consuming less have compounded, at least in my experience. I'm also teaching a course in systems thinking, always seeking ways to apply more.

by enugu 10y ago

rtpg 10y ago

the power of the personal responsibility reasoning is that it's viral in two directions, and lays the infrastructure for executing on the results of systemic thinking. It makes you think more broadly about how your lifestyle is contributing to waste (so, you start thinking not just about bottles but about your car). So now you're considering more things. It also can affect people around you who see you making these decisions. You buy an electric car because "hey I rarely drive more than 50 miles", and more people will think about it. You get tap water, etc. The problem with systemic thinking is that the process usually starts with "how do we continue the same lifestyle we have". Real gains come from changing how we live our life, and that requires convincing people. For example, talking about how higher density housing allowing for less car usage first requires convincing people around us to accept higher density housing. Packaging-free supermarkets do not work in a universe where people don't care about their personal contribution to pollution, especially given that the packaging-free places are more expensive.

spodek 10y ago

The book is Sustainable Energy Without The Hot Air, a free download from http://withouthotair.com http://withouthotair.com. An excellent resource. I agree with avoiding packaging and more. Since I started avoiding food with packaging, I've reduced my landfill garbage to having to empty my household garbage two or three times per year. With an increase in deliciousness, convenience, and saving money. Here are a couple posts on it, for those interested: http://joshuaspodek.com/avoiding-food-packaging http://joshuaspodek.com/avoiding-food-packaging http://joshuaspodek.com/want-run-leaner-waste-less-literally-produce-less-waste http://joshuaspodek.com/want-run-leaner-waste-less-literally... These small practices contributed to a bigger practice of not flying for a year (and counting): https://www.inc.com/joshua-spodek/365-days-without-flying.html https://www.inc.com/joshua-spodek/365-days-without-flying.ht... so discovering the joys and rewards of consuming less have compounded, at least in my experience. I'm also teaching a course in systems thinking, always seeking ways to apply more.