Finally got to see some of Alaska a few months ago. Went to Juneau and linked up with a friend of a friend who arranged an afternoon hop to one of the larger islands in the area. Less than 20 minutes from the Juneau airport, we were stepping off the 10-seater plane at Hoonah on Chichagot Island. The plane carries people to and from work, the mail, tourists, and anything else you can imagine. This is THE way one commutes around here.
I'm all for Proposition 37. It will require some foods to be labeled if they contain genetically modified material. We need to know what we are putting into our bodies. That should not be up to companies like Monsanto to decide. As it is, such companies got this stuff out into the food chain with no clearance from anyone. Our government was all "uh.... well... OK... since we're already stuck with it, we'll allow it to continue.....". Hello??? Just because someone thought this up and then created it in the lab does not automatically mean we should just accept it, no questions asked!
As I look around, I see so much waste. People read about the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) but not many seem to do much about it. Even though it is mentioned in TV, advertised on the internet, bill boards, etc., the majority of people don't really seem to comprehend the fact that we live in a finite world and it will not be so long before we run out of resources. When we say "not be so long", I believe people shrug their shoulders, generally thinking some decades off in the future so there is plenty of time to handle problems later.
Attended the "Water Showcase" recently, hosted by PG&E in San Francisco. Quite the popular event as there was a good line of people waiting to get in before they opened the doors.
There were lots of exhibitors, showing how their wares would help save water or make watering your landscape easier or how solar heating of water can be setup. And the presentations were also well attended.
Why do we have lawns? In much of the USA, it is expected that homes shall be landscaped with lawns in front and back. The idea of lawns seems to come from royal estates in Europe that had the money and manpower and acreage to contain large expanses of manicured grass. It was a place to relax or sometimes march army squads for review and inspection or maybe it was a hunting green or play area. Large lawn space also became popular as common grounds for other formal and informal gatherings; to have political discourse or hear music or enjoy picnics.
When I was growing up, it seemed like the weather was usually pretty predictable; rain would start coming in late September or in October, then be off an on until April. It would fill the reservoirs in the area and leave plenty of snow pack in the Sierras. The spring and fall would be mild with warm to hot days in the summer. What I really liked in the summer was the morning fog that had been pulled in from the ocean by the heat of the previous day. That heat was usually farther inland so that our farm was right in between the breezy coastline and the hot inner valle
I just attended a one day class regarding zero net energy. Turns out there are at least four ways to define this. It can be as simple as getting your power bill to zero by feeding in enough on-site-produced energy to zero out what you use from the grid. OR you can be zero net energy if your produce enough on-site energy to cover the amount of fuel it actually takes to produce the off-site energy you use.
"...the New York Times reported a disheartening story about two of the largest retail chains." "... Wal-Mart has been throwing them (unsold clothing) out in giant trash bags. And in the case that someone may stumble on these bags and try to keep or re-sell the items, these companies have gone ahead and slashed up garments, cut off the sleeves of coats, and sliced holes in shoes so they are unwearable."
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/h-m-and-wal-mart-destroy-and-trash...
So.... remember the slogans 'a chicken in every pot', 'a car in every backyard'? Well, why not "solar panels on every roof"???? Obviously in real life, these may not be possible for EVERY situation. But why not strive for such regarding solar panels? Why not require it for every roof of either homes or businesses where it is feasible to produce electricity and hot water?
