Yesterday I posted this joke: Q: What’s the difference between a developer and an environmentalist? A: A developer is someone who wants to build a cabin in the woods; an environmentalist is someone who already has one. What struck me about it was the truth in it, a truth we need to be aware of. […]
Consumerism and Materialism
Are we heading towards a different/better/worse world?
Tonight I was on a panel with the author and social critic James Howard Kunstler, of whom many of you have probably heard (The Long Emergency and Geography of Nowhere, among many others). Kunstler writes and talks about many things, including the post peak oil world. (For those of you who don’t know about, its […]
Meet real needs, make sustainable products
Here’s a question: if the need for a product has to be created by the manufacturer, if aggressive marketing is required to convince people to buy the product, can the product, no matter how renewable its materials, really be called sustainable? Because isn’t using resources to make things we don’t even need the definition of […]
From work and spend to work and, well, more work
This little essay is a work in progress. It may is a little rough, but I’m letting you have it all the same. I guess, when it comes down to it, what I’m trying to say is that the cost of living and leisure time rewards of environmental living are harder to reap if you […]
LV GRN: Slimy pets to eat your garbage and entertain your kids
Some of you will have seen this before, but for the newcomers in the crowd… When I first told my wife Michelle I was going to keep worms in a bin to turn our food scraps from garbage into compost, she said no way. She was like “Worms in my kitchen? Forget it.” But guess what? We have […]
How to live a $4 a gallon lifestyle in the coming $5 a gallon world
First, a bit of business. I wanted to let those of you who subscribe to the blog by email or RSS reader know that we have a very active and interesting commenting community. You may want to come have a look, either to leave comments of your own or simply to read the informative comments […]
Reusable containers and the two-way customer relationship
The way I see it, reusable containers have the tremendous potential for helping companies develop a two-way relationship with customers. Like Ronnybrook Farm, where I get milk. I buy from them because they’re local and because they use returnable bottles. A quart of milk from them is $3.25 including a $1 deposit. You go back […]
Urban rooftop farming will save the world
I dedicate this post to the staff of Just Food, an excellent organization that works to ensure the availability of fresh food in all New York neighborhoods by supporting community gardening and forging connections between communities and local farmers. Read about Just Food here, but more importantly, throw money at them here. I am proud […]