Physical scientists are not prepared to deal with this, because there is more to this than spiritual and cultural transformation. There is social, and economic, and institutional changes that will address these threats. And social scientists do know how to do that.
Wondering what climate change will mean to you? Wondering if you will survive it, and how you can be prepared? We are too. Join the adventure to explore impacts, strategies and life hacks to make the inevitable a bit more hospitable. Productive comments and inputs always welcome.
Showing posts with label want vs need. Show all posts
Showing posts with label want vs need. Show all posts
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Know where our food comes from
All too often we forget to think about where our food comes from.
OKay, sure, it comes from the grocery store. Need food? Go to Kroger, Public, Aldi, whatever. Buy food. Now we know where it comes from. What's the big deal?
Fine, go to McDonald's, Burger King, Barbaritoes, call Papa John's. Problem solved. Right?
Nope.
So what do we mean "Know where our food comes from?"
Well, before it was at Kroger, before it was at Papa John's, where did it originate?
(No, not the central distribution warehouse, ORIGINALLY)
Let's take what the average person in the US (me at this point) has for breakfast:
Oatmeal likely is grown in the Minnesota, South Dakota, or Wisconsin. Soy milk, made from soy beans likely grown in Illinois or Iowa. Walnuts from California. Maple syrup from Canada. Orange juice from Florida, bananas from Costa Rica, cream from a dairy probably within the southeastern regional for my coffee from Tanzania (that's in east Africa).
And that's just breakfast.
Adapting to climate change means adapting to shifts in local climates, it means adapting to shifts in climates EVERYWHERE. A drought or a hail storm in the midwest, a cat 5 hurricane in Florida, invasive species in costa rica, or God forbid any thing in Tanzania, and my breakfast changes.
I can substitute some items for others, but if these areas are impacted, likely others will be too. And probably not in a good way.
100 years ago breakfast would have been from much more local sources. If major shifts in climate happen quickly, it might have to again. Local eggs, fried sweet potatoes, chicory coffee... Not too bad.
But am I ready for that?
Probably, except for the coffee.
And that will be a serious crisis.
All information on crop sources from:
US Dept. of Agriculture: http://www.usda.gov/nass/PUBS/TODAYRPT/cropan15.pdf
Thursday, February 11, 2016
#2 What do you REALLY need?
Simple living, Kyrgyzstan style |
Humans like stuff.
We like a lot of stuff.
We currently live in a world when the person who has the most stuff when he dies - wins.
And the funny thing is, we can't take it with us when we die.
But really we spend a fortune to put our stuff someplace else. It has been said that in America self storage rentals make more money than Hollywood. We spend a fortune to keep stuff we don't want in a place we don't want to go.
And what do we do when we need a boost? When we want to show someone we care? When we are bored, or something breaks and we don't want to fix it. We go shopping. To buy more stuff. Stuff we don't need, probably don't really want, and will probably put away where we don't use it or see it in a short period of time.
There is a sweet irony that best selling books instruct us to get rid of our stuff. We buy them with the best intentions, we may even read them, and possibly even let go of some of our stuff.
Yet we accumulate more stuff once we clear out stuff.
There are all sorts of reasons for our attachment to our stuff, but when it comes down to it, what do we actually need?
I travel a lot for work. I go long distances, through multiple airports. I have to look like a grown-up within hours of arrival. I can't afford to lose my luggage, So I travel with carry-on luggage only. I can live for 6 weeks from when I can get in my carry-on bag because I have gotten VERY GOOD at deciding what I need.
Not what I want, what I need.
And need is the key term here.
Multi-purpose items, simple color coordinates, more with less.
The funny thing is, until about 100 years ago most of us, most humans on the planet across all of human history lived with less stuff for a lifetime than I carry in my small suitcase for 6 weeks of urban camping.
Our ancestors could carry their material possessions because they knew what the needed. Sure some very wealthy folks had more than they could carry and had others to carry it for them. The significant majority of humans could carry their own stuff, long distances if needed, on foot, by themselves. (And without a rolling suit case!)
Mass consumption, the industrial revolution, the rise of cheap-throw-away goods, has led us to amass huge quantities of stuff. And when we clean it ends up in landfills.
It's not good for the planet. It's not going to make it easier to adapt to climate change.
When it comes down to it, we need to think about what we need.
And we need to let go of the rest and share what we have with those who really do need it.
And I swear, really soon I'll get that storage unit cleared out!!
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