I had planned to write about eco-building this week, as there is so much exciting stuff going on in that field at the moment but in the process of doing that I realised there is a wider more important point to be made. Being green is about daring to dream, getting in touch with your creativity and getting on with it.
Too many of us are waiting for government or business to tell us what to do, in terms energy, climate change, sustainability… talks in Bali, will the Americans agree to carbon cuts?, what levels of CO2 emission can we sustain?
A lot of the debate currently seems to be born out of fear of possible consequences if we don't do something or denial of need to do anything – its a bit of a log jam isn't it?
I have this terrible feeling there will be the same circular debate and mud slinging going on as the ice caps melt… the way I see it is this… its actually simple… evolve or die out… the stone age didn't end because we ran out of stones, we simply developed better technologies.
I have this terrible feeling there will be the same circular debate and mud slinging going on as the ice caps melt… the way I see it is this… its actually simple… evolve or die out… the stone age didn't end because we ran out of stones, we simply developed better technologies.
There is also a real fear in some camps that a green world will be either some sort of Stalinist nightmare or a limp bleeding heart liberal fudge… but whatever you may fear surely it cant be wrong to aspire to better things, namely: renewable non-destructive technologies exploiting solar and tidal power, in all their forms coupled with a slightly modified set of social aspirations imbued with a little more eco-responsibility and a tad less arrogance.
As for the business as usual/its not happening people, all I can say is choosing to ignore the writing on the wall doesn’t make you right, just ill-informed. Even if you don't 'get' climate change, try reading oil-industry geologist, J Leggett's 'Half Gone' and come and tell us we are not wise to be thinking beyond oil. Go on I dare you!
I know the answer, the critical resource we all need for survival, to rise to the challenges of resource depletion, climate change and all… Imagination, simply that. Dare to think big, think new, get creative, dare to dream… This is the environment age and it is a challenge and an opportunity to move forward and come up with something better… Let's see it as such and get on with it.
This is the free country, there is no one stopping us from being as green as we want to be already. I am not waiting for government to tell me what to do, I am listening but I have been doing what feels right and sensible already for ages; for me this has meant getting involved in housing co-ops, sustainable business development, sharing resources, energy efficiency, growing food, promoting local economy, fair trade, conservation work, permaculture, transition towns etc… No one has got 'the' answer because there is no single answer but we can all contribute to solving this. Its neither sinister, communist or scary, being green is endless creative fun! Come on, the water's lovely once you're in.
As for green buildings, well its back to pure creativity, we don't have to live in badly insulated, non sustainable, very expensive cement boxes if we don't want to. Here's two eco buildings, one earth sheltered, made from wood, mud and turf and one made from the rammed chalk bed rock it is built on. Come on people get creative… find your own solutions!
As for the business as usual/its not happening people, all I can say is choosing to ignore the writing on the wall doesn’t make you right, just ill-informed. Even if you don't 'get' climate change, try reading oil-industry geologist, J Leggett's 'Half Gone' and come and tell us we are not wise to be thinking beyond oil. Go on I dare you!
I know the answer, the critical resource we all need for survival, to rise to the challenges of resource depletion, climate change and all… Imagination, simply that. Dare to think big, think new, get creative, dare to dream… This is the environment age and it is a challenge and an opportunity to move forward and come up with something better… Let's see it as such and get on with it.
This is the free country, there is no one stopping us from being as green as we want to be already. I am not waiting for government to tell me what to do, I am listening but I have been doing what feels right and sensible already for ages; for me this has meant getting involved in housing co-ops, sustainable business development, sharing resources, energy efficiency, growing food, promoting local economy, fair trade, conservation work, permaculture, transition towns etc… No one has got 'the' answer because there is no single answer but we can all contribute to solving this. Its neither sinister, communist or scary, being green is endless creative fun! Come on, the water's lovely once you're in.
As for green buildings, well its back to pure creativity, we don't have to live in badly insulated, non sustainable, very expensive cement boxes if we don't want to. Here's two eco buildings, one earth sheltered, made from wood, mud and turf and one made from the rammed chalk bed rock it is built on. Come on people get creative… find your own solutions!
