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Matthew Owen: Failure Is Indeed An Option



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- New mamacat See Profile I'm a Fan of mamacat permalink

I think it does no harm to fix the small things, as long as doing so does not draw attention away from fixing the large problems.

As long as we (the human race) are building new coal-fired power plants at the rate of one per week, or more then we are still on the path of self-destruction. If enough people flip a switch to save power, we may be able to slow the rate of our own end infinitesimally, but the end result will be the same.

We are closing in on the waterfall, and buying a few more seconds before we go flying over it will not change the mess when we hit bottom.

    Reply    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:29 AM on 01/09/2009
- tilted_windmill See Profile I'm a Fan of tilted_windmill permalink

This is a great way to think about making improvements. We don't have to do all or nothing, just use or do a bit less.

I like to use a bit less lighting. My house has a bathroom with a window and one without a window. During the day I prefer to use the one with natural light. I've also installed dimmers on the lights in both rooms. At night, I only turn up the light as much as I need it. Halfway up is usually enough light in the evening. In the middle of the night, you don't need or usually want much light at all. If I need to read a medicine bottle, I turn up the light a little more. The only time I need to use all the light is when I'm in the shower or applying make up.

    Reply    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:32 PM on 01/08/2009
- publicaffairsjunkie See Profile I'm a Fan of publicaffairsjunkie permalink

This article makes a lot of sense to me. In this age of extremes, people tend to adopt the opinion that true environmentalism can only be executed authentically by hemp-shoe wearing Vermontians who defacate together in a bucket full of sawdust. I truly respect ultra-eco types, but small changes can equal big changes when implemented by the masses. The suggestions in this article are great. I'm a big believer in the first step of any life change being adopted "when available." For example, since vegetarianism is inarguably more eco-friendly than a meat-containing diet, another suggestion that I would have is for folks to choose a vegetarian food option when available. Don't go vegetarian cold turkey, don't overtax yourselves lazy americans!! If you're out to eat and you're deciding between a delicious truffle risotto and a steak, but they're both equally attractive to you, choose the one that doesn't contain meat. All other things being equal, if each of us simply chose a more eco-friendly option when it is available, we'd rock the casbah and help then environment in ways that don't even constitute a mild inconvenience.

    Reply    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:45 PM on 01/08/2009
- Jude2004 See Profile I'm a Fan of Jude2004 permalink

When I started using Delicious to tag websites, I drastically cut the amount of paper I use each year. I used to purchase a case each year for home use; now a case lasts about 3 years. I have over 6,000 websites tagged and annotated.

    Reply    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:29 PM on 01/08/2009

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