2008 February

Entries from February 29th, 2008

Unclothing The Horse and Juliet Schorr

February 29th, 2008 · No Comments · simplicity, sustainability

My husband Thor and I went to the Illahee lecture last night here in Portland. Juliet Schor spoke, a sociologist and economist from Harvard University. She was excellent, and one of the most salient takeaways for me was on clothes. (It’s only fair to report Thor has sometimes termed me ‘a bit of a clothes horse’.)

Ms. Schor reported that in 1991 we in the U.S. bought an average of 34

Biodiesel, Carpooling and Happiness

February 28th, 2008 · 1 Comment · sustainability

In my ongoing quest for the diamond-cut life of happiness without excess consumption, I notice a couple of things.

Many non-mainstream choices I make, like carpooling, increase my happiness. (This gang of public-interest attorneys I’ve gotten mixed up with is turning out to be a hoot. So-o-o-o much more fun than driving alone.) Other choices my household makes, like heating our house with biodiesel, has a fairly neutral daily impact on

The Real Cost Of Gas: $15/gallon

February 27th, 2008 · 2 Comments · sustainability

Last night my friend Jean gave me the first chapter of Lester Brown’s book Plan B to read. Whoa.

I learned that when the International Center For Technology Assessment studied the entire cost of the gas in our cars, including the military costs of protecting access to Mideast oil and the health care costs of treating illnesses created by air pollution, what our country is really paying for gas is not

No Country For Life-Giving Movies

February 25th, 2008 · 1 Comment · sustainability

Just a brief comment before I head off to meet my carpool: In my view, No Country For Old Men, which just won the Oscar for best movie, is a death-dealing film, however strong its technical merits. Juno, in contrast is a life-giving and excellent film that I think should have won the award.

I can’t help noticing that the violent movies are mostly crafted by men while the life-giving stories

Nader In The Race: Firebrand Or Fussbudget?

February 24th, 2008 · 1 Comment · sustainability

So Ralph Nader has thrown his hat in the ring, i.e. the presidential race. My question is whether that hat can ignite a fire under the feet of the other candidates to seriously consider a national carbon tax.

While Nader supports a carbon tax, the viable candidates do not. Rather, they have irresponsibly not taken global warming seriously. If there’s a more effective method than a carbon tax to

Diamond-Cut Life

Sustainable Living: More Joy And Less Consumption

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