Diamond-Cut Life » global warming and climate change

Rich Half, Poor Half

Alison — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:29:17 +0000

I was stretching on the floor of our bedroom the other night – one of my many efforts at stress reduction — when my husband Thor offered me a new factoid from the wonky British newsmagazine The Economist. (Incredibly, Thor reads this material for relaxation.) I learned that the poorest half of the world creates only [...]Similar Posts:

How Open To Change Are You?

Alison — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 15:38:04 +0000

Have you or someone you love been affected by Irene, the storm flooding New York City that prompted the almost unthinkable closure of

Irene, by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

[/caption] its massive transit system? How about the record-breaking triple-digit temperatures that the Midwest and East have suffered this summer? Or one of the floods, [...]Similar Posts:

The Best Advice For College Graduates

Alison — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:34:15 +0000

What is the most meaningful work you have ever done? How happy did it make you — both then, and now, thinking back on it? Was it the work you had originally planned on doing? New York Times writer David Brooks points out in his excellent editorial today that some bad advice is being given to [...]Similar Posts:

More Important Than Osama bin Laden

Alison — Tue, 03 May 2011 14:42:35 +0000

While it might appear our nation is celebrating Osama bin Laden Week (as in our military having killed him), May 1-7 is actually National Drinking Water Week. Speaking for myself only, I have not walked around feeling tormented for the past decade by our failure to find Osama bin Laden, as one New York Times writer [...]Similar Posts:

Making Peace With Not Pleasing Everyone

Alison — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 16:39:24 +0000

“I am communicating with a certain number of people, and if my music is too dark or in your face for some, or not glossy enough for mass appeal, I’m glad.” That’s a quote from Richard Thompson, one of my favorite musical artists. Substitute the word ‘writing’ for ‘music’, and I feel I could say the [...]Similar Posts:

Is Zhang Yue A Diamond-Cut Businessman?

Alison — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:56:17 +0000

I learned awhile back that China passed the U.S. as the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases.* What’s more interesting, though, is that Zhang Yue, one of China’s wealthiest businesspeople, has been slashing his own emissions as he conducts his business. Not because any regulations are making him do it. In fact, Mr. Yue has rebuked [...]Similar Posts:

How To Hold Greenwashers Accountable?

Alison — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:00:46 +0000

This guest post offers a refreshing, tech-savvy counterbalance to my usual low-tech approach to sustainability. I agree with author Hunter Richards that we need a system for measurably holding businesses accountable when they claim to be green, eco-friendly, or to be reducing carbon emissions. Hunter blogs at Software Advice. ____________________________________________________________________________ Greenwash (verb, \ˈgrēn-wȯsh\) – to market [...]Similar Posts:

High Happiness, Low Carbon Footprint

Alison — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:52:31 +0000

I am flawed in oh so many ways. I am impatient, intense, I don’t write to my invalid mother as frequently as I should, and while I no longer binge on Haagen Dazs ice cream, my sweet tooth is such that my husband terms my coffee a vehicle for sugar. In my favor, though, I am [...]Similar Posts:

My New Approach To Climate Change

Alison — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:33:47 +0000

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has announced there will be no climate change bill this year. Many of us are disappointed, and outrage better describes the reaction of many who’d let themselves hold hope of responsible leadership concerning climate. I just read the Grist article and comments on this topic. I respect those willing to keep [...]Similar Posts:

Back On The Bike

Alison — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:56:25 +0000

I’m sipping coffee at Seven Virtues* Coffeehouse on NE Glisan and 60th here in Portland, Oregon. Neil Young’s plaintive song Sugar Mountain is playing on the sound system. I suspect he’s referring to how I drink my coffee. I’m Seven Virtues’ first customer, having bicycled briskly over in the sharply slanted light of early morning. I [...]Similar Posts: