Think of something you do that pollutes, but you do it anyway. You’ve justified why it’s okay. You’re balancing you desire to do good or whatever on one side with something on the other. Actually, think of all the things you do that pollute, if you can. You’ve justified all of them. At least you do in the moment you do them. Maybe you fly to visit relatives, buy takeout,[…] Keep reading →

My proposal and rationale for the next amendment for the United States Constitution. It will sound crazy, impossible, and too hard at first, as it did with me. But the more you consider it, the more the objections will fade. It is the right tool for the right job. Nothing else is. I’ll write more about it later. For now, just the audio.

What happens to a culture that doesn’t live by its values? It twists itself up, trying to rationalize what it considers wrong yet still does. In the case of slavery or denying women the right to vote, it creates stories that people who are equal really aren’t. Quoting the historian and former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Eric Williams, Slavery was not born of racism: rather, racism was the[…] Keep reading →

Yes, I shifted my lifestyle a bit and did things not everyone can, but for the overwhelming majority of people living in cities and rich cultures minor compared to that I’m not living in the woods or separate from society. I lived in Manhattan, maintained a professional lifestyle and used zero electricity from the grid to my apartment for a month with minimal planning and only a portable solar panel[…] Keep reading →

People struggle to understand that unintended side effects that can become the major effects in systems. In particular, making elements of a polluting system like our economic system more efficient may lower pollution locally, but if you make a polluting system more efficient, you pollute more efficiently. I’m exploring a new way to explain it. Sorry if talking about child abuse is difficult for you, but polluting the environment hurts[…] Keep reading →

A friend emailed to respond to yesterday’s post After the Pride and Queer Liberation Marches 2022: Washington Square Park wrecked again. I could cry to say “I have to admit I can’t even get myself to watch the videos, the images are truly horrifying! I don’t know what to say…” I responded with a sentiment I’ve posted to this blog before, but I think it bears repeating. Leading in unknown[…] Keep reading →

I’m in the middle of trying my first month disconnected from the electric grid. I started that month on May 22, so it only half affected my most recent bill: May 6 to June 7. Sixty-two cents plus fixed charges: My average so far this year: 11.8 kWh per month ($1.162 per month + fixed costs)