<Dialoguing with Dr. Peter Jackson of CERA: Is the Future of Oil Resources Secure?The Oil DrumGazprom is Still At It, Oh Yes They Are (or, "Gas Pressure")>
<DrumBeat: March 3, 2007DrumBeatDrumBeat: March 5, 2007>

201 comments on DrumBeat: March 4, 2007

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

expat on March 4, 2007 - 12:16pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Just came back from spreading some compost around - for around 10 years in this part of Germany, you can either compost your 'bio' (organic/food/otherwise compostable) waste, or have it picked up once every 2 weeks for a fee by the city - quite honestly, I'm not sure how expensive it is. Though it is very likely that most if not all bio waste is burnt as fuel for electricity, the idea of having people compost their own waste for use in their own gardens seems to be a fairly simple one. (Town compost, for example from all the trimmed trees and flower beds, is spread over local farm fields at times, however - nothing like keeping things local to keep them local - something routine here in many things.)

Now consider this - of all the housing built in American suburbs over the last 20 years, how many have home owner associations which explicitly forbid composting? Or drying the wash outside, which we also did today, though that is still technically not allowed around here, as today is a day of rest. A fantastically warm, sunny, perfect for clothes drying day - sometimes, you just risk the wrath of heaven, and enjoy the fresh scent of clean bed sheets.

It isn't a blindfold around American eyes, really, it is something much, much harder to encompass. A willful inability to even grasp reality seems to be a part of it. Without any excuse of tradition, as the charming (or sinister, depending on whether you focus on cathedrals or witch burning) aspect of middle age religosity explains the legally mandated social custom of not hanging laundry out on official church reserved days (and yes, I actually know someone who did received official notification about 7 years ago that she shouldn't do that on Sundays).

If America lived differently, many of it problems would no longer exist, but it seems as if for many Americans, living differently would be un-American.

But the Swiss are already planning for the future - I listened to a good 5 minute report on the radio while driving to work - the Swiss are already planning on how many people are going to need to be moved, as the glaciers recede from mountain sides, causing massive changes in the local geography, for example.

And in America? It's all good, or some such, right?

0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
ckaupp on March 4, 2007 - 2:35pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

If America lived differently, many of it problems would no longer exist, but it seems as if for many Americans, living differently would be un-American.

Don't forget, our wonderful leaders, including Darth, say that "The American way of life is not negotiable." And most Americans WANT to believe that. The do not want to believe that life could be radically different and/or more physically uncomfortable.

Most Americans spend their free time being entertained, rather than doing something creative. Under that scenario, it's hard to envision the bulk of the public accepting a different reality. That's why I'm somewhat pessimistic about the future. I think things MAY have to get pretty bad before they get better.

0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
Badger Peaknik on March 4, 2007 - 2:47pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Expat--

Just about every masterplanned community in the United States prohibits clotheslines (solar dryers) as well as solar water heaters and PV panels. Other solar appurtenances to the house, like awnings, are also on the forbidden list. All in the name of protecting property values.

Has there ever been a society that is more disconnected from nature than ours?

Below is an excerpt from a column I wrote in December.

The rewards of a well-used solar dryer are by no means limited to the energy and dollar savings reported on the monthly utility bill. The best part of the package is the time spent outside. There you can take the pulse of the day from the sunlight, clouds, air temperature, wind and humidity that make up this continuous flux of energy that we call the weather. Relying on solar energy in this way makes a person more attuned to the ebb and flow of weather conditions. Yes, forsaking the fossil-fueled dryer for the great outdoors does take more time and effort, but it’s a small price to pay for eliminating the drudgery that comes with doing the laundry on autopilot.

Amazingly enough, community prohibition of clotheslines is not uncommon in the United States. Ironically, this inane belief that the sight of gym trunks and sweat socks hanging in a yard will drive property values lower is strongest in the Sun Belt, a region where solar drying—and water heating--should be the norm and not the exception. What can you say about a mindset that thinks nothing of wasting a precious fossil fuel on doing the laundry just to keep up appearances? Given how prevalent this silly and self-destructive behavior is in our land, is the imminent arrival of the oil peak and terminally declining natural gas stocks necessarily a bad thing?

0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
peakearl on March 4, 2007 - 4:09pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Fortunately CCRs against PV systems are illegal in California.

0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
Engineer-Poet on March 4, 2007 - 6:23pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

We need a national override.

0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
skent on March 4, 2007 - 11:27pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Well the may have something in a HOA bylaws that say I can't dry my clothes outside but seriously what are they gonna do put a notice on my front door?? It would cost them more than what it is worth to stop me from drying my clothes outside. HOA's can't do anything. Even if they tried I could drive around my neighboorhood and find a crapload of violations which they have not acted on causing all sorts of problems in regards to enforcement.

0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
AlanfromBigEasy on March 4, 2007 - 11:55pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I could drive around my neighboorhood

Perhaps you could WALK around your neighborhood and see even more ?

All too often, walking is not even considered, too many are conditioned to drive regardless of circumstances.

Best Hopes for short lived shoe leather and long life tires,

Alan

0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
skent on March 5, 2007 - 1:08am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Good catch. I do walk around my neighboorhood every evening with my family however I also drive home everyday unfortunately. I tend to notice the negative things when I drive though. When I walk it is much more rewarding and positive.

0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
fireangel on March 5, 2007 - 10:54am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Badger any predictions for this week and next week withdrawals in NG? DD are more this week according to NOAA.
TIA,

0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
Seadragon on March 4, 2007 - 8:54pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

As far as I can tell, in my neck of the woods, Americans use Sundays for more shopping (after Saturday, I mean). After church, and the obligatory midday repast (a large amount of grain-fed protein, usually) it's off to the stores to "shop til you drop." Riding my bike through traffic (huge pickup trucks and SUVs) and then actually driving in it this weekend was a real Matrix-style eye-opener for me, having just read Stuart's post on SA...

0
Comments can no longer be added to this story.