Inspiration for Us All

A terrific story in today's Foster's Daily Democrat about a family that's made a committment to change ... a wonderful experiment, to see how much it's possible to reduce our car-dependence. Of course we can't give them up completely ... but we can broaden our perspective on transportation and mobility in the Seacoast region. A great read!

30 days later ...

OK, going a full month ... 30 days without a post, especially over the month that featured Earth Day, is kind of ridiculous! But in part, that's why I was too busy to post ... worked all day Saturday April 19th at Portsmouth's 1st-ever Sustainability Fair, which was a huge success thanks to the great work of many (other) people! I'll be posting a slide show of photos taken (by someone else); my role was sound system provider/operator ... and by virtue of that, sort of "unofficial host." It was a beautiful day, and a terrific turnout -- just another testament to the ferment and the thirst among so many in the Seacoast for more knowledge and resources to help take a few more steps along this journey.

As if by magic ...

Today's Globe, in the Real Estate section, features a terrific article that illustrates very well, in a very practical way, the message I'm trying to get across: the RE-framing and positive description that I believe the Journey 2 Sustainability deserves. Granted, the individual described is obviously wealthy (a successful person in business and otherwise!), and has the capital and the time to do what he's doing, but the bottom line is that the renewable energy systems he's incorporated into the house have an estimated "payback period" (I hate that term) of ~7 years (at today's fossil-fuel-based utility prices of course. If anyone thinks those are going to remain flat for the next 7 years, let me know). So the "payback" is more likely going to be between 4 and 5 years. And oh, he estimates that he saved ~40% on the cost of the actual house by having it factory built, shipped to the site in pieces, and assembled in one day. Just guesstimating, but I'll bet that savings was MORE than the $84K cost increment of the renewable energy system. So the NET cost of building a much higher quality, energy-efficient and renewable energy-powered home was close to zero, if not actually LESS than a "conventional" home.
The best part is that there is an article like this just about every other week, it seems, in the papers that I read (Globe, Portsmouth Herald, NYT, Wash.Post). If you search their Archives under "renewable energy" you'll find plenty more to inform and inspire you. And if you have questions, I'd be happy to try and help!

This says it all ...

I took my kids today to the Harvard Museum of Natural History ... my first time there, and "Wow" is all I can say, it rivals the Smithsonian in content, if not necessarily in architecture. They have a terrific exhibit on global warming ... if you're somehow still unsure about the science, this is a great way to understand it. I did have a few "concerns" though with some of the assumptions inherent in the narration of what is otherwise a terrific 5 minute a/v presentation with an interesting angle: After hearing about the situation and the nature of the choices we face, vote 'Yes' or 'No' (as to whether to act and do something about it). The framing and description of options portrays (as do most "objective" sources) the sustainable path as being "more expensive" and implies that it is "difficult," etc. I'll have to go over and talk to them ... ;-)

[We] say we want a revolution ...

If you're visiting my blog as a result of my invitation to join Al Gore's "We" campaign, thanks and welcome! If not, or you haven't heard of the campaign, please check it out and join! I'm honored to be doing the work I am along with my colleagues at the Union of Concerned Scientists, and in partnership with The Climate Project, which has now trained hundreds of people from all walks of life all across the country to deliver the former Vice President's slide show, and which spawned the Academy Award-winning film (with companion book) "An Inconvenient Truth". Since he's thanked me, and I'm thanking you, you're just one degree of separation from the former VP and Nobel Prize winner yourself!!

"We are all mortal"

Well, this morning I was a pall bearer in the funeral of my best childhood friend's mother (which made her kind of like my second mom) back in West Springfield, MA. My best friend's family is Catholic; I was brought up Protestant (Episcopal), so the liturgy and rituals were very familiar. My own beliefs have evolved, though, to the point where I'm convinced that all the going-on about the afterlife, the "better place" we go after we leave this Earth, to be reunited with our loved ones, etc., is ... well, for lack of a better term, a bunch of hooey. I believe "the afterlife", or "heaven", or whatever it's called, is a device we humans made up long long ago and that we perpetuate to this day (no pun intended!) for two purposes: 1) to distract us, give ourselves a mental "out" from the difficulty, pain, and suffering that are a part of living, and 2) to relieve our guilt at not striving to do and be our best each and every day here on this Earth, during this life. I think the 70's rock band Kansas was right when they sang:

"I close my eyes ... only for a moment, and the moment's gone ... it slips away ... and all your money won't another minute buy .... Dust in the wind ... all we are is dust in the wind ... "

That's kind of a hard concept to swallow, to accept that what we do here, now, during the one life we have, is all there is -- we'd all like a second chance, a "do-over" if you will, at a lot of things ... but we don't get one. We have to make the most of the one life we have, we have to strive to get it right -- do the right thing, be the "right" person, make the right choices for ourselves and those we love. Here, now ... not someday.

Over 40 years ago President John F. Kennedy said in a speech addressing the topic of nuclear weapons, "We all breathe the same air .... we all love our children ... and we are all mortal." I believe that if we can remember that, we have a much better chance of joining together to make the right choices with respect to our planet and the future we're creating for our children and grandchildren.

What's in the Name?

I pondered long and hard before settling on the name of this blog – mostly around the choice of the word “Journey” (also considered, but ultimately rejected, were “Path”, “Voyage”, “Trek”, and similar concepts …).

“Journey,” I believe, is the right frame to apply to our individual and collective quest for Sustainability. That is, I believe Sustainability is not a state that we will ever “reach”, a goal we’ll one day attain. Rather, it is and will be an unending journey. If you must have a more finite concept or number to get your mind around, think of Sustainability as the proverbial “Journey of 1000 miles,” that begins with a single step (and of course comprises many thousands more). The first step is important, as are - equally - all the steps in between; some are fairly easy, others more difficult; there are sure to be some mis-steps, side-steps, even backward steps along the way… you get the point. It is definitely analogous to the old saw about life in general – if we are to be successful and enjoy ourselves along the way, we should embrace the fact that it's a journey, not a destination – and commit to learning together as we go, consciously reflecting on it, and maintaining a positive approach.

*The "imperative" referred to above ...

See also "Will the Northeast Be the New Dixie"?

First post!

Well, this is exciting ... almost 5 years after a friend told me that I should "put up a blog" (as part of my first campaign for a seat on the Portsmouth City Council, in the fall of 2003), I'm finally taking the plunge! I'm taking the plunge. My blog isn't about local politics, though, or about me -- it's on a subject I care deeply and think constantly about: Sustainability, and our journey toward it (as individuals, business and civic organizations, governments at all levels, nations, and all of human society). Thanks for reading and please come back often!