Why Buy When You Can Borrow?

One of my favorite parts of the weekend is getting to sit and read the NYTimes. And one of my favorite parts of The New York Times (other than the Travel Section now that I'm in the travel business - Playa Viva) are all the great coverage of green and sustainable practices that make it into the paper. Yes, I'm actually reading paper, not on my iPad or iTouch or computer screen.

So this past Sunday were two articles back to back. The first about the movement, and use of technology to enable that movement, of sharing or renting goods needed between neighbors. This might be renting rooms to vacationers or renting your power tools to a neighbor working on a home improvement project (not everyone needs a drill press) or a mountain bike for a little test ride excursion.

Companies listed included SnapGoods, NeighborGoods, ShareSomeSugar (love what the name invokes) and Airbnb.com (for the spare room or couch rental). Initial reaction: SnapGoods takes the prize, the site automatically recognizes your zip so you filter for only true locals (you have a chance to change zip if needed). Although the details of finding and lending need some work. Bottomline: it can't take you $10 of time to rent a product for $10 - why bother - so interface and simplicity are key.

Interestingly the same factors apply as in the normal transaction between neighbors - Trust and Reputation. But the key here is social interaction, getting folks out from behind their keyboards and into face-to-face interactions with their neighbors. That reminds me, got to go pick up my son at the neighbor's house. No the kids are not for rent.

Big Money Thrown at Short Term Solutions

So my blog about drilling got a Google Ad placed on my site from American Solutions. At first glance, looks like a group headed by former Speaker of the House Newt G. Didn't take time to check out the money behind this because the message is clear, "want lower energy prices, drill here now." So who is putting out the message, "want a long-term sustainable energy policy..."?


Tired of High Gas Prices?
Drill now. Drill here. Pay less. Learn how to make this happen...
www.AmericanSolutions.com/DrillNow

Are You Part of the Solution

We can solve it. Energy Independence in 10 Years? Do you think it is possible?



Watch this ad, go check out the We Can Solve The Climate Crises Website to Learn More.

Who Are These Guys

I recently received a copy of Environment & Climate News. Upon picking it up, I thought it might be another rag who picked my name off the Sierra Club list. Yes, I'm a lifetime member of the Sierra Club. A full on card carrying member. So when I start reading this rag the first article is about "Public Opinion Shifts in Favor of Domestic Oil and Gas Production". Now as you read this article you get all these facts about how the public is pushing more for off-shore drilling and less for conservation. You can read the numbers for yourselves, but what was surprising is that just when I thought this article was going to veer into the territory of "isn't this awful that the public is taking a short term view on energy policy and right at the time when we, as a nation, should take control of our energy future, conserve more and eliminate our dependence on foreign oil"...the article takes an unexpected turn. This rag is actually using this data to say that we should drill more and conserve less.

Get it! The polls and the people know best! Sure, we deserve to have cheep oil. We deserve to have our SUV's and drive where ever we want and whenever we want, we should just drain the globe off all its oil and fill our tanks, drill off shore, drill in ANWR, drill, drill, drill. Spend, spend, spend, gas gussling gluttons that we are (isn't this one of the seven deadly sins?). It is our God given right as Americans, "In God We Trust", its on our money, so we trust and we must spend. What is even more incredulous is that rags like this one, published by the Heartland Institute (these guys may have heart, but they've got no head) are taking the short-term, fickle-minded, poll-driven mindset of the "Will of the American People" to justify their position to drill, drill, drill.

At the conclusion of the article, the story quotes Tom Pule, president of the Institute for Energy Research, "Most Americans understand the law of supply and demand...but they may not know that America is the only developed nation in the world that restricts access to its own offshore energy resources, or that an annual vote in Congress is required to continue that policy." So great, lets get everyone to write a letter to Congress to just drill, drill, drill. But wait, take a look at the preface to this statement postured by president Toms - the reason to drill is that "Most Americans understand the law of supply and demand". Wow, the law of supply and demand! So what does this mean in the mind of these short-term-minded brainiacks..."if you drill more, you get more oil, more supply means the price drops and Americans can drive, drive, drive." But if "Most Americans [TRULY] understand the law of supply and demand", they also know that if you demand less, the price will drop, drop, drop. So rather than buy that SUV that guzzles less than 10 MPG, try conservation and fuel efficiency, drive a car that gets more than 40 MPG. So maybe "most Americans" do get the supply and demand curve, but these idiots are only focusing on the SUPPLY side. Supply side, gee, haven't I heard that somewhere before. I guess I understand where the Heartland Institute receives its funding. The real key to a long-term successful energy policy and reducing dependence on foreign oil is conservation, NOT increased supply from more drilling. The argument of supply side, drill for oil policy is like having a family budget based on going further and further into debt by spending more and more rather than tightening your belt and spending within your means. Didn't we just go through this with the banks and home mortgages recently. Don't GM and Ford feel the pain of blinding themselves to the reality of the laws of supply and demand of oil. Who is the Heartland Institute fooling other than themselves and the lemmings that follow them off the cliff?

You got to read this stuff just to see what the short-minded are pitching to the dim-witted. Man this makes me mad. What really pisses me off is that first McCain jumps on these poll numbers and creates a series of political ads saying he's all for more drilling (supply-sider, lower costs at pump) and that Obama is against it. Now that pushes Obama to make a poll based decision. Just when I was really respecting the guy for taking a position of true leadership and courage by stating that he was against dropping the gas tax because it was a stupid short term driven decision. Obama, what happened to leadership and change? Change from making unpopular decisions that were right for the country in the long-term? This is leadership, this is what Americans needs, good parents as our political leaders, not weak parents that capitulate to the short term decisions of the the childish populace. I have a 5 year old and a 7 year old. I took a poll recently and found that they would rather watch TV than read. In fact, these poll numbers are showing that my children are increasingly demanding TV more and more over reading. So what should I do? Well if it were up to the Heartland Institute and like minded folks, I should let them watch all the TV they want.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Cowardice asks the question 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question 'Is it popular?' But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right." When will our leaders make the right decisions?

50% Savings for Legal Eagles

Today I got a FedEx envelop that was reusable. The design is simple. Under the current closure is a secondary closure. As you rip open the first closure, you are left with a secondary closure. Each envelop now gets used twice cutting in half the amount of envelops that get trashed. Genius, now if they can put a reusable opening on each of the other 3 sides of the envelop they would cut trash by another 50% x 50% x 50%. From an initial reduction of waste of 50%, they would reduce waste by over 95% (assuming all envelops get re-used to the max. The reusable envelop is ONLY available in Legal size, why NOT in letter size?

Great start FedEx, great innovation. Look forward to more such small innovations to report about. If you know of any, let me know.

Legal Size Reusable FedEx® Envelope
Legal Size Reusable FedEx Envelope. Designed so it can be used twice.
Holds up to 24 unfolded pages of legal size 8.5" x 14" paperwork.
For documents up to 8 oz. Shipments over 8 oz. are rated at the next whole pound.
Weight when empty: 2.0 oz.
Inside dimensions: 15.75" x 10" (40.01 cm x 25.40 cm)
Maximum declared value: $500 within US; $100 to international destinations.
For use with a FedEx Ship Manager label or ASTRA label.
Note: The FedEx® Envelope is designed for shipping paper. If you would like to ship fragile items such as pagers, sunglasses or diskettes, please use a FedEx® Box.

Buy, By, Bye

In this holiday season, I am once again struck by the influence of consumerism and its effects on the environment.

First, Sandra sent me a link to the Story of Stuff - great little video from Free Range Studios - it is 20 minutes of pure gold explaining how consumerism is at the heart of the environmental crises. How we have been "re-trained" to buy, buy, buy. How events like Christmas have been turned into the Consumer Super Bowl to drive the economy resulting in havoc to environment and us. Watch it. Show it to your kids. Share it with your entire family and with your friends.

Second, so Sandra decides that this year, this holiday season, we will not be giving gifts, at least not the type driven by a consumer society bent on destruction, poison and disposability. This season we are giving gifts on your behalf to non-profits that stop this destructive cycle. I told a colleague about Sandra's plan. She told me, "Yeah, I tried that one year and I was left with nothing but un-happy kids and was made out to be the Grinch..." Sure, I can see how this happens, but there has to be a better way to stop the consumerism and still be able to give. So beyond the donations to non-profits, we are re-gifting - recycling old gifts - recycling things that we like and turning them "new" again. No, you won't be getting my torn, old shirts as a present. But that DVD of Season One of "Weeds" that you haven't seen yet, well I've seen it and it is new to you. So enjoy. It will come wrapped in newspaper.

Third, the greatest gift I can give now, is my time, time being fully present with my family and loved ones. So that's where I'm off to now...

Oh the Places You Will Go

I was recently asked in an email introduction, "How did you go from enterprise software in the US to saving rainforests and creating eco-developments in Mexico?" The short answer, accidentally, OK, if you want to know the real answer, it is my wife's fault. I blame it all on her. When did it start, well most of that story is on the website of Rainforest2Reef, read Our Story. But even that was an evolution the culmination in genetic mutation came when you realize that conservation can only truly happen with less and less consumerism.

I just saw a funny bit by George Carlin about the 10 Commandments. In it reduces the list of 10 to just 2 or 3. When he gets to "thou shall not covet" he basically says, if we stop that, we stop the entire economic engine. Way to go George.

So back to the transformation to Accidental Environmentalist, its actually a fairly easy path. When I look back at all the crap I used to do, like hawk movies for HBO or mobility software, when ever you were dealing with a really shitty situation, you always had to remind yourself, "hey, this isn't brain surgery, I'm just hawking movies...", but when you are working on saving the planet, now that has a different ring to it all together. Sure if feels good to say it. Sure you feel real guilty when you go out and buy something new (that you really didn't need), sure you feel like it is an uphill battle against swarm of mongrels, but in the end, the people that are on your side and the rewards from small wins are simply "priceless". I see more and more people slowly make the move from the dark side to join forces with us, this is the mother of all battles and we will prevail.

Now this might sound religious to you. No, I'm no zealot. Being "converted" is more about learning, about becoming aware of what is happening, knowing what you eat, knowing what you consume, understanding the sources and contents of all you consume. In the end, it all goes back to consumerism, knowledge, common sense and following your gut. Take Food - How difficult is it to understand that if pesticides kill bugs, they can kill you too (maybe more slowly, but still hasten your death). Step one, buy organic. Then you make the next leap, buy local. The same happens in other areas of your life, like transportation, entertainment, medicine/healthcare, your home, your vacations, your life...step one, then the next leap and the next.

The great thing about us human beings, we adapt. Oh the places we will go, come join me for all the beer you can drink and lets talk about it some more...

Death to Zealots

Had lunch with Rob Caughlan today. What a force of nature. His inspirations: his mom, JFK (what can you do for your country) and Jacques Cousteau (don't be a follower of someone like me, go do your own thing). I invited him to join the board of R2R, I hope he joins us. We spoke of turtles and surfing, over population and John Doerr, the new Pambo and PLC.org , Amazing Grace and Blessed Unrest. What a wise man with such great stories. Part of his message, be an environmentalist, or find your cause, but what ever you do, have fun. That he does. He is also working on a documentary about Pete McCloskey. He needs about $25K to finish the project, wanna donate to make this happen, drop me a line.