I didn't see any suggestion of Lifestyle change. It seems to be low on the radar and somewhat out of favor as a prescription to change. Children inherit the beliefs and patterns of their parents to a large extent. What are the ramifications of the Electric future? What are the costs? What is the impact of one wind turbine on the Environment? Would you like one within a 1/2 mile of your home.. one mile .. ten miles...? What is the impact? Solar arrays? How big how many? Who cleans them up when the owners
go bankrupt because of a new technology shift? I suggest the children attempt to imagine themselves as new Indigenous people. I suggest they get to know a 5 mile radius of their home as their walking territory. Who would you meet? What connections created? What role can they envision over a lifetime would you like to be part of history? (we all are) Stay local. you will create the world you dream of.. If it is a good dream.
Good questions, Guy. I've addressed some of these in previous writings, but didn't have the room to expand in this piece. Yes, the necessary change in living habits will be far more revolutionary than most people realize. And as we try desperately to build a different world - new systems in energy, transport, agriculture, buildings and other infrastructure - there are (and will be) a litany of questions to follow on the heels of what we think of as solutions. To put this another way, serious cultural shifts are required, and that's always deeply complicated.
More specifically to your points, merely electrifying the future isn't enough to make it habitable, adjustments to wind power tech is making it friendlier, vast solar installations will have to be as recyclable as glass bottles, economies will have to become more circular. There's no option here.
I like your dream of future village life. That's our pre-industrial history. It's worth remember that most humans still live very local lives, though far too many of our supplies and their impacts are global.
I've been writing the same... if you want to affect climate change, get a new job! It also extends beyond electricians to any job in the green industries that helps move us forward--sales, marketing, operations, procurement... all of these make a material difference. Three cheers!
And I'll do here what I don't think I've done before: make two comments consecutively. Reading your essay today reinforces my idea that none could have written it but you, for the simple reason that none share your unique background and career. And I think that the unique life, goals, and spirit you have make you what I might term an Essential Voice in Substack. There are many many voices here. Some of them have tens of thousands or over a hundred thousand subscribers. I've read many of them. None are essential voices. Mine is not an essential voice either. Thanks for all you do.
Again, this is very generous praise, Michael. Much appreciated. I like that term, "essential voice." With time, perhaps, those tens of thousands may show up to hear it.
Jason, I've always highly esteemed your voice, both the poetry in it and the high noble purpose in it. This essay is of a kind and although substack has tens of thousands of voices, none could have written this but you. I agree with all you say here.
This needs to be published in every newspaper in the country as an editorial. Perfectly said!
Thank you, Susan. Feel free to make that happen...
I didn't see any suggestion of Lifestyle change. It seems to be low on the radar and somewhat out of favor as a prescription to change. Children inherit the beliefs and patterns of their parents to a large extent. What are the ramifications of the Electric future? What are the costs? What is the impact of one wind turbine on the Environment? Would you like one within a 1/2 mile of your home.. one mile .. ten miles...? What is the impact? Solar arrays? How big how many? Who cleans them up when the owners
go bankrupt because of a new technology shift? I suggest the children attempt to imagine themselves as new Indigenous people. I suggest they get to know a 5 mile radius of their home as their walking territory. Who would you meet? What connections created? What role can they envision over a lifetime would you like to be part of history? (we all are) Stay local. you will create the world you dream of.. If it is a good dream.
Good questions, Guy. I've addressed some of these in previous writings, but didn't have the room to expand in this piece. Yes, the necessary change in living habits will be far more revolutionary than most people realize. And as we try desperately to build a different world - new systems in energy, transport, agriculture, buildings and other infrastructure - there are (and will be) a litany of questions to follow on the heels of what we think of as solutions. To put this another way, serious cultural shifts are required, and that's always deeply complicated.
More specifically to your points, merely electrifying the future isn't enough to make it habitable, adjustments to wind power tech is making it friendlier, vast solar installations will have to be as recyclable as glass bottles, economies will have to become more circular. There's no option here.
I like your dream of future village life. That's our pre-industrial history. It's worth remember that most humans still live very local lives, though far too many of our supplies and their impacts are global.
I've been writing the same... if you want to affect climate change, get a new job! It also extends beyond electricians to any job in the green industries that helps move us forward--sales, marketing, operations, procurement... all of these make a material difference. Three cheers!
https://anthonysignorelli.substack.com/p/want-to-stop-climate-change-get-a
Thanks, Anthony. Good point about all those jobs adjacent to the ones I highlight here.
And I'll do here what I don't think I've done before: make two comments consecutively. Reading your essay today reinforces my idea that none could have written it but you, for the simple reason that none share your unique background and career. And I think that the unique life, goals, and spirit you have make you what I might term an Essential Voice in Substack. There are many many voices here. Some of them have tens of thousands or over a hundred thousand subscribers. I've read many of them. None are essential voices. Mine is not an essential voice either. Thanks for all you do.
Again, this is very generous praise, Michael. Much appreciated. I like that term, "essential voice." With time, perhaps, those tens of thousands may show up to hear it.
Jason, I've always highly esteemed your voice, both the poetry in it and the high noble purpose in it. This essay is of a kind and although substack has tens of thousands of voices, none could have written this but you. I agree with all you say here.
You're far too kind, Michael. Thank you very much.