One of the really fascinating things about Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains (and South Dakota’s Badlands) is the geology. I mentioned in an earlier thread that I am a bit of a geology geek; I love structural and historical geology, it’s fascinating to see the bones of the earth showing beneath her skin.

In the Bighorn Mountains, some enterprising state geologist has carefully placed roadside signs labeling the various rock strata by type and origin. The most amazing was the exposed Precambrian granite bedrock, estimated at 2.5 billion years old. The huge outcroppings of granite were lovely, a subtle rose with large dark crystal inclusions and metamorphic streaks. Laying hands on the stone was almost a spiritual experience.

Geologic time encompasses such an incomprehensible breadth of years. Our time on the earth is such an insignificant flyspeck by comparison. It makes our stresses and conflicts seem pretty petty and minor.

I don’t like feeling insignificant, so I had a vision of polishing and cutting granite into a kitchen countertop. Take that, ancient geologic artifact! We humans have tools and in our brief time here on earth we’ve learned to use them!

Environmental types, really, I’m kidding. I wouldn’t chop up Precambrian granite for my home. I actually do view such things with a degree of reverence.

This stone has been here 2.5 billion years. And it’ll probably still be here another 2.5 billion years after we’re gone. It deserves a little awe.

Alert alpha geek Zach spotted this great Penn & Teller video where a campaigner convinces hundreds to sign her petition to ban a chemical substance.

The chemical substance in question? Dihydrogen monoxide. That’s… H₂O. Water.

Pretty hilarious.

In the last few years, global warming and other environmental disasters have become sensitive, overhyped political agendas. Al Gore’s widely-distributed work on the subject, the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, polarized America still further.

I have to ask: if you’re a Republican, and an Al Gore opponent, do you have to toss out the baby with the bathwater and discount global warming theory entirely?

And if you’re a Democrat and an Al Gore fan, must you toe the party line and lip-synch every word of the global warming alarmists?

There’s a tremendous body of research, science, political and educational writing available on the subject. The continuum ranges from “It’s an emergency, polar ice has already begun melting, we’ve passed the tipping point!” to “It’s complete hogwash, our weather is just varying naturally, and any human impact on our climate is insignificant.” I think anyone who insists they know the definitive answer is disqualified by their very vehemence; they’re trading in absolutes.

I’m no climatologist, nor a political analyst. I read what’s available in the mainstream media, both left and right. I haven’t carefully correlated and researched the huge body of information on the issues. With that disclaimer, here’s what I do believe:

1. Our climate has changed in this century. It’s getting warmer. Whether it’s an anomalous trend, a normal climate variation, or continued progress away from the last ice age, I couldn’t say.
2. We treat our planet abominably, like a teenage boy who won’t clean his room unless coerced. We litter, belch noxious gases, pillage natural resources, and devote only the most token thought to sustainability and our own great-grandchildren’s futures.
3. The fact that industrial polluters and offenders have exponentially greater impact on the health of our environment does not give us a pass to opt out of doing the right thing in our little corner of the world.
4. Carbon offsets and pollution permits for industry and individuals are ludicrous. In the big picture of economics and the environment, no amount of investment in eco-friendly organizations & tree planting is going to offset the mega-corporations pouring lead and mercury into our oceans, nor individuals driving Hummers for hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic, pausing only to toss bags of fast food litter and cigarette butts out the window.

So, let’s talk about our little corner of the world. In my case, it’s the lovely green (and grey) Pacific Northwest. I’d say unspoiled, but that would be disingenuous. I walk through filthy, littered urban Seattle streets, drive through clearcut forests and boat on polluted waters.

I could…

• recycle (check) and compost (uh, well…) rather than jamming my two trash cans weekly full of stuff.
• probably pick up litter wherever I see it – maybe even carry a few trash bags (reusable, of course) in the car to collect it.
• reduce and reuse, in addition to recycling. I don’t NEED a new computer every two years, a new car every 3-4 years. And when I do make major purchases, re-using is perfectly ok, I don’t have to be a slave to status nor that shiny new look.
• select products that reduce packaging waste. How much do corporations and advertisers spend on lavish 4-color packaging anyway, and do you really want to pay for that?
• implement some household changes that will save energy daily – fluorescent lights, lower my thermostat, walk more & drive less – and reduce my utility bills.
• go through my closets & garage, clear out all my e-waste and haul it to a reputable electronics recycler.
• eat less packaged, unhealthy processed food and more locally produced, fresh, organic produce, grains and meat.

  I’m sure there are many more easily implemented personal alternatives for keeping my corner cleaner. Please feel free to share your suggestions!

  Global warming? I’m still not sure about it. I do think, though, that if everyone did two or three things to live a little more environmentally consciously, the world would be a much better place to live – for us and for our great-grandchildren.

Today is earth day.

I happen to believe our world is a pretty special place – full of mystery, beauty, drama, danger and grace. Plus, it’s the only planet we’ve got.

I’ve been looking at all the media hoopla surrounding earth day. Develop alternative energy resources. Reduce carbon emissions. Limit the availability of government carbon emission passes to industrial polluters. Buy carbon offset passes as a consumer. Paper or plastic – except in SF, where plastic is now illegal? I’m wondering – does it really have to be so complicated as all this?

I truly don’t understand why we have to frame the issues in technobabble and macroeconomic terminology. Is it a more worthy investment of our effort to pick up a piece of litter if it’s couched in lofty concepts?

Why can’t we keep it simple? Mother Teresa said, “In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”

How about the basics:

Pick up after yourself. And while you’re at it, pick up after others too on general principle. This is why I detest some smokers, the ones who flick their butts on the ground and walk away – do they think it’s the world’s job to pick up after them?

If you turn it on, turn it off. Lights, tv, computer, etc. If you have something that uses a trickle power source, be aware and turn it fully off if practicable. And ensure your appliances are energy efficient and not wasting a fairly precious – and expensive – resource.

Reduce, re-use, recycle. Reduce the amount of new stuff you buy – do you really need all that? (Of course, I just went to Ikea yesterday, so need to practice what I preach.) Opt for minimum waste packaging. One publication pointed out recently that the energy impact of manufacturing a new hybrid car far exceeds that of continuing to use an adequately tuned existing car for many, many years.

The whole carbon offset pass concept seems particularly hypocritical to me.

Eric Carlson, director of Carbonfund.org, says, “The ability to reduce your climate impact to zero is empowering people at a very basic level.” To date, the non-profit says it has offset 220 million pounds of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of taking 20,000 cars off the road, he said. Huh?? Those cars ARE still on the road, belching emissions, and the only thing that’s happened is consumer money has been invested in environmental projects. There is no direct impact.

It instead gives the limousine liberal a sense of pre-emptive forgivenesss. Pay, and your sins are washed clean! Al Gore, newly newsworthy poster child for fighting global warming, lives extravagantly and what some would call wastefully at home. If he buys carbon offset passes for it, does that make it ok?

I’m hoping some vendor comes up with chocolate offset passes soon. Until then, I think I’ll keep it simple – pick it up, turn it off, reduce, reuse, plant, and whatever else makes sense at the time. My simple actions don’t come with benefit of economic summit endorsement, but they’re my small things, done with love for my planet.

I am sick and tired of junk mail in my mail box. Real mail junk mail, stacks and piles of print and paper and plastic.

We have a little neighborhood bank of post office box-style boxes in our cul-de-sac. They’re pretty small. The floods of junk mail absolutely drown out the real mail, to the point that postal service mail actually has little value for us anymore. Important items, like bills and bank accounts, I handle online. All my personal mail is entirely email anymore.

The picture above is three days worth of mail, and there probably aren’t ten pieces of real mail or subscribed magazines in the stack. The rest are credit card or mortgage offers, catalogs, neighborhood news flyers and Christmas ads. On occasion, the thoughtful neighborhood postal person shoves a phone book, a large catalog or a small parcel into our little mailbox.

I have spam filtering for my email, and it works pretty well, with about 98% success. I have my phone numbers listed at donotcall.gov and it has cut down on phone soliciting.

Wouldn’t it be great if there were something like that for paper mail? Not only is it tremendously annoying but it’s a huge environmental problem - if millions of families throughout America are getting stacks of unwanted junk mail just like mine, it’s killing an awful lot of trees and clogging landfills. And marketing statistics show that direct mail marketing is one of the least effective forms of marketing - so WHY DO IT to people and the planet?

So I googled “fighting junk mail”. I found lots of interesting information on how to combat the problem.

The do-it-yourself method seems to be a combination of:

• Credit Card Offers: Official consumer credit reporting industry opt out
• Direct Mail: DMA’s Mail Preference Service
• Catalogs: call or mail the vendor directly and ask to be removed

Then I ran across this service: greendimes. It’s a fairly intriguing startup business. They will:

• Remove me from more junk mail lists than any other service
• Unsubscribe me from the catalogs I tell them to stop
• Plant 12 trees for me every year
• Track the impact that I, and my family, friends and associates have made by stopping our junk mail

The cost? A dime a day. $3 a month, month to month. My time is worth much more than that and the do-it-yourself method is time-consuming! So we’re going to try it and see if it has an impact on our mail volume over the next six months.