We’re finishing up our vacation at the Beaton family lake house on Tennessee/Mississippi border. It’s been really relaxing most of the time, especially compared to the all-consuming house renovation.
I’ve still had to keep working on my web work which wouldn’t have been too bad but I have to drive several miles to get Wi-Fi and I can only work sitting in my car for as long as my battery will last. That’s meant a couple trips a day every work day. I turned on the broadband wireless card that’s built into my laptop but the lake house is in a black hole for cell phones…
Gore is passionate, convincing and inspiring. Now I understand what he’s going to do with his new ad campaign. I’m going carbon neutral. I want a footprint so light you can’t make it out in the sand. I want to be a part of the hero generation. Let’s save this planet people!
By the way, you should definitely check out more of the TED talks. They have amazing speakers that give really interesting presentations, performances, etc.
I have a new favorite magazine. I’ve heard about Mother Earth News and probably seen copies of it laying around since I was young but never really read it until a couple weeks ago. I got a subscription after reading about the articles coming out in the next issue and after reading it cover to cover I ordered the 40 years of archives on CD. I can already tell it was an excellent investment. That’s a lot of wisdom for $50.
I’ve been reading back through the issues looking for articles and information that might help me on my way to a sustainable existence. I’d say about 75% of the articles are relevant or interesting to me. I’m especially interested in the renewable energy, natural building, gardening and water/rainwater management articles. I came across a really interesting one on solar power and wanted to share a few of the highlights…[continued]
I believe that this guy, Richard Heinberg, is absolutely 100% right on the money. I haven’t seen someone sum up everything I’ve read this well yet and I’m so glad I found it. This is why I’d like to start an organic permaculture farm and live a sustainable lifestyle. After I get myself taken care of I want to start working on a local level around the farm to teach others and help the community work on larger community projects that can’t be done by individuals.
Anyway, watch these videos. They’re important. You may not want to hear it, but it may be the most important thing you’ve ever watched.
Click to continue reading this entry and view the other 5 parts to this talk.
”On the dry island of Hierro in the Canary Islands, there is a legend of the rain tree: a giant ‘Til’ tree (Ocotea foetens), …the leaves of which condensed the mountain mists and caused water to drip into two large cisterns which were placed beneath. the tree was destroyed in a storm in 1612 a.d. but the site is known, and the remnants of the cistern preserved…[this one tree] distilled sufficient water from the sea mists to meet the needs of all the inhabitants.”
“The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children”
- Bill Mollison.
I’d only had the slightest idea what permaculture was before this evening. I’ve always seen the term in conjunction with organic farming. It was usually the one with a funky drawing on the cover, which is probably because the idea was first introduce in the 1970’s.
I just assumed it was the spiritual version of organic farming and went with some more technical. I associated the culture with agriculture, instead of the general culture and not just a sustainable future, but one that grows.
No one wants to live on a dieing planet and I think most people see living without all of the comforts we’ve come to know and love as lowering ourselves to a place we can never hope to be happy again. The problem is that we think comfort is the same thing as happiness.
It also didn’t occur to me that the spirituality in this vision of permanent culture might resonate with me so strongly. It probably wouldn’t normally, but after listening to just this brief interview with Bill Mollison it really has me interested.
He seems like such a good smart honest guy that I really relate to. I want to know what he knows. Why the hell isn’t this kind of stuff they show kids in school? That was way better than any biology video, scratch that, any video I ever saw in school.
Tao is Tao Weilundemo, a freelance web developer and populist, a lover of disc golf, sailing, and politics in so far as it can be utilized to make the world a better more egalitarian place.
He's not from any one particular place, but you may know him from Columbia, MO, San Diego, CA, Santa Rosa, CA, Closeburn, Australia, Jackson, MS, Huntsville, AL, Austin, TX, Berlin, El Salvador, or Baltimore, MD. Did I mention he likes to travel?
Want to learn more about this Tao and his 3rd person talking self? Click here and he'll see what he can do.
I have a new favorite magazine. I’ve heard about 
”On the dry island of Hierro in the Canary Islands, there is a legend of the rain tree: a giant ‘Til’ tree (Ocotea foetens), …the leaves of which condensed the mountain mists and caused water to drip into two large cisterns which were placed beneath. the tree was destroyed in a storm in 1612 a.d. but the site is known, and the remnants of the cistern preserved…[this one tree] distilled sufficient water from the sea mists to meet the needs of all the inhabitants.”
I’d only had the slightest idea what 