Truth is often far stranger than fiction and this is exquisitely so regarding the folks that make their way to powerful positions. This week we have been hearing a lot about two such anachronisms. Senator Ron Johnson who supposedly represents the great state of Wisconsin and the media personality Glenn Beck have both come to the attention of the public, not for what they stand for or believe in, but what they continue to deny. Contrary to the overwhelming preponderance of information regarding anthropogenic climate change, these two individuals choose to claim that it is all a hoax. I am seriously disturbed by the fact that instead of relegating the two of them to convalescent homes or mental institutions, we continue to give them huge salaries and bonuses for their utter ignorance.
You too could be a Senator in these United States, if you are willing to parrot back the tired old line of the oligarchs. This week, our illustrious Senator was called to task over his big huge foot in the mouth about how climate change has been trumped up by the rabble rousers who have implemented an "ecological jihad" against the benevolent "makers". The words that get used amongst politicians are even more bizarre than the code words for sex used in the cheapest dime store novels. fifty thousand signatures were delivered to our senator, calling for him to come clean about climate change and reluctantly he did speak to the subject, but only in the weakest of terms, clarifying his belief that the scientific community is still not sure what is causing the ice caps to melt and the oceans to become warmer.
Along with this aberrant perspective, Mr. Beck was quoted as telling his staffers that if they installed energy efficient light bulbs, they would be summarily dismissed. Now, I can empathize with folks who don't want to change, just because someone is telling them that they have to, but this is not yet the case. Incandescent bulbs are still available and will be for the foreseeable future. Perhaps I am odd, but I have been an early adopter of several cutting edge technologies. Not every tech gadget appeals to me, but when something works well, saves money and outlasts the item that it is meant to replace, I jump right in and buy it. this says quite a lot about me I guess because I tend to not like buying anything if it is not necessary. It just so happens to be the same day that we installed our first six LED bulbs.
In addition to being mercury free, these bulbs are instant on, energy efficient and cool to the touch. The compact fluorescent bulbs that they replaced require 17 watts and their replacements produce a more even and brighter light for just 7.5 watts. Over the life of these bulbs, they would have saved over five hundred dollars in energy costs had I been using forty watt incandescent bulbs. Since I was already using CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lighting) my savings will be around half of that. However, after looking carefully at the facts, I was sold on the CFL technology twenty years ago. The primary "reason" people give for not liking CFL technology is that the bulbs contain mercury and require special disposal. In fact, the amount of mercury that is in a CFL bulb is less than the amount that would be spewed into the atmosphere by the wasted electricity required to get the same amount of light from an incandescent bulb. I do have to save the bulbs up to make sure they make it to the proper disposal facility, but that is a small price to pay for protecting the environment.
Just as many cities are requiring people to use composting facilities for their yard waste, it is becoming more important to make sure all of our "waste" gets tot he proper place so that it can be recycled or reused. compost is even better because it gets waste to transform into a useable product without the addition of hardly any energy and only a tiny bit of water. I have been composting for most of my life and the amount of dirt that I have created through this process would fill most houses. This soil is home to billions of creatures and even the enrichment of soils that I no longer live near makes me feel good and helps others to grow better vegetables. In time, we may be able to teach the idiots that are rich and powerful, but I'm not waiting around for that day. Instead, I share what I have come to know with whoever is willing to pay attention.
Thank you for being part of the process of building a better world. Do what you can to bring truth to the halls of politics. Encourage others to find solutions amongst the sea of problems that they tell us about on the news and above all, think long and hard about what each of us can do the heal the schism between humankind and nature. It may be the only way that we have to leave something for our children that they will be proud to call home.
You too could be a Senator in these United States, if you are willing to parrot back the tired old line of the oligarchs. This week, our illustrious Senator was called to task over his big huge foot in the mouth about how climate change has been trumped up by the rabble rousers who have implemented an "ecological jihad" against the benevolent "makers". The words that get used amongst politicians are even more bizarre than the code words for sex used in the cheapest dime store novels. fifty thousand signatures were delivered to our senator, calling for him to come clean about climate change and reluctantly he did speak to the subject, but only in the weakest of terms, clarifying his belief that the scientific community is still not sure what is causing the ice caps to melt and the oceans to become warmer.
Along with this aberrant perspective, Mr. Beck was quoted as telling his staffers that if they installed energy efficient light bulbs, they would be summarily dismissed. Now, I can empathize with folks who don't want to change, just because someone is telling them that they have to, but this is not yet the case. Incandescent bulbs are still available and will be for the foreseeable future. Perhaps I am odd, but I have been an early adopter of several cutting edge technologies. Not every tech gadget appeals to me, but when something works well, saves money and outlasts the item that it is meant to replace, I jump right in and buy it. this says quite a lot about me I guess because I tend to not like buying anything if it is not necessary. It just so happens to be the same day that we installed our first six LED bulbs.
In addition to being mercury free, these bulbs are instant on, energy efficient and cool to the touch. The compact fluorescent bulbs that they replaced require 17 watts and their replacements produce a more even and brighter light for just 7.5 watts. Over the life of these bulbs, they would have saved over five hundred dollars in energy costs had I been using forty watt incandescent bulbs. Since I was already using CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lighting) my savings will be around half of that. However, after looking carefully at the facts, I was sold on the CFL technology twenty years ago. The primary "reason" people give for not liking CFL technology is that the bulbs contain mercury and require special disposal. In fact, the amount of mercury that is in a CFL bulb is less than the amount that would be spewed into the atmosphere by the wasted electricity required to get the same amount of light from an incandescent bulb. I do have to save the bulbs up to make sure they make it to the proper disposal facility, but that is a small price to pay for protecting the environment.
Just as many cities are requiring people to use composting facilities for their yard waste, it is becoming more important to make sure all of our "waste" gets tot he proper place so that it can be recycled or reused. compost is even better because it gets waste to transform into a useable product without the addition of hardly any energy and only a tiny bit of water. I have been composting for most of my life and the amount of dirt that I have created through this process would fill most houses. This soil is home to billions of creatures and even the enrichment of soils that I no longer live near makes me feel good and helps others to grow better vegetables. In time, we may be able to teach the idiots that are rich and powerful, but I'm not waiting around for that day. Instead, I share what I have come to know with whoever is willing to pay attention.
Thank you for being part of the process of building a better world. Do what you can to bring truth to the halls of politics. Encourage others to find solutions amongst the sea of problems that they tell us about on the news and above all, think long and hard about what each of us can do the heal the schism between humankind and nature. It may be the only way that we have to leave something for our children that they will be proud to call home.
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