WorldZen encapsulates the belief that how we respect our world defines how we respect ourselves. To have a good environment means having a good life, yet how well do we meld 21st century life and planetary respect?
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Zen Suggestions
 | The Homeowner's Handbook to Energy Efficiency: A Guide to Big and Small Improvements, John T Krigger, Chris Dorsi, Saturn Resource Management, 2008Great book! Clear and useful, it contains tons of useful information. |
 | The Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings: Save Money, Save the Earth, Jennifer Thorne Amann, Alex Wilson, Katie Ackerly, New Society Publishers, 2007 |
 | The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists' Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics, William Easterly, MIT Press, 2002 |
 | Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons in Theory and Practice, Howard Gardner, Basic Books, 2006 |
 | Immigration and the Transformation of Europe, Craig A. Parsons, Timothy M. Smeeding, Cambridge University Press, 2008 |
| Learn more about these links | Suggest |
Inspiration
Just living is not enough... One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.Hans Christian Anderson
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| We'll stop using oil before it runs out |
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| Written by Richard | ||||||||
| Thursday, 27 May 2010 04:35 | ||||||||
 Proponents of the peak oil theory explain that there is not enough oil in the world to meet or future needs, that at some point, we will run out. Richard Sears believes that technology will reduce our oil usage.
Over the past 100 years we have steadily been reducing our dependence on carbon as a fuel and replacing it with others. The ability to do so has come essentially from our technological advancement rather than running out of particular materials.
Richard Sears, ex VP at Shell and visiting professor at MIT, believes that we will discover technologies that make the use of oil less interesting to us and therefore we will move away from it. He states that oil is actually abundant in the Earth and could therefore be used for a long time.
Looking back at previous carbon-based energy sources such as coal, they have already seen their usage reduce even though stocks still exist and are readily available today.
This is an interesting if not contentious viewpoint. Many believe we should stop using oil because of its environmental impact, both in its use and the dangers of drilling for it. In reality, there will probably be a mixture of different reasons why we stop using oil: cost, environmental impact, energy security and availability of new technologies. In many ways, we need to want to stop using oil for the need for new technologies to present itself.
As part of a Zen lifestyle, any reduction that we can make in environmentally damaging energy use should be lauded. Richard Searle, at TED 2010 Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/2931160632 For more insight into this topic, see these articles:
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| Last Updated on Thursday, 27 May 2010 04:51 |
