In recent years, I only managed to stick to two: 2018: no more coffe to go cups, if I need a coffee, I can wait until I drink it from a cup sitting down, and 2019: no more plastic bottles of water - because a, I am never about to die of thirst and b, if really necessary, I can carry a reusable container.
But these here from Woody Guthrie are worth taking a look at, especially no.s 11 and 31-33.
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| picture credit here |
And, of course, we know what else we have to do:
- Drive petrol-powered cars less.
- Ride a bike more or use public transport or walk.
- Get solar panels, the sun shines daily and for free.
- Think carefully about the food you eat and how it’s grown.
- Purchase thoughtfully.
- Fly less.
- Insist that our leaders are serious about climate, and expect them to follow through on their promises.
26. Dance better.
ReplyDeleteI like that.
I try to do all of the things you suggest and I will be contemplating Woody's list as well. Seems like a fine one to me.
I love seeing Woody Guthrie's resolutions. That's quite a long, detailed list. I didn't make any resolutions, but I do practice most of what is on the list you provided. Haven't gotten solar panels yet, may wait until we find another house with better southern exposure.
ReplyDeleteI wondered who Mary and the kids were, his first wife, I found out. And he had to put change socks in his list? Reminds me of my own husband:)
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that he died of Huntington's Disease, it's strange because I was just talking about that the other day at work.
I want to stop buying plastic bottles as well. A good year to start and all I need is a little planning.
I try to do all that except drive the car less. kinda not an option out here in the middle of nowhere. I've been thinking of resurrecting my bike which I would use in the city when we lived there. would probably be easier and cheaper to just buy a new one. the closest place to bike to would be the library. and re your past comment...I love coming to your house too.
ReplyDelete#33 is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful list! Enjoyed the little drawings too.
ReplyDeleteAnd number 3! Wash teeth if any!! Ha!
ReplyDeleteIsn't the list a bit too casually contructed?
ReplyDelete1. In fact diesel cars are the newly discovered villains.
2. Bike/bus/walk. Or if old age has turned these options into a burden stay indoors and moulder.
3. Solar panels. Done it. But don't expect to amortise the cost in less than ten years.
4. Think about food. This I do. Out-of-season asparagus comes exclusively from Peru. Luckily the flavour doesn't match in-season stalks from nearby Evesham Vale. I can afford to be a trifle sanctimonious here.
5. Fly less. Goodbye then to the benefits of foreignness.
6. Insist that our leaders... Tell that to Oz residents burning in Hell and whose prime-minister is committed to the country's ever-profitable coal exports.
Memo to self:
ReplyDeleteDon't start issuing blog comments until you've read the morning newspaper!
In fact present-day diesels (the few that are being sold) have lower CO2 emissions than present-day petrol engines. The Guardian plastered egg over my face with this story today. In fact the situation re. diesels remains complex. Following the VW scandal the talk tended to be about the particulates (eg, soot) that diesels emitted, something that had been long known. Whatever, sales of diesels dropped through the floor and seem unlikely to recover in the near future.
Re-reflecting on this list it occurred to me that the world's ancients (which include me) find themselves in an awkward moral position. They did all the flying, ate all the methane-producing animals, occupied all the available hospital beds and bought progressively more luxurious cars but aren't in a position (because of their advanced age) to engage in significant acts of redemption.
What would you have of us? Sack-cloth and sorrow? Don't think so. Most of us have buying power out of all proportion to our morality - watch out for a bull market in companies which weave sack-cloth.
This is a constant argument and such a weak one, to think that acting on climate change will result in sack-cloth and sorrow - when in fact this may be what humanity will be faced with if we do not act now.
DeleteWho sold us this idea that a life style based mainly on exploitation of fossil fuels is the be all/end all and that without it our world will be miserable? Seriously, take a look at the science of renewables for a start.
As for your comments on flying less/not at all and the subsequent loss of visiting foreign parts: It was not until the mid 1990s that we could actually afford to fly when visiting family or going on holidays. All other flights prior to that - very few - were paid by employers.
So what did we do, living in Co.Cork during a massive recession? I give you a clue: it involved ferries and trains. It was fun, seriously. During our poor years, we showed our daughter the changes in landscape, food, weather, languages all the way to France, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, even Sicily. We still talk about the way the train went onto the ferry to Messina and how we woke up in Taormina on a sunny December morning. Who sold us the idea that travel to foreign parts must involve sitting in an airplane watching American movies and eating trashy food, and arriving snap bang in the middle without real actual travel?
I can hear your reply: comfort, time. But there is nothing uncomfortable about trains, you even have a tunnel now connecting to foreign Europe. As for time: what's wrong with making the actual journey part of it?
Mind you, train journeys were cheap then. They could well be cheap again.
My nephew has just returned from a train trip to Venice and back (he lives in Copenhagen) with two toddlers for whom the night train was the absolute highlight both ways.
That is a rather wonderful list of resolutions. My favorite: Keep hoping machine running. Happy new year, dear Sabine.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting list from Woody Guthrie!
ReplyDeleteYour list is better, though. I don't make resolutions per se, but do try to spend some time reflecting on what I can do better.