Why Cycling is To Transportation What Efficiency is to Energy
Written on 08/05 at 12:59 AM by Andy Posner
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The author, on his 2005 cross-country bicycle trip, proving that cycling can be sexy!
I wrote this article for TreeHugger. It can be seen in its original context here
Until the recent spike in gas prices, much of the discussion about solving our transportation problems--namely, emissions from cars and dependence on foreign oil--centered on increasing the efficiency of the vehicles we drive through higher CAFE standards and new designs. Lately, the discussion has expanded to include the importance of public transportation, walkable cities and, to a lesser extent, cycling. However, even as alternatives to driving have become more prominent in public discourse, the fact of the matter is that people get far more excited about the Chevy Volt and the Tesla Roadster than they do about hybrid-electric buses and bicycle lanes.
Shiny Cars and Solar Panels Get More Attention
In much the same way, when it comes to solving our energy crisis there is always more enthusiasm for renewable energy technologies, like wind and solar, than there is for energy efficiency. When it comes down to it, fancy cars and shiny solar panels are just sexier than riding a bicycle and installing triple-glazed windows. At the same time, cycling--which is the most efficient form of transportation--and energy efficiency, are by far the cheapest means of addressing a wide range of issues, from climate change, to congestion to high energy prices.
Throwing Out “Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.”
Written on 08/03 at 02:18 PM by Andy Posner
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I wrote this article for the Huffington Post. You can read it in its original context here.
The Old Mantra
For a long time one of the defining mantras of the environmental movement has been “Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.” It’s the kind of simple message that is easy to remember and makes for fantastic bumper sticker reading, yet it’s also a message that utterly fails to inspire. The problem with the “Three R’s” of environmentalism is that they are representative of flawed thinking: that in order to reconcile humans with nature, humans must restrict themselves while engaging in several select token activities, such as recycling, changing light bulbs, or buying hybrid cars. Yet these activities are just that: token. They can’t begin to scratch the surface of global climate, energy, poverty, water, and health issues.
A New Mantra
All this is not to say that we should not do what we can in our personal lives to affect change; rather, it means that we need a new, inspiring message, one that presents global problems as opportunities, galvanizes people to action, and unleashes human potential and creativity. We simply won’t “Reduce. Reuse. and Recycle” our way to Utopia. The scale of global problems requires a message that invites big thinking and reaches all segments of society. So I propose a new mantra, not just for environmentalists, but for all those working toward the common good. It is a mantra that just so happens to still be simple and concise enough to fit on a bumper sticker: Invent. Invest. Implement.
Small Is Beautiful. . .Right?
Written on 07/11 at 12:26 PM by Andy Posner
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Large scale solar collectors such as this 100,000 square foot array are becoming Increasingly commonplace in the desert
In 1973, a collection of essays titled Small is Beautiful: Economics As if People Mattered, was published by the British economist E.F. Schumacher. In it, Schumacher argued that our economies had become “too big and too centralized,” defined by dehumanization, mechanization and unsustainable growth. Instead, Schumacher proposed what he called “Buddhist Economics,” which stressed the importance of decentralization for creating dignified, just and meaningful interactions between people and their work, environment, and the larger world.
Renewable Energy=Global Village?
I bring up Small in Beautiful because one of the most enticing features of renewable energy is its potential for realizing Schumacher’s vision of a global economy that functions at the level of the village. Because new forms of energy production-wind, solar, methane capture-are productive rather than extractive, and local rather than global, they can sustainably support economies that function on a human scale. When combined with new methods of communication and collaboration (namely, information technology and the open source revolution), a new era can be ushered in, an era defined by the concept of a ‘Global Village:’ powered by the sun, globally interconnected yet culturally, politically and geographically unique. A global village is self-sufficient (to the extent possible), empowers individuals, and is free from the hegemony of large corporations and institutions.
Decoupling: The Answer to the Health Care and Climate Crises?
Written on 03/28 at 01:47 PM by Andy Posner
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One of the great ironies of investor-owned utilities in the era of climate change is that the incentives are entirely backward: utilities earn money by selling electricity. The more they sell, the more they earn. This has the unfortunate consequence of increasing the emission of greenhouse gases and other pollutants such as mercury and sulfur dioxide. And because utilities are required by law to maximize profits for their shareholders, it isn't surprising that they have dragged their feet for decades on the issue of reducing emissions from power plants.
A New Mantra
Written on 11/20 at 10:16 PM by Andy Posner
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A New Mantra For a long time now one of the defining mantras of the environmental movement has been "Reduce. Reuse. Recycle." It's the kind of simple message--wrapped in alliteration--that makes for fantastic bumper sticker reading. Unfortunately, it's also the kind of message that utterly fails to inspire anything other than guilt and limitations, a fact clearly demonstrated by unabashedly rising rates of consumption in the U.S. and around the world despite decades of pleas for consumer self-abnegation. And regardless of what one thinks of our American bumper sticker culture, the fact remains that the "Three R's" of environmentalism are representative of a much broader message: that in order to reconcile humans with nature, humans must restrict themselves while engaging in several select token activities, such as recycling, changing light bulbs, or buying hybrid cars. Yet these activities are just that: token. They can not begin to scratch the surface of global climate, poverty, water, waste, toxic materials, health and deforestation issues. All this is not to say that we should not do what we can in our personal lives to affect change; rather, it means that we need a new, inspiring message, one that presents global problems as opportunities, galvanizes people to action, and unleashes human potential and creativity. Oh, and it just so happens that the new message is simple, wrapped in alliteration, and fits on a bumper sticker too: Invent. Invest. Implement.
Is Climate Change a Moral Issue?
Written on 09/22 at 10:38 PM by Andy Posner
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". . .every American who understands the full threat of global warming has a moral obligation to make as many personal changes as possible right now."–Mike Tidwell, in an essay entitled "Forget the Light Bulbs"Al Gore has not only helped bring the issue of climate change into our political discourse, he has also shaped and framed the discussion in terms of a moral issue. In a country obsessed with family values and strong morals, that is perhaps an effective way of getting the attention of, for lack of a better term, "the religious right." However, by making environmentalism, and therefore environmentalists, bearers of moral propriety, he has created a situation in which the lay public views the green movement as sanctimonious.
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Click here to download a PDF of my complete thesis. Questions and comments are much appreciated!
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