Seeds for Thought: an Ecopsychology Blog

consuming passions

I've been meaning to look at what I spend, an ecological / ethical audit.

Finally made the break to reading newspapers online.  The guardian / observer have articles on the ethics of sharing, when is it better to buy new more efficient appliances  Most content is free online, a diigital subscription gives you everything. You can get crosswords too.

Downsizing is not always simple. Buying ethically, organic or fair trade can mean spending more. Buying locally too, although this is because we don't pay the true air freight costs. As one shop says:
less Air Miles, more Farm Yards. though you probably have to be old and british to appreciate that one.

share with freecycling

a group in San Francisco have an interesting blog about their compact not to consume, (with exceptions) and how to do it.

The cooperative bank have an admirable ethical policy But they are still a bank, and offer to extend your credit limit.

where are our limits?

Walking

I’ve been taking long walks every morning these days, to counter the spreading-buttocks-phenomenon which is a side effect of my current sedentary work-style. Besides the healthly blessings of exercise and being outside, breathing in fresh air, it’s been so rejuvenating for my spirit. I am becoming more and more aware of the particular nuances of my neighborhood – gardens, squirrels, strolling neighbors and lounging neighborhood cats, discovering where the library is, and what new businesses are opening.

Here are a few close portraits of some of the more wonderful presences I’ve come across on these morning journeys… Is this not a loving face?

New Website on Community Ecotherapy "best practices"

Ecopsychologist Craig Chalquist, Ph.D., who teaches at Sonoma State and John F. Kennedy Universities, has started a new website (www.terrapsych.com/opuspax.html) to collect community ecotherapy “best practices” for future survival:

“With all the urgent talk about peak oil and a post-carbon future, we hear very little addressing the social or psychological implications of living in such a world. And yet what point survival if we don't survive whole?

”I have created a Web page to begin collecting "best practices" that foster mental well-being and community harmony. My thought is that rather than waiting around for the empire to fall, or spending a fortune stockpiling bullets and dried apricots, why not see all this as an opportunity to experiment with practices that have been used the world over by people in peaceful communities: conflict resolution, the practice of council, clear communications skills, indigenous ways of knowing, town hall democracy, practical psychology, restorative justice, etc.

An Ecopsychology Response to the (UK) Budget

Apologies to the Lib Dems and the BBC, as I'm just taking a BBC report on their response to Gordon Brown's budget and tweaking it...

Sustainable Thornbury has accused Gordon Brown of showing "complacency" towards the environment in his Budget.

In their Budget response they also said Mr Brown had failed to tackle "peak oil" or deal with other energy and water issues.

Cancer and the Environment (2)

Everywhere you go, you see people drinking from water bottles.  Backpacks have special pockets so you can carry your water around.  You can't go to a meeting without seeing a tray of water bottles.  Offices rent water coolers and have weekly delivery service from a water supplier. Most of the people who carry bottles around are within a few feet of either a bathroom or kitchen sink which delivers cool, clean, clear water -- water they prefer to ignore.

Some water comes from springs, often extracted by multinationals for free and then sold at ridiculous prices; other water is just plain tapwater which has been filtered and bottled; yet other water has been bottled by major soft-drink companies and goodness knows what has been added to it (my suspicious mind thinks 'cafeine' but I'm probably just paranoid).  Whatever the source, whatever the process, the focus has now turned to the bottles themselves.

Cameron Smith is a respected journalist who writes a column on the environment for The Toronto Star.  Last Saturday's column has me worried.  Please read this.

Seasons

The Spring equinox came and went on the West Coast with barely a ripple of comment or discussion. Groundhog Day, Valentines Day even Mardi Gras receive more attention. Here the season changed from a cold windy rain to a warm windy rain almost imperceptibly. A V of geese descended through the high rise buildings to land in our little park pond. The Broom bloomed to the consternation of allergics who curse the home sick Scotsman who introduced the flower here to sooth his sorrows. Daffodils and Crocus are more welcome though Dogwood is the native species. The change of seasons should be a deeply religious occasion. It ought to be both a celebration of our human powers of observation and of what it is we see and hear. Druids gathering at Stonehenge to watch a ray of sunlight fall exactly as predicted could feel pride in the precision of their monoliths and in the power of the planet to reward their observance. Now it seems mundane and the moment passes without comment amid the noise of war, gas price changes and the Spring fashion scene.

stirring the sex pot

or getting dressed again. I will be visible today and it is a bad morning, 3 changes of trousers 2 of tops and my shoes tho sensible are less comfortable than my trainers. and doubtless I still look as beyond the pale as ever. I hate women's clothes, they are mean and pinched and not quite loose enough in some places whatever the size. Hate men's clothes too they are ugly and drab.

I have been meaning to go back to Why don't I agree with gender reassignment surgery?

World Water Day

Wednesday is World Water Day and WaterPartners International is making a big push to get the word out about the world water crisis.

Whilst

The Global water crisis is the leading cause of death and disease in the world, taking the lives of more than 14,000 people each day, 11,000 of whom are children under age 5. In addition to the health problems, more than 200 million hours are spent every day by women and girls walking to collect water from distant, often polluted sources—time that could be better spent on more productive endeavors such as work and school. When you combine these factors, it’s clear that the Global water crisis is the single biggest problem facing the world’s poor, preventing them from reaching even the first rung on the socioeconomic ladder.

is bad enough, most people don't realize just how vulnerable we are even in the developed countries.

CNN: We Were Warned

CNN took on peak oil last night. And I even got to watch it over here in the UK! (It's airing again tonight in the U.S. and internationally.)

Not only did CNN get a good "early topper" expert on there (Matt Simmons of "The End of Suburbia" fame) but they even managed to relay the fact that it's too little, too late for any solutions. Wow.

The down side was that they made it seem as though the only way this would happen is if we had hurricanes in the Gulf Coast at the same time as terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia.

But at least they conveyed the fragility of the system and our absolute dependence on the stuff. Although, that said...

to the dump

Old joke:  where does the Lone Ranger bring his garbage?  To the dump, to the dump, to the dump, dump, dump (sung to the famous operatic tune featured in the tv series).  That's the damned song I've had in my head for the last 11 days after I returned from observing the shenanigans at municipal council.

If you feel in a time warp because I am referring to the Lone Ranger, then, hold on to your teeth when you read on.

It's 2006, not 1976.  Our municipal council is starting (barely starting) to deal with solid waste.  We have a dump about 25 km from the village where garbage (an industrial quantity produced by 325 citizens) is burned every Wednesday afternoon in winters and on Wednesdays and Fridays in summer.  A provincial law has now been passed forbidding the burning and the village is looking at how it can deal with this.