“Small rooms or dwellings set the mind in the right path, large ones cause it to go astray.” -Leonardo da Vinci
Sep
2
2
The problem with Gross National Product as a measurement of . . .
Kennedy in 1964.
Too much and for too long, we seem to have surrendered personal excellence and community value in the mere accumulation of material things. Our Gross National Product, now, is over eight hundred billion dollars a year, but that GNP — if we judge the United States of America by that — that GNP counts air pollution and cigarette advertising and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for the people who break them. It counts the destruction of the redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and it counts nuclear warheads, and armored cars for the police to fight riots in our cities. It counts Whitman’s rifle and Speck’s knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.
Yet the Gross National Product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans.
These are the words of Robert F. Kennedy, spoken in 1968 shortly before his assassination.
Aug
24
24
From ancient Rome to contemporary San Diego
Born over two thousand years ago, Roman orator Marcus Cicero was an early supporter of the STAND FOR LESS movement:
“Special care should be taken, if you build yourself, not to go beyond reasonable limits in costliness and splendor. In such extravagance great mischief is done by mere example; for very many are anxious to follow the example of distinguished men. Here there certainly is need of a limit, and of a return to a moderate standard. The same standard ought to be applied to the entire habit and style of living.”
Jul
19
19
Jay Shafer shows us how to live with less
How much space do you really need?
If this is too small for you, what amount of square footage would be ideal in your dream house? How many people will you share the house with?
Jul
16
16
William James encourages San Diego to STAND FOR LESS
“Lives based on having are less free than lives based on either doing or being.” -William James 1842-1910
Jul
12
12
Running the Numbers: An American Portrait, by artist Chris Jordan
Our STAND FOR LESS artist of the summer is Chris Jordan. Jordan creates innovative art highlighting the waste involved with mass consumption. He describes his work as depicting the “problem of unconscious collective behavior.” We know a little bit about this at STAND FOR LESS and we applaud Chris for his creativity and passion.
Consider his work Light Bulbs, part of the “Running the Numbers” series. It incorporates 320,000 light bulbs, “equal to the number of kilowatt hours of electricity wasted in the United States every minute from inefficient residential electricity usage.” The images on his website allow you to zoom in to see the elements behind his work. Light Bulbs literally incorporates 320,000 bulbs within the image.
Another image from “Running the Numbers” is Cans Seurat which utilizes 106,000 aluminum cans (American use that many every thirty seconds) to create a copy of neo-impressionist artist’s George Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.
Visit Chris Jordan’s site, and when you do, be sure to interact with the images (by clicking on them) to see how he composed them.
Very well done Chris!
Source: Running the Numbers: An American Portrait by Chris Jordan
Jun
29
29
Welcome to the future! California-based Tesla Motors goes public today
A Tesla Roadster prototype.
What’s the big deal? Tesla Motors, the young manufacturer of electric sports cars is going public? So what. Most of us can’t afford one.
And yet, this is the first initial public offering (IPO) of an American car company since the Ford family took Ford public in 1956.
This is history and we are watching with great interest from San Diego.
Tesla is well in to the process, of creating from scratch, cars that represents a revolution in vehicular transportation. The breakthroughs that Tesla are pioneering are vital to transforming the fleet of cars on American roads. At STAND FOR LESS we spend a lot of time discussing issues related to America’s addiction to petroleum. In fact, that addiction, and its consequences, has been a key part of our nation’s policies and conversations since at least 1973.
Tesla, with its electric cars, represents an important part of the solution regarding America’s affinity for petroleum.
This video, by Motortrend, compares the Tesla Roadster to a Porshe Boxter Spyder. It’s 14 minutes long and begins with a short ad from Google. It’s well worth the time to enhance your understanding of why Tesla is indeed a big deal:
Jun
24
24
L.A. Times takes a STAND FOR LESS plastic bags
In an editorial today, the L.A. Times came out in favor of banning single-use plastic bags in California. The bill is awaiting consideration by the California Senate.
Jun
17
17
From San Diego to the Gulf–considering healthy oceans
STAND FOR LESS is passionate about encouraging all of us to take a look at what we’re doing. What do we use? What could we use less of? How would that make our lives richer, and the world better?
This video from the NRDC looks below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico at the ecosystems that are being affected by the oil spill.
Why STAND FOR LESS resources used, including oil? Because human sustainability is directly connected to the ecosystems that support us. Please take a moment to watch this important video: