STAND FOR LESS

Leonardo da Vinci: Less is more

jbreitinger — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:38:51 +0000

“Small rooms or dwellings set the mind in the right path, large ones cause it to go astray.” -Leonardo da Vinci

The problem with Gross National Product as a measurement of . . .

jbreitinger — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:58:36 +0000

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.

Those crazy radicals at National Geographic

jbreitinger — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:18:34 +0000

If Treehugger’s report on secret talks among high level UK government officials is true, then National Geographic must be a crazy-eyed radical publication. The esteemed American magazine, known for making science interesting and accessible, has been discussing peak oil for years. Don’t miss this post at Treehugger.

Image from AZRainman.

Affluenza, do you have it?

jbreitinger — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:00:43 +0000

Too many of us do:

affluenza, n. a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more. (de Graaf [1])

affluenza, n. 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by the pursuit of the American Dream. . . .

Source: Wikipedia

Wendell Berry: Grow your own food and STAND FOR LESS

jbreitinger — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:06:13 +0000

“A person who undertakes to grow a garden at home, by practices that will preserve rather than exploit the economy of the soil, has his mind precisely against what is wrong with us. What I am saying is that if we apply our minds directly and competently to the needs of the earth, then we will have begun to make fundamental and necessary changes in our minds. We will begin to understand and to change our wasteful economy, which markets not just the produce of the earth, but also the earth’s ability to produce.” -Wendell Berry

What’s your oil IQ?

jbreitinger — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:45:12 +0000

This 17-minute talk by Lisa Margonelli of the New America Foundation Energy Policy Initiative moves beyond the rhetoric. It’s a thoughtful look at our attitudes toward oil, the realities of how we use it, and some solutions for weaning ourselves off of black gold:

Thanks Lisa and TED!

Edward Abbey speaks

jbreitinger — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:33:23 +0000

“The longest journey begins with a single step, not with a turn of the ignition key.” -Edward Abbey

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Pacific

jbreitinger — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:33:11 +0000

Dolphins need your help. Writing at Treehugger, Leilani Münter informs us that dolphin blood still flows at the cove.

The academy award winning documentary, The Cove, was a call to action for Münter. Here’s to the dolphins that still need our help and Leilani Münter for reminding us.

From ancient Rome to contemporary San Diego

jbreitinger — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:21:38 +0000

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.”

Sustainable Energy Week: September 12-18

jbreitinger — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:00:57 +0000

The California Center for Sustainable Energy’s (CCSE) Sustainable Energy Week is almost here. This is CCSE’s largest annual event and is well worth your time if you’re interested in this important topic. Learn more at the CCSE website.