The Story of Stuff is an interactive presentation on our rampant and unsustainable cycle of consumerism and how that effects the environment, society, and ourselves.
We're studying Genesis in our Thursday morning Bible Study right now and I'm pretty sure when God talked about giving us "dominion" over creation God wasn't talking about this kind of behavior.
So, what are you having for lunch?
Doesn't sound like an earth shattering question, but the people at the PB&J Campaign think differently. They are encouraging people to eat more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to help slow global warming, save water, and save land from deforestation, overgrazing, and pesticides. This is over other lunch alternatives such as burgers or ham sandwiches or even cheese sandwiches. This is all based on eating lower on the food chain and, thus, having a smaller environmental impact. They run the numbers and it's pretty astounding. And, if you are sick of peanut butter and jelly, they suggest some tasty alternatives.
Also, I have to say, their website layout and design is very tasteful and fun.
So, what are you having for lunch?
I've been hearing a lot about going carbon neutral. The concept is pretty simple and thousands of years old. For every sin one must pay penance. And while we don't think about it much websites do contribute to global warming by using energy. While using energy is unavoidable even with conservation, one can offset the negatives by using your resources (typically money) to do things that will decrease the impact in other areas. Well, our host server has gone carbon neutral and, ipso facto, so has our website. I take no credit for this, but I'm pretty happy they take it seriously.
It's the existential question of our day - "Paper or plastic?" The best answer, of course, is to bring your own reusable bag. But if you forget, what are the pros and cons of plastic bags vs. paper bags and their impact on the environment?
Today Joanne Colan of Rocketboom discusses just this topic. I also found a good article by Nikki Tundel of Minnesota Public Radio. The Sierra Club had these statistics on their site:
[Image by Jere Smith]