A
collaborative
project with support from the Sisters of the Holy Names
Dedicated
to the mission of education. Within this mission, we
promote justice and create community.
The purpose of this website is to offer educational and informational
resources in support of our SNJM commitment to becoming a transformative
presence in the world.
We read a wonderful article by Albert Koehl on the Common
Dreams progressive newswire (www.commondreams.org)
entitled Lessons in Simplicity on Warming.
Koehl writes: "The most useful lessons to be learned in the
fight against global warming can probably be gleaned from
grade-school problem-solving exercises - for example, that
letting air out of the tires of a truck that doesn't quite
fit under a bridge is easier than raising the bridge. In other
words, difficult problems don't always call for complicated
solutions…"
A major emitter of greenhouse gases comes from the transportation
sector. He writes, "The big thinkers in big business and big
bureaucracies have proposed myriad complex solutions … all
of which still need an energy source. Then again, you could
just call over the fence to your neighbor Bob to get him to
ride downtown to work with you every day - resulting in an
immediate 50% reduction in gasoline use and greenhouse gas
emissions per trip."
"Gasoline consumption can also be reduced…drive 20% less
and reduce fuel consumption by 20%."
"Reducing freight transport emissions is easy too…Buying
apples from New Zealand…makes sense if you live in, say New
Zealand. The rest of us can buy more local goods."
He says that another problem comes "from the electricity-generating
sector. Reducing power plant emissions is most quickly achieved
by reducing power use... Adjusting the thermostat can reduce
demand while… sitting under a tree with a locally brewed beer
is a cool way to ponder other energy-saving opportunities."
What are we waiting for?
Sister Mimi Maloney SNJM; Sister Katherine Gray SNJM
Letter to the Editor
The Olympian
August 2008
|
