reading Tom Hopkins book The Power of Just Doing Stuff is giving me hope for the planet. Not wild hope. He levels with us. We can’t expect the lifestyle we grew up with. The planet can’t sustain that kind of consumption. But with revised expectations, life on earth is possible. Local economy is the necessity. Helena Norberg Hodge first brought that idea to my consciousness almost 20 years ago when she spoke at a gardening conference.
The key points that Mr. Hopkins makes are:
Extreme fossil fuels need to stay in the ground. (via Bill McKibben)
Nuclear is not an option.
Sprawl makes things worse.
Local food, local lending, local business is neccessary: grow your own, lend to your neighbor, buy from local small businesses.
Conservation and upgrades that help conservation help. Jobs are created, energy is saved.
beautifulbluegreenplanet 