Becoming something…

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“It is clearly better for the environment to walk to the corner store rather than to drive there. Right?

Now even this seemingly obvious conclusion is being called into question by Chris Goodall via John Tierney’s blog. And Chris Goodall is no right-wing nut; he is an environmentalist and author of the book How to Live a Low-Carbon Life.

Tierney writes:

If you walk 1.5 miles, Mr. Goodall calculates, and replace those calories by drinking about a cup of milk, the greenhouse emissions connected with that milk (like methane from the dairy farm and carbon dioxide from the delivery truck) are just about equal to the emissions from a typical car making the same trip. And if there were two of you making the trip, then the car would definitely be the more planet-friendly way to go.”

Be Green: Drive - Freakonomics - Opinion - New York Times Blog

“A group called the Pacific Institute has done some further analysis of the data. Their analysis suggests that for most reasonable assumptions about the diet of the walker, driving generates a greater carbon footprint.”

More Analysis of the Environmental Impact of Walking vs. Driving - Freakonomics - Opinion - New York Times Blog

I’m glad this got sorted out as I had recently decided that the lack of bus service to work over the summer meant I should walk, not drive. My diet is vegetarian when convenient (and when I’m not needing a sure-fire fix to my blood sugar issues), so that put me a little bit out of the shooter’s eyesight.

Something else not being mentioned is the health benefits of walking, psychological and physical. The benefits might outweigh any carbon required to create the animal products used to power the walk. Yet, strictly carbon speaking, anyone who lives longer is by nature going to cause more carbon emissions. So eat less meat AND walk less?

What are you doing to lower your carbon footprint?

I’m walking to work,
eating less meat,
using reusable mugs at Starbucks,
try to avoid things shipped from overseas (I said try ), etc…

Edit: [Links to some related posts elsewhere: Fred Phelps at EMU | Fred Phelps To Protest At Eastern Michigan University | Be on the look-out for a hate group disguised as a church on campus today | Fred Phelps To Protest At Eastern Michigan University]

Gathering at the Eastern Michigan University (EMU) Student Center, supportive members of EMU’s campus and surrounding community showed their support for the LGBT community concerning issues of “inclusion and diversity,” stated Dan Burns, Chair of the LGBTRC Advisory Committee. The group, numbering over fifty, was in response to a charge to protest (see press release) by Westboro Baptist Church. They are commonly associated with Fred Phelps, their minister, and GodHatesFags.com. Per the press release, Westboro Baptist Church was choosing EMU as a way to voice their opinion against Campus Crusade for Christ’s, a national organization, decision in some areas to semi-support (Golden Rule Pledge) Day of Silence, a national movement to speak out through silence. EMU has a student organization representing Campus Crusade for Christ, but is not known to have participated in the pledge.

Their picketers did not show, to our knowledge. I was happy to participate. It was again a showing of support on campus (not to mention the $2500 raised for the EMU LGBT Emergency Fund through a $2 donation per Westboro Baptist Church protest minute, matched by Coors).

It reminds me of people’s varying opinions. In a lot of ways, it is daunting. Speaking of the silence we can feel as members of the LGBT… community, this is another example of a voice that keeps me from acting completely freely on a daily basis. In high school, my car was keyed with the word “FAG.” This served as a intense platform of empowerment but in reality did more damage than good. These voices are due for silencing not through limiting free speech but through supportive voices being louder. I encourage you to be the loudest in support as examples to your friends and communities. Examples of love and care need to be louder than those of hate.

http://www.storyofstuff.com/
Watch the above video (click the link). Awards won and such, it’s just a god damn good message to hear and internalize.

Another Way : 10 Little and Big Things You Can Do

1. Power down! A great deal of the resources we use and the waste we create is in the energy we consume. Look for opportunities in your life to significantly reduce energy use: drive less, fly less, turn off lights, buy local seasonal food (food takes energy to grow, package, store and transport), wear a sweater instead of turning up the heat, use a clothesline instead of a dryer, vacation closer to home, buy used or borrow things before buying new, recycle. All these things save energy and save you money. And, if you can switch to alternative energy by supporting a company that sells green energy to the grid or by installing solar panels on your home, bravo!
2. Waste less. Per capita waste production in the U.S. just keeps growing. There are hundreds of opportunities each day to nurture a Zero Waste culture in your home, school, workplace, church, community. This takes developing new habits which soon become second nature. Use both sides of the paper, carry your own mugs and shopping bags, get printer cartridges refilled instead of replaced, compost food scraps, avoid bottled water and other over packaged products, upgrade computers rather than buying new ones, repair and mend rather than replace….the list is endless! The more we visibly engage in re-use over wasting, the more we cultivate a new cultural norm, or actually, reclaim an old one!
3. Talk to everyone about these issues. At school, your neighbors, in line at the supermarket, on the bus…A student once asked Cesar Chavez how he organized. He said, “First, I talk to one person. Then I talk to another person.” “No,” said the student, “how do you organize?” Chavez answered, “First I talk to one person. Then I talk to another person.” You get the point. Talking about these issues raises awareness, builds community and can inspire others to action.
4. Make Your Voice Heard. Write letters to the editor and submit articles to local press. In the last two years, and especially with Al Gore winning the Nobel Peace Prize, the media has been forced to write about Climate Change. As individuals, we can influence the media to better represent other important issues as well. Letters to the editor are a great way to help newspaper readers make connections they might not make without your help. Also local papers are often willing to print book and film reviews, interviews and articles by community members. Let’s get the issues we care about in the news.
5. DeTox your body, DeTox your home, and DeTox the Economy. Many of today’s consumer products – from children’s pajamas to lipstick – contain toxic chemical additives that simply aren’t necessary. Research online (for example, http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/) before you buy to be sure you’re not inadvertently introducing toxics into your home and body. Then tell your friends about toxics in consumer products. Together, ask the businesses why they’re using toxic chemicals without any warning labels. And ask your elected officials why they are permitting this practice. The European Union has adopted strong policies that require toxics to be removed from many products. So, while our electronic gadgets and cosmetics have toxics in them, people in Europe can buy the same things toxics-free. Let’s demand the same thing here. Getting the toxics out of production at the source is the best way to ensure they don’t get into any home and body.
6. Unplug (the TV and internet) and Plug In (the community). The average person in the U.S. watches T.V. over 4 hours a day. Four hours per day filled with messages about stuff we should buy. That is four hours a day that could be spent with family, friends and in our community. On-line activism is a good start, but spending time in face-to-face civic or community activities strengthens the community and many studies show that a stronger community is a source of social and logistical support, greater security and happiness. A strong community is also critical to having a strong, active democracy.
7. Park your car and walk…and when necessary MARCH! Car-centric land use policies and life styles lead to more greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel extraction, conversion of agricultural and wildlands to roads and parking lots. Driving less and walking more is good for the climate, the planet, your health, and your wallet. But sometimes we don’t have an option to leave the car home because of inadequate bike lanes or public transportation options. Then, we may need to march, to join with others to demand sustainable transportation options. Throughout U.S. history, peaceful non-violent marches have played a powerful role in raising awareness about issues, mobilizing people, and sending messages to decision makers.
8. Change your lightbulbs…and then, change your paradigm. Changing lightbulbs is quick and easy. Energy efficient lightbulbs use 75% less energy and last 10 times longer than conventional ones. That’s a no-brainer. But changing lightbulbs is just tinkering at the margins of a fundamentally flawed system unless we also change our paradigm. A paradigm is a collection of assumptions, concepts, beliefs and values that together make up a community’s way of viewing reality. Our current paradigm dictates that more stuff is better, that infinite economic growth is desirable and possible, and that pollution is the price of progress. To really turn things around, we need to nurture a different paradigm based on the values of sustainability, justice, health, and community.
9. Recycle your trash…and, recycle your elected officials. Recycling saves energy and reduces both waste and the pressure to harvest and mine new stuff. Unfortunately, many cities still don’t have adequate recycling systems in place. In that case you can usually find some recycling options in the phone book to start recycling while you’re pressuring your local government to support recycling city-wide. Also, many products – for example, most electronics - are designed not to be recycled or contain toxics so recycling is hazardous. In these cases, we need to lobby government to prohibit toxics in consumer products and to enact Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, as is happening in Europe. EPR is a policy which holds producers responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products, so that electronics company who use toxics in their products, have to take them back. That is a great incentive for them to get the toxics out!
10. Buy Green, Buy Fair, Buy Local, Buy Used, and most importantly, Buy Less. Shopping is not the solution to the environmental problems we currently face because the real changes we need just aren’t for sale in even the greenest shop. But, when we do shop, we should ensure our dollars support businesses that protect the environment and worker rights. Look beyond vague claims on packages like “all natural” to find hard facts. Is it organic? Is it free of super-toxic PVC plastic? When you can, buy local products from local stores, which keeps more of our hard earned money in the community. Buying used items keeps them out of the trash and avoids the upstream waste created during extraction and production. But, buying less may be the best option of all. Less pollution. Less Waste. Less time working to pay for the stuff. Sometimes, less really is more.

Another Way

To continue the weekly series reviewing, exploring, and living Web 2.0, I am going to talk about the very thing needed for it. The web, internet, or whatever you call it; you need a connection to the very network that makes it up.

We all know that a call to the local cable or phone company can set up access
that will plug you in. You are probably viewing this blog via such connection. Usually you are limited to locations that provide a connection. First, it was the hardwiring into hotels, campuses, and friendly shops. Now, added mobility has come with the advent of Wi-Fi, or Wireless Fidelity, but is still limited to the areas in which they are provided. A cellular phone can be used to connect but often at a price and with browsing limitations. Even smartphones (including the iPhone) dumb down varying levels of web content.

A new online existence increasingly depends on this access. As programmers rethink the content we view and use online, their world is a connected one. With frequencies, that allow the quick high bandwidth (amount of data at one time) transmission, still unavailable in most of the United States, this is a challenge for both sides. Municipal Wi-Fi networks are still in their infancy, just failing, or only working on a small scale. So what is an emerging Web 2.0 junkie to do? A slightly dated article on how to steal Wi-Fi shares some great, still valid, tips.

The best method to find some free wireless is to treat your laptop like a cell phone. Since Wi-Fi and cell phone signals travel on a similar radio frequency, the same tricks you use for getting a better phone connection might work on your computer.

We know everyone that is anyone has Wi-Fi, but often when you walk into those noted locations you aren’t just a click away. A ominous password, log-in page, or subscription request builds a wall that often seems too tall to climb.

Certain names are a giveaway that a network probably won’t be password-protected. Look for “linksys,” “default,” “Wireless,” “NETGEAR,” “belkin54g,” and “Apple Network 0273df.” These are the default network names for the most popular wireless routers. If a network owner hasn’t taken the time to change the default name, that’s a good clue that they probably won’t have a password either. You should also look for signs of hacker culture. Since hackers love giving away Net access, an all-lowercase name like “hackdojo” is most likely an invitation to log on. On the other hand, a name in all caps is typically a network under corporate lockdown.
If you do get prompted for a password, try “public”—that’s the default on many of Apple’s AirPort units. You can also try common passwords like “admin,” “password,” and “1234″—or just check out this exhaustive list of default passwords.

We can’t be the Mongols forever, and invade walls all day, if we really want the true access to Wi-Fi that we feel we deserve. An article by Bruce Schneier sheds some beams onto a new type of politeness and discusses the argument behind opening up your wireless network.

To me, it’s basic politeness. Providing internet access to guests is kind of like providing heat and electricity, or a hot cup of tea.

I’m told that uninvited strangers may sit in their cars in front of my house, and use my network to send spam, eavesdrop on my passwords, and upload and download everything from pirated movies to child pornography. As a result, I risk all sorts of bad things happening to me, from seeing my IP address blacklisted to having the police crash through my door.

This in detail may be true, but within a block of my apartment I know of at least four places with open networks. The risk can’t be very high, especially since I think a would be abuser prefers coffee or beer instead of the hallways of my building to accompany their surfing.

Mark Mulligan of Jupiter Research said it best: “If you’re a file sharer, you know that the likelihood of you being caught is very similar to that of being hit by an asteroid.”

Just as long as you keep your computer secure, you are fine. Those who mean to damage or steal your information could hack into your wireless network anyways. Your best line of defense is to install software locally to protect your computer no matter what network it is on. Newer versions of operating systems have firewall settings available, plus there is a good amount of free software available to download.

Security is always a trade-off. I know people who rarely lock their front door, who drive in the rain (and, while using a cellphone) and who talk to strangers. In my opinion, securing my wireless network isn’t worth it. And I appreciate everyone else who keeps an open wireless network, including all the coffee shops, bars and libraries I have visited in the past, the Dayton International Airport where I started writing this and the Four Points Sheraton where I finished. You all make the world a better place.

I’m not holding out for Ypsilanti’s city Wi-Fi to start working in more places than the center of the parking lot behind my apartment. In the mean time, eat, drink, sleep, and Wi-Fi without hassle at my place anytime. I encourage you to do the same.

I went to work forgetting I have purpose. I have skills, opportunities, and my position in life to work towards something, even if it’s nothing.

Beginning a bit depressed, today wasn’t supposed to be the day that I heard inspiration and absorbed it instead of just listening to it.

A man named Jeff Johnson (BET’s Cousin Jeff) spoke as our Martin Luther King Jr. keynote. He moved and reached me.

To paraphrase and summarize in my own words, isn’t the same. I still wanted to leave you with a message.

No one was born a leader or without potential. We also cannot be things that we aren’t. At this time, we are who we are and we have what we have. Use what you have and use your position. To posture yourself into higher self, something “to be,” instead of something that “is” is falsifying your talents. Wake up from your dream and act. Words are old and can act as weights. Create your own words, story, and purpose. I hope you have the strength to be open to your own purpose. Purpose doesn’t exist in what you think is supposed to be, it is in your current situation, your now. Be now, feel now, and use now, because now ain’t forever.

In the land of the free, the early election crap has reason for such an early start this year. Obama and Huckabee take the Iowa caucuses! If you put me to vote, Huckabee would probably be the last one I’d vote for out of all of them. As for Obama, he knows his politics, but does he know the White House? I’m actually a Clinton fan. Richardson second for me and then a tie for third with Obama and Edwards. To give the the Republicans out there a shout out, I’m actually feelin’ Rudy.

To get some great commentary on the Iowa action check these out:

Iowa Changes Everything

“After last night’s Iowa Caucus results, some are saying the GOP is now in total disarray, and others are expressing shock that the once seemingly unstoppable Clinton train has gone off the rails, with the New York Times calling her performance a ’startling setback.’”

Obama Takes Iowa in a Big Turnout as Clinton Falters; Huckabee Victor

“Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, a first-term Democratic senator trying to become the nation’s first African-American president, rolled to victory in the Iowa caucuses on Thursday night, lifted by a record turnout of voters who embraced his promise of change.”

The Daily Dish - This whole blog is doing a bunch of great personal commentary

A reader here wrote, “And the people won. I never thought I’d be so happy to see two people I completely disagree with win. This election transcends policy positions. It’s about who we are as a county. Can we be conned? Bought? Blinded by prejudice, fear or “inevitability”? The answer tonight was a resounding NO.”

Obama’s victory in Iowa sheds light on today’s workplace

“Millennials are fundamentally conservative…Baby boomers are being forced out, in a non-disruptive way…The gender divide is an antiquated view of the world…”

See you in New Hampshire and Super Tuesday

I nearly killed myself in college to get straight A’s. Well, almost straight A’s. I graduated with 37 A’s and 3 B’s for a GPA of 3.921. At the time, I thought I was hot stuff. Now I wonder if it wasn’t a waste of time. Let me explain:

1. No one has ever asked about my GPA.
2. I didn’t sleep.
3. I’ve forgotten 95% of it.
4. I didn’t have time for people.
5. Work experience is more valuable.

-This post content is from Jon Morrow as posted on Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist. His blog is On Moneymaking. Read it’s full content here.

Me: (I didn’t get straight As, but my only C was from study abroad. I too didn’t sleep much, but usually thanks to procrastination, or what I called “learning outside of the classroom”)

What are grades? The subjective and objective opinions of professors usually concerning your work for and within the classroom. Sometimes you get lucky (or not) and the professor considers yourself outside of the classroom in determining a grade. We know why we need them, or at least we think we do. Few other alternatives have been accepted, so why care?

From the day that grades were introduced to me (4th grade), partially the explanation of the “fourth grad slump” I learned about yesterday, I saw them as a personal indicator. Before that, looking back at my younger report cards, I remember thinking the higher the number the better (we used a number system before 4th grade). Those 2s, 3s, and 4s out of 5 always looked good to my younger self, the bigger the better. I still remember being placed on a more advanced track, thus the teacher recognized my ability despite my “poor” performance. It wasn’t until Junior year of high school that I detached grades, for the most part, from a system that was grading me as a person. This was good, but not good for my grades. There was a rebound and grades took on a mixed meaning in college as I learned of learning outside of the classroom as well.

So what is it? Doesn’t everyone learn differently? Many of the students that I am involved with right now spend their life in DSA (Division of Student Affairs), many times at the cost of their school work. Yet, they learn and exhibit extreme skill. There has been a trend in college these days to reincorporate “out of the classroom” experiences into the curriculum. Anything from service-learning, externships, to actual work experience counting as class credit. This was the topic covered while attending a conference in Seattle.

I love this trend.

So I say learn on! Yet as a graduate looking at graduate school, thinking of my career, working full-time, and trying to pursue my own interests while trying to make a difference, I still wonder if those grades represent my ability of thinking to learn or learning to think?