As it it begins to cool down, again, this week its the perfect weather for curling up with a good book, or white paper, or two. Here are a few recent publications to get lost in:
“Perspectives on Energy Policy” from Sandia National Labs is an overview of what we should do as a nation to overcome the fact that we’ve not been doing much of anything. Continue reading
Spending three days in a meditation retreat center in western Massachusetts for labor day weekend reminded me how complex and busy my life has become in the hustle and bustle of Boston. It is easy being green out in the woods, where you are not tempted by the daily conveniences of fancy coffees, take out foods, and the countless other goodies to consume at ones whim. On a number of occasions I have lived in the countryside practicing permaculture and other eco-techniques like raising chickens, vermiculture, and biking as my sole mode of transportation. While these options are available here in Boston, finding the time to fully practice being green is an incredible challenge.
Collin Beavan, also known as No Impact Man, decided to try living impact free for one year in Manhattan with his family and their story is being released on September 11th to raise awareness on how to live more sustainable lives. The documentary trailer highlights some of the difficulties and rewards of living more sustainably and challenges individuals to look at what they eat, consume, drive, and all the other modern conveniences that have a collective impact on the planet. For instance, Colin Beavan’s wife Michelle struggled with giving up her Starbuck coffee’s but ended up reversing her diabetes through adopting a healthy diet and walking 24 flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator. The family initially mourned the loss of their television and other conveniences but ended up finding more quality time for each other. Check out No Imapct Man’s tips on how to live green and the savings they made over the course of their project.
Amazon has just released the new version of their book reading device, the Kindle 2. The new hard drive (2GB) holds 1500 books and features a new “Read to Me” feature which allows the…. user to hit a button and let the Kindle read for you. In other words it’s a book that comes with it’s own ‘Books on Tape’ mode. All improvements over the first Kindle, which was essentially a high resolution black & white screen with a hard drive attached.
Many media pundits are using this launch to dust the cobwebs off their Books Will Soon Be Extinct storyline. Many of these people have also speculated that if Amazon can’t make the leap to digitally delivered products, their future looks awfully shaky. An ironic twist given many of these experts are working for media companies who are practically on life support themselves. As an example, the New York Times live blogged the launch event.
Perhaps you’re asking yourself why Warm Home Cool Planet is getting all tangled up in the launch of yet another interactive media product. It’s the same reason we take an interest in all different types of technology. Will they lead to more effective and (energy) efficient ways of doing things?
There is no question human thoughts–and the words we use to express them–will always be an integral part of our society. Think of the book–or the Kindle–as a delivery system for those words and it makes things a little clearer. Do people have a stronger attachment to books than they do for newspapers? Is the long form of the book more conducive to an ‘analog’ reading experience?
We have no doubt someone with more time on their hands than Warm Home Cool Planet is calculating the carbon footprint of getting a book into a reader’s hands versus beaming it their Kindle. We’ll bring you those facts and figures when they become available.