Looking back, we see important flaws in the relationship between the human-dominated landscape and the natural world. Looking ahead, we see a need to reform the relationship-- but find it hard to know just how we might alter our direction, shift our momentum, adjust our speed. We seek a more careful "meshing" of social and natural systems, but we have no sure map to guide us.
-- Conservation biologist Curt Meine, "Inherit the Grid," 1997
Learning about the energy use, extractions, water use and toxic waste involved in running the Internet, solar PVs, industrial wind, batteries and e-vehicles has challenged me to my core. Writing about our technologies' ecological impacts has rarely changed individuals' behavior or led to policies that reduce our ecological impacts. Already, the Cloud has a greater carbon footprint than the airline industry. Now, president-elect Donald Trump promises to dismantle environmental protections and ramp up A.I. and crypto-currency.
I need coping skills.
A few days after the election, I heard a woman say that she starts her day with thanks for the land, water and air around her home.
I tried this right away.
My thanks came out mechanical and speedy.
Day 2, I slowed down enough to notice the dirt around my house and the water at my tap. At sunset, I noticed the sky. Thank you.
Day 3, I acknowledged that since my birth, I've expected clean tapwater 24/7-- along with electricity, a car, a phone, a fridge, a washer/dryer and grocery stores packed with nutritious, affordable food. If paying the corporations that supply these things is an expression of gratitude, then I thank corporations for their products and services much more often than I thank Nature or my parents and grandparents or the plants and animals that give me life.
Day 4, I realized that when I began expecting a word processor in the 1980s and Internet access in the 1990s, it did not occur to me to thank the Earth for providing them. I did not begin questioning the ecological impacts of manufacturing, operating or discarding computers or telecom infrastructure until I had used computers for 25 years.
Day 5, I noticed myself fretting that my life is not sustainable. I can barely afford rent, electricity, indoor plumbing, a refrigerator, a car and Internet access. If thanking the Earth for use of its gifts needs daily exercise, then I need to start practicing.
Day 6, I wonder about my ancestors who survived without electricity, indoor plumbing, a fridge, a car or Internet access. Did they say thanks each time they received food and shelter? Did they start their days trusting Nature to provide?
Day 7. I delight in tending my vegetable and herb garden. I like to cook, too. But once I've got a bowl of food, I can forget to say thanks for it. Twenty years ago, Amish friends taught me to keep silent for two minutes before eating. Without them at my table, this muscle has atrophied.
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