My heart broke reading this. Years ago I lived on Cape Cod and saw many whales. They are so beautiful. I wish our current administration understood climate change. We can't even have clean energy with this crappy president.
It's much larger than this lousy president wannabe. It's all of the corporate induced presidents we've had since the 1960s who bought into the oil and gas industry's false self produced report that oil and gas exploration and use has to impact on the environment. Factual history anyone can explore on the internet.
Our current administration understands climate change - they choose to ignore it in favor of short $$ gain and to protect entrenched fossil fuel interests. Elections have consequences.
Nobody knows REAL history. This is a USA phenomenon.
Bible is ACTUAL HISTORY, not myth. Many of science’s past discoveries were made during an error, or “history” becomes filled with newer folklore, while oldest myths are proven true. Research for yourselves on the computer in your hands now.
The orange regime does not believe in climate change. They want to drill baby drill and are planning to do so in Alaska. Magat republicans are the dumbest people on the planet. The orange regime will not be satisfied until America is destroyed from top to bottom. Remove them from office.
Orangeturd and it's regime tske great pleasure in seeing destruction and in inflicting pain and suffering...how many Venezuelan fishing vessels have they shot out of the water now!..FISHERMEN!!!
For them it's like shooting rows of plastic ducks at the county fair...
While 'drill baby drill' is a clever catch phrase, when spoken in the next breath stating.." The price of gasoline will definitely come down". These two mutterings work at cross purposes, in the real world. As the demand for crude/refined products reduces, the price paid the producer also drops...below the margin needed to continue to be feasible to continue to continue "drilling". Neither basic economics will attract investors to a low cost price at the pump. The resultant 'bust' will put drillers out of business and cause investors to lose their capital investments. The temporary drop in price might increase other business interests, but only for limited period of time.
The price of gasoline? Who uses gasoline? My son hasn't paid for gasoline since 2015, when he bought an EV. We put solar on our roof and he fueled the car off the roof. Last year we got an EV too and haven't paid for gas since.
Plenty buy gasoline. Those of us for whom solar isn't an alternative due to orientation of a home, age of home where the roof structure can't support the added weight, those who live in apartments, or in older homes where wiring and actual electrical service to their home is limited. There are many who would prefer the environmental benefits of solar panels but are either unaffordable or not feasible.
Instead we could be advocating for hybrid vehicles with a minimum gas mileage standard. We drive a Hyundai Elantra Blue which averages high 50 mpg or greater depending on weather conditions and the type of roads and speeds driven. Even at interstate speeds we get close to 60 mpg. It is a proven environmental fact that engines that turn off at lights, stop signs, during coasting and when in traffic jams reduce pollution significantly. Are these vehicles ideal? No, but they are an improvement over gas engines without battery assist. But most, including young adults, aren't driving these vehicles either. They prefer the mammoth SUVs and gas guzzling extended cab 4 wheel drive trucks. These young adult children, for the most part, don't care anymore than their parents at the irreversible devastation they are causing.
I find your condescending, dismissive attitude both offensive and alienating and it will fail to convince.
We're retired too, living on Social Security. We put the solar on our roof when we got a 7,000 tax credit. We paid off our house before we retired. Frankly, I live in California, in the Bay Area, which is supposed to be so expensive. If we had to make it on one income (since 2016 when I had a TIA and couldn't work as a crossing guard) (yes, not a high paying job and we didn't have job paid medical insurance), I am more than a little dubious about people who can't afford EVs or solar panels. It depends on what you want to spend your money on. Peanut butter and jelly is what I suggest for lunch.
Your comment is judgmental and offensive. I've worked with children in poverty much of my life, following my beliefs of God. One family couldn't eat but one meal a day because their great grandmother who was their guardian only brought in a small Social Security check, and she was dying of cancer. Her great grand-child the age of 6 fixed breakfast for his younger siblings, when his granny was too sick from chemo, when there was food in the house.
I say you sound like a corporate welfare company blaming the poor for their laziness. Shame on you. I bet you are against universal health care too, because you shouldn't have to pay for others' health care... smdh This is why I quit the Democratic Party...there are way too many of you who claim to be Christian, but their actions and their words show otherwise.
By the way, this family couldn't even afford peanut butter and jelly, they ate flour and water with a little salt kind of bread/pasta, and red mud (which contains some vitamins so they told me.) They were thrilled when I obtained groceries for them...that they had jam. And yes, once I discovered their story I helped hook them up to other resources. I did not once blame any person on their poverty...it's systemic, and it affects many people.
You might want to do some volunteer work at a Crisis Center, to learn about those who are not as well off as you. Perhaps you'll gain greater understanding of people who are struggling much more than you, economically.
There are numerous solutions that others have found that they share.
It's unfortunate that you chose to be offended.
Years ago, before PHOTOVOLTAICS, a solar engineer told us that before we consider SOLAR, we should reduce our comsumption.
We focused on reducing ALL of our consumption, that also includes TRASH & WATER CONSUMPTION.
ALL of our peripherals, including tv, are on energy strips - when they're OFF, they're OFF!
As appliances DIED, they were replaced with the MOST ENERGY EFFICIENT!
That includes that monstrous energy guzzling side-by-side refrig.
We also have an INDOOR CLOTHESLINE - elastic lasts longer when not exposed to heat & lots of things can't be put in the dryer.
US PER CAPITA consumption exceeds CHINA.
CHINA is promoting CHEAP CLEAN SOLAR & sells SOLAR PANELS with BATTERY BACKUP that allows poor communities to have dependable power.
Recently, we began replacing CFLs with LEDs, reducing electric usage to 9 KwH per day - we have more to accomplish.
When we received the bill, I called our municipal Gas & Electric & it was explained that the meter reports daily usage directly.
(I caution everyone to avoid buying LEDs from AMAZON or WALMART where they're overpriced. We found 1000BULBS in CALIFORNIA that charges ~ $1 per bulb. We went around, counted lights & ordered full cartons. We have not yet tackled fluorescent fixtures. LEDs are now building code in Massachusetts, among other requirements.)
Do you have insulated window coverrings?
Experts tell you that household lighting consumes 15% of your electric bill, but that ignores other appliances - like the always on television.
Rather than being offended or pointing out the excesses of others, consider it a challenge to accept personal responsibility & figure out what YOU can do in order to reduce YOUR consumption & save money. It goes beyond buying an efficient vehicle.
And that leads me to ask, who shops at Amazon or Walmart? We live our entire life considering what we could do to reduce our consumption and have since we were married 45 years ago. We do live in the Bay Area, so we don't need air conditioning and rarely need to turn on a space heater. When I worked, I brought my lunch (peanut butter and jelly and apple) every single day. I line dry our laundry. I sew my clothes, or buy them at thrift shops or estate sales. I don't need suggestions from anyone. When we bought our house in 1992, the city required us to put insulation in the walls and the ceiling, low flow faucets, shower, and toilet.
My husband and I have tried to leave a small footprint as well. Our weekly "date" has been to go to garage/yard sales to purchase used furniture as well as clothes. I make Christmas presents from things I buy at yard sales, using items that might go to the landfill. Our thermostat is on a conservative setting, when we have to close up the house. We recycle as much as possible, where we live, and we helped our neighbors and others when possible. We do use gasoline, and our riding lawn mower uses gas. Riding mower is a must as we're old now. And, we have rescued dumped pets the last 30 years - so our footprint is a bit larger than we'd have liked: but we saved a lot of dogs and a few cats from the horror of homelessness. Our little cabin/house is paid off, and our 2002 vehicle still runs. We're hoping to never have to purchase another vehicle. When we had extra money, we helped those that needed it. It's the way we chose to live...
You are truly blessed with impressive weather not shared by the rest of the nation.
YOU might not need suggestions because you figured it out years ago, but too many others have not.
CALIFORNIA has been on the forefront leading the way while the rest of the nation has lagged behind.
Living in Massachusetts, can you imagine hanging laundry in the SNOW?
That's why we have an interior CLOTHES LINE.
My comments were not intended as a ONE SIZE FITS ALL, but rather an encouragement to LOOK AROUND! There are SOLUTIONS.
We have several local THRIFT SHOPS as well as the SALVATION ARMY & SAVERS that provide outlets for the cleanouts of homes at reasonable prices including not only clothing, but appliances & furniture.
My COFFEE POT died at the same time a local THRIFT SHOP was closing for the season & offered "A BOX FOR $5" - not only did they have a COFFEE POT, but lots of ODDS & ENDS - replacing broken coffee cups & sandwich plates - why buy NEW?
YOU figured it out, but others haven't!
My post was intended to encourage others to think about their EXPENDITURES & WHERE THEY COULD SAVE MONEY! Not intended to be ALL-INCLUSIVE!
I happened to be at the SALVATION ARMY one day when a young couple with little kids was shopping - clearly not affluent.
They were looking for furniture for kids' clothes.
There was one of those MEDIA CABINETS with shelves, pretty cheap.
I engaged them in conversation, explained they could line it with shelves for $10. Little kids' clothes don't require elaborate dressers.
Too many ignore what you figured out long ago that you need to remind others about.
Let's just unite & encourage others to LOOK AROUND!
We've done all than that and more. We don't even WATCH t.v, have all energy efficient appliances, do almost all the cooking in an air-fryer toaster oven combo and on average throw out about two or three shopping bags, you know those little grocery bags, of trash a week. We do have a well which is a 30 amp circuit so that uses a fair amount of electricity. Should we stop showering and drinking water? Our electric usage is way below the national average at about 350 KW a month. The national average is 900. I do laundry once a week and run the dryer twice. Once for darks, once for the rest. We have driven economy cars our entire adult lives, our last purchase and newest purchase from 2012 were hybrids, the first a Prius C, the most recent a Hyundai Elantra. Prior to that we owned economy cars like Pintos, Saturns and Horizons.
And your and Ellen's preaching are all well and good but still doesn't address the fact that many can't "fuel" their EVs because of electrical constraints. If you live in an apartment or even many condos there is no way to plug an EV in to charge it or your electrical service won't handle the additional load.
Many, at least in New England, live in apartments that are well over 100 years old with antiquated heating systems, scant or no insulation, single pane windows and ill fitting exterior doors. We replaced all our cfls with led as soon as they were available. We have 4 vehicles at our home, our own, our daughter's, our daughter's husband's vehicle and her husband's work vehicle. It would be impossible to charge 4 vehicles, especially in winter, to be ready to drive the following day. We are now receiving emails from our utility company telling us to not run AC or over demanding appliances from 2 pm to 8 pm. So no cooking supper for the kiddos, not doing laundry after work, no charging your car and having it ready by 6 am to go to work. Life isn't one size fits all and the smug, condescending attitude of those who have it all figured out is beneath those who claim to be "progressive". I'd say we're better than this, but apparently a lot of us aren't.
I wrote much of this in my comment and Ellen ignored all of it. Almost every tree that blocks sun on my house, and there are about 30, is not on my property. It would cost us probably $60K to remove these trees if our neighbor even agreed. More are across the road, on yet another person's property. Just a handful are on our own property. We don't qualify for the rebates because there is an efficiency requirement. Again life circumstances aren't a one size fits all proposition.
I have read your comment carefully twice now. I grew up without tv (my father didn't think it was useful) and never saw it much until I was about 29. My husband is dyslexic and didn't learn to read functionally until he was 29. I have finally realized over the last few years that movies are his books. When we were young the Bay Area had the best radio in the world, and we listened all the time, but by the time we were married it had disappeared. He's been in the music business for most of his life and I still have all my records. I know how it is having a child living with you. Housing is very expensive here, and he's saved about $100K but it's still not enough for a down payment. Frankly, I prefer living in California, in Berkeley, in Alameda County, which has hit the 2030 UN climate standards along with the Scandinavian countries. If living in New England is so difficult, we will never solve the climate crisis. Here apartment buildings, business parking lots, grocery store parking lots, even gas stations all have charging stations for EVs. Because water is a real issue here, I usually shower every other day, but I'm not working any more. I'm really interested in the air fryer. Do you bake in it? My gas oven broke two years ago, and my husband hasn't replaced it yet. I really want a COPPER electric stove and oven, but I've been waiting a year now, and earlier this year my husband came home with an air fryer. I'm not wild about it, although I bought a cookbook, and haven't used it yet. He cooks with it, but I don't do well with new gizmos.
You're perfectly okay with hybrids, but if you are unfortunate enough to have grandchildren, they're doomed. My son has been driving his Bolt for 10 years and my husband just got his Equinox last year. He was tired of paying 4.99 a gallon for gas. Good luck on surviving the climate crisis.
We are retired too and can't afford solar because we live in the woods and would have to cut down 10s of trees and some that block our roof are not on OUR property. You never responded to my comment about those who live in apartments or in homes with antiquated electrical service. We have three families living in our home, a daughter and her spouse and a divorced daughter. We have six inch insulation, don't use AC and have a fuel efficient heating system that is about 87% efficient. New doors, new windows, led bulbs, no big screen television. We drive around 100 miles a week and buy gasoline every three to four weeks. We also have WINTER when EVs have their range cut by half.
Again your smug attitude is off putting,. Not everyone is so blessed as you to own their own home or have the perfect setting for solar.
I'm in a single story house with two two-story houses on either side, a big redwood three houses away, and big pine tree in the yard behind us. But where we live, we rarely need heat and never need air conditioning. We have used a fan two or three times, but we've been here 33 years.
EVERYONE OVER 45 HAVE NO EXCUSE. Rump has been a slimy conman since the late 1970s, as he was ALWAYS SO PROUD OF HIS MISDEEDS, his cheating and runnin around, IT WAS ALL ON TV & in newspapers, even in Canada! The PLETHORA of photos onboard his jet with crowds of blonde pre-teens were legendary, should’ve been arrested by a cop NOT ON THE TAKE over 50 YEARS AGO!
Has NOT CHANGED ONE BIT.
If you own a smartphone & STILL voted for the TWICE IMPEACHED, BANKRUPTCY R*PIST & FACIST WEASLE-KING?
Beautifully written. Unfortunately, science and common sense have been outlawed, and conspiracy theories, utter nonsense, and brain farts now govern us. Stupid won!
Thank you so much for this painful and necessary reminder. In my keeping up with this chaotic experience on our democracy here, in America, so many many painful attacks on this country, even though we hear on NPR when he signs executive orders to do stupid things that I read articles from some of my favorite feeds on the environmental issues, it seems to get passed over. But it's always on my mind. And it really is something we need to address. Get us back in the Paris Accord. Fund science and research, again, and deeply. They will save us
Ditto. I have a constant and similar concern. It’s always on my mind.
You might appreciate this - which was my initial response to this post:
SO heartbreaking. Opening the Arctic to drilling would be incomprehensible, devastating.
Ludovico Einaudi is one of my favorite pianists. Several years ago, he collaborated with Greenpeace to raise awareness about the dangerous impact of climate change on the arctic.
“Elegy for the Arctic” by Ludovico Einaudi
“Ludovico Einaudi is an Italian pianist and composer known for his reflective classical pieces. His albums Una Mattina and Divenire have received popular and critical acclaim. Much of Einaudi’s work has been inspired by his time in the natural world, giving his music a very grounded feel.
“Elegy for the Arctic” is a haunting composition, filled with descending scales. Listeners have described the piece to sound like falling, echoing the descent of melting ice. Einaudi ends the piece with empty and contemplative silence.”
You can also listen to and view the making of the video and a performance of this piece through the link above. Watch these videos. The are haunting, soul-crushing yet extremely powerful, magnificent, mesmerizing, and oddly tranquil…
and this week with the massive flooding/hurricane winds in indigenous villages with houses floating away....no FEMA in sight, but the Alaska National Guard doing what National Guard is supposed to do, rescuing people and flying them to safety.
Terrible. Dump’s EPA rescinded Kipnuk’s $20 million flood protection grant last May (approved by Biden, of course). Evil fcker Lee Zeldin called it a “wasteful DEI and Environmental Justice grant.” Grrr 😡
Well expressed, Governor Inslee, gunalcheesh. I first entered Alaska, by road, on June 30, 1958, the day that the US Senate voted on Alaska Statehood, thus assuring that Alaska would become our 49th state. I returned to Alaska in 1968, after graduating college. I would spend my next 11 years, working, primarily with Native Alaskans, to assure that this fragile treasure would be preserved. Little was understood in those years about the impending crisis of climate change, over which Alaskans alone would be unable to prevail. May we all, as global citizens, work together for a better world future.
Never allow anyone to tell you that one citizen's efforts don't matter -- imagine 350 million citizens NOT needing what the corporations are selling. Good for you! Keep finding little ways you can make good change. Our family makes a sort of game of it, then shares the fun!
It's too late for footprints..much more drastic measures needed to be taken...and nobody cares enough pat meeeetinnngggssss..and talk...
Earth is warning us and we humans gather to talk....Alaska is the ultimate warning, the canary in the coal mine...and the disaster barely got a mention on any media site...
What I saw in my career as a journalist is that my house was falling apart around me. I didn’t do the upkeep I should have while I was writing.
One day I noticed water dripping onto my desk from the ceiling in the billiard room - which I used as my study.
The roof leaked. I kept telling myself I'd fix it someday - but that day never seemed to come.
I don’t know why I chose the billiard room. The house had 24 others. It was a Gothic Victorian Western Homestead with cathedral ceilings. It was my idea, or at least I had asked for them. They seemed to be a good thing at the time.
In retrospect, that was a lot of slate sitting over my head. It must have also been raining in some of the other rooms. But, I never had the time to revisit them and check.
They were mostly for guests, servants, and other things like kitchens and bathrooms. I figured their occupants would take care of it, and tell me if something was going wrong.
All the fireplaces also kept catching fire. Not just the hearth - the whole damn thing, chimney and all. I suppose I should’ve had the sweeps clean out the suet now and then.
I was always fascinated by new fangled gizmos. We’d hauled in all the modern conveniences of the time. We had the first flush toilets, hot water radiators, and even gas lighting fixtures in every room, with a lot of buried pipes in the walls.
The place was built like a fortress, with wood siding on the outside to give it some western hospitality and make it look like a ranch. I know, I know - with cathedral ceilings. What was I thinking?
The pipes were embedded between two layers of pressure bricks, covered by slats and plaster. When we had plumbing problems, we couldn’t get at anything to fix it. So, we left it alone.
I’m surprised the whole house didn’t blow up while we were still living in it.
That’s erosion for you - it creeps up when you least expect it. I didn’t have the money to maintain the place, even if I’d tried. The mortgage had already reached the moon. So, we had to sell it - and move out.
Empires have a way of quietly collapsing in the same steps.
It starts with picking on those who no one will defend. The homeless, the destitute, the disabled, and the aged - all who are estranged or abandoned. It happens to all of us as we get older. We get locked inside what's left of our minds.
Nobody cares if we cease to exist. We become a problem to others, and the easiest targets for a regime, because there's no resistance when it comes to our welfare.
Then the regime moves on to those who are different and unwanted. The gays, the know-it-alls, the people of color, and other minorities.
It’s not done because of anything about them. These groups can offer some opposition, especially with outside support. It’s done to acclimate the rest of us - to make it seem normal for the government to do this, and teach us not to get involved.
Finally, the regime goes after all of us. It’s the women, the dissenters, the contrarians, the reporters, the teachers, and the truthers.
Then come the doers. The librarians, the inventors, the technicians, the explorers, the builders, the healers, and the people who ask questions.
They don’t stop there. They come for the children, the progressives, the rebellious, the experts - and anyone else who might one day get in the way.
It’s anyone who doesn’t offer VALUE to the few still clinging to power. And those who remain, party like it’s the roaring twenties - while everything else is falling apart around them.
By then, it’s too late. There’s nobody left to be ruled. A once-great nation is gone. Trust me, you don’t get it back. I wish I’d taken better care of my own house when I had it.
Tomorrow is No Kings Day. Let the crowns fail, and not the country fall.
I've experienced the glaciers retreat near Juneau and Anchorage. The closest observation in Juneau has now retreated thousands of yards to be barely visible from the visitor center. Same as in the place 30 minutes south of Anchorage.
All of the important things to be concerned about, have fallen to the wayside in dealing with the wannabe dictator and his Regime. If we didn't have a two party corporate duopoly system of government here in the US, we by now would be in nothing but renewable energy for the last 25 years. Grasp hold of that one. Another issue that our waters would have had the opportunity to cleanse themselves by now. We are a stupid species, doomed to our own demise.
My heart broke reading this. Years ago I lived on Cape Cod and saw many whales. They are so beautiful. I wish our current administration understood climate change. We can't even have clean energy with this crappy president.
It's much larger than this lousy president wannabe. It's all of the corporate induced presidents we've had since the 1960s who bought into the oil and gas industry's false self produced report that oil and gas exploration and use has to impact on the environment. Factual history anyone can explore on the internet.
Absollutely true!!
Our current administration understands climate change - they choose to ignore it in favor of short $$ gain and to protect entrenched fossil fuel interests. Elections have consequences.
Repeat of history!
Nobody knows REAL history. This is a USA phenomenon.
Bible is ACTUAL HISTORY, not myth. Many of science’s past discoveries were made during an error, or “history” becomes filled with newer folklore, while oldest myths are proven true. Research for yourselves on the computer in your hands now.
The orange regime does not believe in climate change. They want to drill baby drill and are planning to do so in Alaska. Magat republicans are the dumbest people on the planet. The orange regime will not be satisfied until America is destroyed from top to bottom. Remove them from office.
Orangeturd and it's regime tske great pleasure in seeing destruction and in inflicting pain and suffering...how many Venezuelan fishing vessels have they shot out of the water now!..FISHERMEN!!!
For them it's like shooting rows of plastic ducks at the county fair...
🥺😱😭😭😭😭😭
And the maggots believe everything they say!
While 'drill baby drill' is a clever catch phrase, when spoken in the next breath stating.." The price of gasoline will definitely come down". These two mutterings work at cross purposes, in the real world. As the demand for crude/refined products reduces, the price paid the producer also drops...below the margin needed to continue to be feasible to continue to continue "drilling". Neither basic economics will attract investors to a low cost price at the pump. The resultant 'bust' will put drillers out of business and cause investors to lose their capital investments. The temporary drop in price might increase other business interests, but only for limited period of time.
The price of gasoline? Who uses gasoline? My son hasn't paid for gasoline since 2015, when he bought an EV. We put solar on our roof and he fueled the car off the roof. Last year we got an EV too and haven't paid for gas since.
Plenty buy gasoline. Those of us for whom solar isn't an alternative due to orientation of a home, age of home where the roof structure can't support the added weight, those who live in apartments, or in older homes where wiring and actual electrical service to their home is limited. There are many who would prefer the environmental benefits of solar panels but are either unaffordable or not feasible.
Instead we could be advocating for hybrid vehicles with a minimum gas mileage standard. We drive a Hyundai Elantra Blue which averages high 50 mpg or greater depending on weather conditions and the type of roads and speeds driven. Even at interstate speeds we get close to 60 mpg. It is a proven environmental fact that engines that turn off at lights, stop signs, during coasting and when in traffic jams reduce pollution significantly. Are these vehicles ideal? No, but they are an improvement over gas engines without battery assist. But most, including young adults, aren't driving these vehicles either. They prefer the mammoth SUVs and gas guzzling extended cab 4 wheel drive trucks. These young adult children, for the most part, don't care anymore than their parents at the irreversible devastation they are causing.
I find your condescending, dismissive attitude both offensive and alienating and it will fail to convince.
Thanks, Sharon. We (retired seniors) still buy gasoline for our older vehicles. Cannot afford to buy an EV, nor install solar panels.
There are numerous other ways to reduce your energy costs & save money - some simple & cheap!
Yep! And we are doing many of them - the most important being a plant-based diet. Animal agriculture wreaks hell on the environment.
We're retired too, living on Social Security. We put the solar on our roof when we got a 7,000 tax credit. We paid off our house before we retired. Frankly, I live in California, in the Bay Area, which is supposed to be so expensive. If we had to make it on one income (since 2016 when I had a TIA and couldn't work as a crossing guard) (yes, not a high paying job and we didn't have job paid medical insurance), I am more than a little dubious about people who can't afford EVs or solar panels. It depends on what you want to spend your money on. Peanut butter and jelly is what I suggest for lunch.
Your comment is judgmental and offensive. I've worked with children in poverty much of my life, following my beliefs of God. One family couldn't eat but one meal a day because their great grandmother who was their guardian only brought in a small Social Security check, and she was dying of cancer. Her great grand-child the age of 6 fixed breakfast for his younger siblings, when his granny was too sick from chemo, when there was food in the house.
I say you sound like a corporate welfare company blaming the poor for their laziness. Shame on you. I bet you are against universal health care too, because you shouldn't have to pay for others' health care... smdh This is why I quit the Democratic Party...there are way too many of you who claim to be Christian, but their actions and their words show otherwise.
By the way, this family couldn't even afford peanut butter and jelly, they ate flour and water with a little salt kind of bread/pasta, and red mud (which contains some vitamins so they told me.) They were thrilled when I obtained groceries for them...that they had jam. And yes, once I discovered their story I helped hook them up to other resources. I did not once blame any person on their poverty...it's systemic, and it affects many people.
You might want to do some volunteer work at a Crisis Center, to learn about those who are not as well off as you. Perhaps you'll gain greater understanding of people who are struggling much more than you, economically.
There are numerous solutions that others have found that they share.
It's unfortunate that you chose to be offended.
Years ago, before PHOTOVOLTAICS, a solar engineer told us that before we consider SOLAR, we should reduce our comsumption.
We focused on reducing ALL of our consumption, that also includes TRASH & WATER CONSUMPTION.
ALL of our peripherals, including tv, are on energy strips - when they're OFF, they're OFF!
As appliances DIED, they were replaced with the MOST ENERGY EFFICIENT!
That includes that monstrous energy guzzling side-by-side refrig.
We also have an INDOOR CLOTHESLINE - elastic lasts longer when not exposed to heat & lots of things can't be put in the dryer.
US PER CAPITA consumption exceeds CHINA.
CHINA is promoting CHEAP CLEAN SOLAR & sells SOLAR PANELS with BATTERY BACKUP that allows poor communities to have dependable power.
Recently, we began replacing CFLs with LEDs, reducing electric usage to 9 KwH per day - we have more to accomplish.
When we received the bill, I called our municipal Gas & Electric & it was explained that the meter reports daily usage directly.
(I caution everyone to avoid buying LEDs from AMAZON or WALMART where they're overpriced. We found 1000BULBS in CALIFORNIA that charges ~ $1 per bulb. We went around, counted lights & ordered full cartons. We have not yet tackled fluorescent fixtures. LEDs are now building code in Massachusetts, among other requirements.)
Do you have insulated window coverrings?
Experts tell you that household lighting consumes 15% of your electric bill, but that ignores other appliances - like the always on television.
Rather than being offended or pointing out the excesses of others, consider it a challenge to accept personal responsibility & figure out what YOU can do in order to reduce YOUR consumption & save money. It goes beyond buying an efficient vehicle.
And that leads me to ask, who shops at Amazon or Walmart? We live our entire life considering what we could do to reduce our consumption and have since we were married 45 years ago. We do live in the Bay Area, so we don't need air conditioning and rarely need to turn on a space heater. When I worked, I brought my lunch (peanut butter and jelly and apple) every single day. I line dry our laundry. I sew my clothes, or buy them at thrift shops or estate sales. I don't need suggestions from anyone. When we bought our house in 1992, the city required us to put insulation in the walls and the ceiling, low flow faucets, shower, and toilet.
My husband and I have tried to leave a small footprint as well. Our weekly "date" has been to go to garage/yard sales to purchase used furniture as well as clothes. I make Christmas presents from things I buy at yard sales, using items that might go to the landfill. Our thermostat is on a conservative setting, when we have to close up the house. We recycle as much as possible, where we live, and we helped our neighbors and others when possible. We do use gasoline, and our riding lawn mower uses gas. Riding mower is a must as we're old now. And, we have rescued dumped pets the last 30 years - so our footprint is a bit larger than we'd have liked: but we saved a lot of dogs and a few cats from the horror of homelessness. Our little cabin/house is paid off, and our 2002 vehicle still runs. We're hoping to never have to purchase another vehicle. When we had extra money, we helped those that needed it. It's the way we chose to live...
Thank you for being historically enlightened!
You are truly blessed with impressive weather not shared by the rest of the nation.
YOU might not need suggestions because you figured it out years ago, but too many others have not.
CALIFORNIA has been on the forefront leading the way while the rest of the nation has lagged behind.
Living in Massachusetts, can you imagine hanging laundry in the SNOW?
That's why we have an interior CLOTHES LINE.
My comments were not intended as a ONE SIZE FITS ALL, but rather an encouragement to LOOK AROUND! There are SOLUTIONS.
We have several local THRIFT SHOPS as well as the SALVATION ARMY & SAVERS that provide outlets for the cleanouts of homes at reasonable prices including not only clothing, but appliances & furniture.
My COFFEE POT died at the same time a local THRIFT SHOP was closing for the season & offered "A BOX FOR $5" - not only did they have a COFFEE POT, but lots of ODDS & ENDS - replacing broken coffee cups & sandwich plates - why buy NEW?
YOU figured it out, but others haven't!
My post was intended to encourage others to think about their EXPENDITURES & WHERE THEY COULD SAVE MONEY! Not intended to be ALL-INCLUSIVE!
I happened to be at the SALVATION ARMY one day when a young couple with little kids was shopping - clearly not affluent.
They were looking for furniture for kids' clothes.
There was one of those MEDIA CABINETS with shelves, pretty cheap.
I engaged them in conversation, explained they could line it with shelves for $10. Little kids' clothes don't require elaborate dressers.
Too many ignore what you figured out long ago that you need to remind others about.
Let's just unite & encourage others to LOOK AROUND!
How can WE SAVE MONEY?
We've done all than that and more. We don't even WATCH t.v, have all energy efficient appliances, do almost all the cooking in an air-fryer toaster oven combo and on average throw out about two or three shopping bags, you know those little grocery bags, of trash a week. We do have a well which is a 30 amp circuit so that uses a fair amount of electricity. Should we stop showering and drinking water? Our electric usage is way below the national average at about 350 KW a month. The national average is 900. I do laundry once a week and run the dryer twice. Once for darks, once for the rest. We have driven economy cars our entire adult lives, our last purchase and newest purchase from 2012 were hybrids, the first a Prius C, the most recent a Hyundai Elantra. Prior to that we owned economy cars like Pintos, Saturns and Horizons.
And your and Ellen's preaching are all well and good but still doesn't address the fact that many can't "fuel" their EVs because of electrical constraints. If you live in an apartment or even many condos there is no way to plug an EV in to charge it or your electrical service won't handle the additional load.
Many, at least in New England, live in apartments that are well over 100 years old with antiquated heating systems, scant or no insulation, single pane windows and ill fitting exterior doors. We replaced all our cfls with led as soon as they were available. We have 4 vehicles at our home, our own, our daughter's, our daughter's husband's vehicle and her husband's work vehicle. It would be impossible to charge 4 vehicles, especially in winter, to be ready to drive the following day. We are now receiving emails from our utility company telling us to not run AC or over demanding appliances from 2 pm to 8 pm. So no cooking supper for the kiddos, not doing laundry after work, no charging your car and having it ready by 6 am to go to work. Life isn't one size fits all and the smug, condescending attitude of those who have it all figured out is beneath those who claim to be "progressive". I'd say we're better than this, but apparently a lot of us aren't.
I wrote much of this in my comment and Ellen ignored all of it. Almost every tree that blocks sun on my house, and there are about 30, is not on my property. It would cost us probably $60K to remove these trees if our neighbor even agreed. More are across the road, on yet another person's property. Just a handful are on our own property. We don't qualify for the rebates because there is an efficiency requirement. Again life circumstances aren't a one size fits all proposition.
I have read your comment carefully twice now. I grew up without tv (my father didn't think it was useful) and never saw it much until I was about 29. My husband is dyslexic and didn't learn to read functionally until he was 29. I have finally realized over the last few years that movies are his books. When we were young the Bay Area had the best radio in the world, and we listened all the time, but by the time we were married it had disappeared. He's been in the music business for most of his life and I still have all my records. I know how it is having a child living with you. Housing is very expensive here, and he's saved about $100K but it's still not enough for a down payment. Frankly, I prefer living in California, in Berkeley, in Alameda County, which has hit the 2030 UN climate standards along with the Scandinavian countries. If living in New England is so difficult, we will never solve the climate crisis. Here apartment buildings, business parking lots, grocery store parking lots, even gas stations all have charging stations for EVs. Because water is a real issue here, I usually shower every other day, but I'm not working any more. I'm really interested in the air fryer. Do you bake in it? My gas oven broke two years ago, and my husband hasn't replaced it yet. I really want a COPPER electric stove and oven, but I've been waiting a year now, and earlier this year my husband came home with an air fryer. I'm not wild about it, although I bought a cookbook, and haven't used it yet. He cooks with it, but I don't do well with new gizmos.
You're perfectly okay with hybrids, but if you are unfortunate enough to have grandchildren, they're doomed. My son has been driving his Bolt for 10 years and my husband just got his Equinox last year. He was tired of paying 4.99 a gallon for gas. Good luck on surviving the climate crisis.
We are retired too and can't afford solar because we live in the woods and would have to cut down 10s of trees and some that block our roof are not on OUR property. You never responded to my comment about those who live in apartments or in homes with antiquated electrical service. We have three families living in our home, a daughter and her spouse and a divorced daughter. We have six inch insulation, don't use AC and have a fuel efficient heating system that is about 87% efficient. New doors, new windows, led bulbs, no big screen television. We drive around 100 miles a week and buy gasoline every three to four weeks. We also have WINTER when EVs have their range cut by half.
Again your smug attitude is off putting,. Not everyone is so blessed as you to own their own home or have the perfect setting for solar.
I'm in a single story house with two two-story houses on either side, a big redwood three houses away, and big pine tree in the yard behind us. But where we live, we rarely need heat and never need air conditioning. We have used a fan two or three times, but we've been here 33 years.
But the billionaires are happy....
Pretty soon even their $$ won't matter!
EVERYONE OVER 45 HAVE NO EXCUSE. Rump has been a slimy conman since the late 1970s, as he was ALWAYS SO PROUD OF HIS MISDEEDS, his cheating and runnin around, IT WAS ALL ON TV & in newspapers, even in Canada! The PLETHORA of photos onboard his jet with crowds of blonde pre-teens were legendary, should’ve been arrested by a cop NOT ON THE TAKE over 50 YEARS AGO!
Has NOT CHANGED ONE BIT.
If you own a smartphone & STILL voted for the TWICE IMPEACHED, BANKRUPTCY R*PIST & FACIST WEASLE-KING?
You should be PROPERLY ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!
I have never liked the arrogant asshole.
Well, if you had lived in Berkeley in the Sixties and Seventies, when J. Edgar Hoover was alive, you wouldn't own a cell phone. I never have.
disqualify the disabled Disqualified, 14th amendment section 3 disqualification clause! impeach the lawbreakers and remove.
This breaks my heart.
Beautifully written. Unfortunately, science and common sense have been outlawed, and conspiracy theories, utter nonsense, and brain farts now govern us. Stupid won!
Thank you so much for this painful and necessary reminder. In my keeping up with this chaotic experience on our democracy here, in America, so many many painful attacks on this country, even though we hear on NPR when he signs executive orders to do stupid things that I read articles from some of my favorite feeds on the environmental issues, it seems to get passed over. But it's always on my mind. And it really is something we need to address. Get us back in the Paris Accord. Fund science and research, again, and deeply. They will save us
Ditto. I have a constant and similar concern. It’s always on my mind.
You might appreciate this - which was my initial response to this post:
SO heartbreaking. Opening the Arctic to drilling would be incomprehensible, devastating.
Ludovico Einaudi is one of my favorite pianists. Several years ago, he collaborated with Greenpeace to raise awareness about the dangerous impact of climate change on the arctic.
“Elegy for the Arctic” by Ludovico Einaudi
“Ludovico Einaudi is an Italian pianist and composer known for his reflective classical pieces. His albums Una Mattina and Divenire have received popular and critical acclaim. Much of Einaudi’s work has been inspired by his time in the natural world, giving his music a very grounded feel.
“Elegy for the Arctic” is a haunting composition, filled with descending scales. Listeners have described the piece to sound like falling, echoing the descent of melting ice. Einaudi ends the piece with empty and contemplative silence.”
Article - https://www.science.smith.edu/climatelit/elegy-for-the-arctic-by-ludovico-einaudi/
You can also listen to and view the making of the video and a performance of this piece through the link above. Watch these videos. The are haunting, soul-crushing yet extremely powerful, magnificent, mesmerizing, and oddly tranquil…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aomLIZsYuOM
Another piece here -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DLnhdnSUV
Suggest you see climatehealers.org ASAP.
and this week with the massive flooding/hurricane winds in indigenous villages with houses floating away....no FEMA in sight, but the Alaska National Guard doing what National Guard is supposed to do, rescuing people and flying them to safety.
Terrible. Dump’s EPA rescinded Kipnuk’s $20 million flood protection grant last May (approved by Biden, of course). Evil fcker Lee Zeldin called it a “wasteful DEI and Environmental Justice grant.” Grrr 😡
https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/epa-pulled-flood-grant-months-before-storm-hit-alaska/ar-AA1OxAXn
Lee Zeldin would have a different point of view if it affected HIS home.
That’s for sure! Ugh 😩
Well expressed, Governor Inslee, gunalcheesh. I first entered Alaska, by road, on June 30, 1958, the day that the US Senate voted on Alaska Statehood, thus assuring that Alaska would become our 49th state. I returned to Alaska in 1968, after graduating college. I would spend my next 11 years, working, primarily with Native Alaskans, to assure that this fragile treasure would be preserved. Little was understood in those years about the impending crisis of climate change, over which Alaskans alone would be unable to prevail. May we all, as global citizens, work together for a better world future.
Al GORE KNEW…. & ALERTED… US GOVERNMENT IGNORED… as did AMERICANS… & THEN .. PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON
My heart breaks. As I stand in my yard each day, I look at the trees and apologize. Our footprint is small and we do what we can but it is not enough.
Never allow anyone to tell you that one citizen's efforts don't matter -- imagine 350 million citizens NOT needing what the corporations are selling. Good for you! Keep finding little ways you can make good change. Our family makes a sort of game of it, then shares the fun!
It's too late for footprints..much more drastic measures needed to be taken...and nobody cares enough pat meeeetinnngggssss..and talk...
Earth is warning us and we humans gather to talk....Alaska is the ultimate warning, the canary in the coal mine...and the disaster barely got a mention on any media site...
It's now 30 seconds to midnight.....
It’s not too late for footprints. We each must do all we can!
Oh I know sister.
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🔸🚫 No Kings 2.0🔸OCTOBER 18🔸🎃🔸🐁🔸
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This Saturday - TOMORROW!
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No crown survives the lie. No lie outshines the moon.
https://www.nokings.org/
✍️ Elbows UP! 🚢👦🗞️🧓
What I saw in my career as a journalist is that my house was falling apart around me. I didn’t do the upkeep I should have while I was writing.
One day I noticed water dripping onto my desk from the ceiling in the billiard room - which I used as my study.
The roof leaked. I kept telling myself I'd fix it someday - but that day never seemed to come.
I don’t know why I chose the billiard room. The house had 24 others. It was a Gothic Victorian Western Homestead with cathedral ceilings. It was my idea, or at least I had asked for them. They seemed to be a good thing at the time.
In retrospect, that was a lot of slate sitting over my head. It must have also been raining in some of the other rooms. But, I never had the time to revisit them and check.
They were mostly for guests, servants, and other things like kitchens and bathrooms. I figured their occupants would take care of it, and tell me if something was going wrong.
All the fireplaces also kept catching fire. Not just the hearth - the whole damn thing, chimney and all. I suppose I should’ve had the sweeps clean out the suet now and then.
I was always fascinated by new fangled gizmos. We’d hauled in all the modern conveniences of the time. We had the first flush toilets, hot water radiators, and even gas lighting fixtures in every room, with a lot of buried pipes in the walls.
The place was built like a fortress, with wood siding on the outside to give it some western hospitality and make it look like a ranch. I know, I know - with cathedral ceilings. What was I thinking?
The pipes were embedded between two layers of pressure bricks, covered by slats and plaster. When we had plumbing problems, we couldn’t get at anything to fix it. So, we left it alone.
I’m surprised the whole house didn’t blow up while we were still living in it.
That’s erosion for you - it creeps up when you least expect it. I didn’t have the money to maintain the place, even if I’d tried. The mortgage had already reached the moon. So, we had to sell it - and move out.
Empires have a way of quietly collapsing in the same steps.
It starts with picking on those who no one will defend. The homeless, the destitute, the disabled, and the aged - all who are estranged or abandoned. It happens to all of us as we get older. We get locked inside what's left of our minds.
Nobody cares if we cease to exist. We become a problem to others, and the easiest targets for a regime, because there's no resistance when it comes to our welfare.
Then the regime moves on to those who are different and unwanted. The gays, the know-it-alls, the people of color, and other minorities.
It’s not done because of anything about them. These groups can offer some opposition, especially with outside support. It’s done to acclimate the rest of us - to make it seem normal for the government to do this, and teach us not to get involved.
Finally, the regime goes after all of us. It’s the women, the dissenters, the contrarians, the reporters, the teachers, and the truthers.
Then come the doers. The librarians, the inventors, the technicians, the explorers, the builders, the healers, and the people who ask questions.
They don’t stop there. They come for the children, the progressives, the rebellious, the experts - and anyone else who might one day get in the way.
It’s anyone who doesn’t offer VALUE to the few still clinging to power. And those who remain, party like it’s the roaring twenties - while everything else is falling apart around them.
By then, it’s too late. There’s nobody left to be ruled. A once-great nation is gone. Trust me, you don’t get it back. I wish I’d taken better care of my own house when I had it.
Tomorrow is No Kings Day. Let the crowns fail, and not the country fall.
Yours truly,
Mark Twain
JOIN THE DEMOCRACY TRAIN.
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AHI - Human Kind (Official Music Video)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2qLAvaT59es
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Keep protests peaceful.
Don't kill anyone.
They DO make a difference.
Here are some resistance related guides from around the world:
🇺🇸 Fundamentals of physical surveillance: a guide for uniformed and plainclothes personnel
https://archive.org/details/fundamentalsofph0000silj
The RCMP has its own publications including:
🇨🇦 GCPSG-022 (2025) - Threat and Risk Assessment Guide
GCPSG-010 (2022) - Operational Physical Security Guide
🇨🇦 GCPSG-019 (2023) - Protection, Detection, Response, and Recovery Guide
https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/physec-secmat/pubs/index-eng.htm
The non-profit Electronic Frontier Foundation also has excellent guides on:
🇺🇸 Street Level Surveillance
https://sls.eff.org
🇺🇸 Surveillance Self-Defense
https://ssd.eff.org/
🇪🇺 🇸🇪⚠️ Resistance Operating Concept
https://jsou.edu/Press/PublicationDashboard/25
🇺🇦 🇺🇲 Radio Free Ukraine Resistance Manual
https://radiofreeukraine.com/3d-flip-book/resistance-manual/
⚠️ Assessing Revolutionary And Insurgent Strategies (ARIS) Studies (now at archive.org)
https://web.archive.org/web/20250310000340/https://www.soc.mil/ARIS/books/arisbooks.html
⚠️ Civilian-Based Defense: A Post-Military Weapons System
https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/resource/civilian-based-defense-a-post-military-weapons-system/
🏁 Simple Sabotage Field Manual by United States Office of Strategic Services
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26184?ref=404media.co
⚠️ Library of Congress
Revelations from the Russian archives: documents in English translation
https://www.loc.gov/item/96024752
🏁 Robert Reich/Resistance School
Communicating Across Difference
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaT8gjnOmQl3dguy0_E0vVCL5ZYEyCTzu
🏁 Bernie Sanders:
https://m.youtube.com/@BernieSanders
🏁 CPJ Committee to Protect Journalists:
Safety Kit
https://cpj.org/safety-kit/
🏁 Activist Handbook:
https://activisthandbook.org/introduction
(⚠️ These are USA sponsored websites. Some publications may have been removed by the Trump regime)
Awareness, awareness, awareness! Thank you. We all need to step up.
I've experienced the glaciers retreat near Juneau and Anchorage. The closest observation in Juneau has now retreated thousands of yards to be barely visible from the visitor center. Same as in the place 30 minutes south of Anchorage.
All of the important things to be concerned about, have fallen to the wayside in dealing with the wannabe dictator and his Regime. If we didn't have a two party corporate duopoly system of government here in the US, we by now would be in nothing but renewable energy for the last 25 years. Grasp hold of that one. Another issue that our waters would have had the opportunity to cleanse themselves by now. We are a stupid species, doomed to our own demise.
Thank you! If only more people listened to you years ago. We have to bring back all the environmental laws that Trump has abandoned in both terms
Thank you for this. We have got to do better for our planet. All of us.
We need to protect the Salmon and the rivers that they need to spawn in.