How We Think In Western Society & What It Means for the Future, Part 1

The Scales -

The concept of a scale being used to weigh ideas is a metaphor that has existed for thousands of years and be found in cultures all over the World.

The idea of two scales being held by Justice – the Roman goddess of balance - has become a common symbol of equality in Law. It is the first image that comes to mind for many people when they consider the value of ideas. However, we need to understand that the image of the Scales is rooted in Dualism – the concept of the "either/or" argument. The Scales have two sides, so the ideas that go onto either side tend to be opposites.

We tend to think in "opposites". This way of thinking is expressed all around us: concepts in politics (Republicans OR Democrats), concepts in religions (Holy OR Evil), concepts in voting and opinions (For OR Against), the court system (Guilty OR Innocent), and the list goes on.

It is true that most things have an opposite. In Western thinking, we often assume that if the conditions for one situation aren't favorable, then the opposite must be true. Unfortunately this assumption has become commonplace in modern debates. As an example, Republicans and Democrats attempt to stonewall each other under the assumption that they must be opposed to everything the other party has proposed.

So what does this have to do with Environmentalism, Sustainability, and "Going Green"?

Generally speaking, when speaking of "global warming" the positions advanced are in the "either/or" mode of thought; you either are FOR the idea that global warming is happening, or you are AGAINST the idea that global warming is happening.

The trouble with arguing FOR or AGAINST global warming is that both sides feel the need to convince the other side they are wrong. As is too often the case, there is no compromise. Going even further, once a person or group has decided to support one side, they do everything they can to stop the opposing viewpoint.

A tremendous amount of time and energy has been spent arguing over the idea of global warming. Difficulties arise out of pride, out of bias, and out of viewing exceptions rather than inclusive ideas. Being for or against the idea of global warming often has more to do with underlying motives than reality. Motives come from perspective.

When it comes to preservation of the Environment, a person can do two things. They can either put their personal interests first for the sake of comfort and ease of living, or they can contribute to the overall well-being of humanity and the Earth. These are the choices to weigh on the Scales, the opposites in our dual way of thinking.

In future articles we will look at different aspects of how modern thinking has had a negative impact on the environment, and what we can do to shift that thinking towards more constructive attitudes.

Dear Fellow cleantech entrepreneur

A&NZSustain is developing the 2010 calendar and is seeking input from speakers, leaders, emergent companies, technologists and developers.

Visit anzsustain.com or email me gareth@anzsustain.com for more information.

Wishing you a prosperous and happy holiday season

Best regards

Gareth 

FIT-PC2 - The worlds first (and only) 10W Full-Function Desktop PC.

Fit-PC2 is a full-spec Desktop PC (specs below) which will do what 70%+ of PC users require from their PC, without any noticeable difference in performance. MS Office, interenet surfing (multi-tab, etc), multi-media playback - it really does work like a standard PC (ie it is a standard PC!).

And it does all of that using just 10W of power maximum (6W idle, <1W Standby) - the average desktop (probably including the one you're using to view this on) uses well over 100W of power during average use. And it's tiny - just 11 x 10 x 2.7 cm (slightly larger than a matchbox).

I should make it clear that I am introducing this from the point of view of my position - Business Development for Fit-PC UK - but also (and you may not believe it, but mainly) because i'm actually pretty sure it can save almost any business a large amount on their electricity usage and substantially reduce Carbon Footprint with no compromises required. e.g. replacing just 30% of your PCs with Fit-PC2s (most businesses could replace a much larger proportion without any functionality loss) will save about 28% on your IT electricity usage, which is generally a surprisingly large proportion of a company's energy footprint. PC usage is currently extremely inefficient, a point which is proven by the functionality possible in a PC as small and low-power as Fit-PC2.

In short, Fit-PC2 justifies the raison d'etre of Intel's Atom processor range - to provide high-functionality computing in a highly efficient way.

Please post your thoughts and comments on Fit-PC2 as an alternative PC/Server/etc for businesses, and whether you think it can provide practical energy savings for your business - if you want to see more details before you comment please go to www.fit-pc.co.uk.

Specifications:
1.6GHz Atom Processor,
1GB RAM,
6 USB 2.0, Gigabit LAN, 802.11 b/g WiFi,
2.5" SATA HDD (160GB standard).
10W maximum power usage.
11 x 10 x 2.7 cm (TINY)

A hundred miles southwest of Houston, amid the refineries and petrochemical plants that dot Texas' Gulf Coast, construction on the first fully licensed nuclear plant to be built in this country in the last 30 years could begin soon.

For the remainder of the article (by Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com staff writer, November 02, 2009), visit: http://cnnmoney.mobi/money/archive/archive/detail/179010/full;jsessionid=1CAB061D4054106829F86E631FFA2B85.liveapp18j#p1

 

Commentary:
It may be of interest to share some information acquired during a recent meeting with Austin Energy's (AE) Operations Team and a tour of their Sand Hill Energy Center, Del Valle, Texas. This station is AE's newest gas-fired power plant (currently 300 Megawatts, with expansion to 500 Megawatts).

 

AE provided a cost breakdown for each type of fuel used to generate electricity. As a % of total power output and average cost (kWh), the breakdown was:

 

Nuclear - 20%, $0.08

Coal - 20%, $0.16

Gas (methane) - 40%, $0.25

Renewables [gas (methane), wind and solar] - 15-20%, $1.50 (unsubsidized).

 

Power from AE's nuclear station is always online and is considered base output. Demand, cost and emissions compels AE to bring the gas and coal stations online when needed.

 

While AE's nuclear plant provides the lowest cost of electricity, AE's operations manager indicated further expansion of nuclear plants was considered but for undisclosed reason(s) was abandon. Plausible reasons may relate to nuclear's high capital cost , the lengthy regulatory pathway and concern over waste disposal. Note: The French recycle nuclear wastes. Plutonium and uranium can be separated out of the waste and reused. Though recycling leaves a small amount of high-level waste to dispose of.

 

Sidebar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioactive_waste):

A 2004 article from the BBC states: "The World Health Organization says 3 million people are killed worldwide by outdoor air pollution annually from vehicles and industrial emissions, and 1.6 million indoors through using solid fuel."  In the U.S. alone, fossil fuel waste has been linked to the death of 20,000 people each year. A coal power plant releases 100 times as much radiation as a nuclear power plant of the same wattage. It is estimated that during 1982, US coal burning released 155 times as much radioactivity into the atmosphere as the Three Mile Island accident.

End

 

Supply reliability is the reason gas appears in two line items, i.e., direct and renewable.  Direct gas is reliably supplied 24/7 from one of three natural gas companies. Renewable gas is supplied from renewable sources such as landfill and water/sewage treatment; is  limited, erratic and cannot be counted on when needed.

 

Government mandates and incentives appear to be the primary reasons why AE has plans for solar and wind assisted power plants.