I have 1 week left before Christmas break, in that time I have a group project that I just got assigned due Tuesday and a paper due Thursday, this is on top of all the reading that I am supposed to keep up with just to understand the lectures. I know it is a masters program I am supposed to work my ass off and I am, I am also not complaining. I might have last week but not anymore.
I don't like everything I read, nor do I care for all that papers I am writing but I do enjoy topic. It is a cross between science and policy all at once [pause...] I just had a laugh at how nerdy/geeky that sounded. Seriously though, my generation will deal with wars and massive shifts in the environment. If you think immigration is a problem now, wait for a couple of decades and then we can talk about mass immigration. You want to remodel your house with hardwood floors? retire late.
I haven't been in a single car since moving to London, I've had no need. I take 2 buses to get to school, I take a bus and a train to get to the grocery store. I took an electric train that hit 189mph to Paris. I wonder what my carbon footprint is now compared to when I lived in the States. I used to drive 30 miles each direction for work 4 months a year. I know that we can't rid the world of cars at all, and there are days where more than anything I want to go for a drive in the country side with the music blaring.
Has this course work changed my life drastically, no not yet. Do I perhaps make small choices that I didn't think of before, sure. Remember when we used to buy cds? It might sound crazy but buying music from i-tunes or amazon is much more environmentally friendly. Think of all the plastic that goes into making a cd, the case and the cellophane wrapping.
Environmentalism isn't something people agree on, global warming/climate change is even worse, but one thing we need to realize is that nothing is infinite. One way to think about it is this: how exciting it is to read an article on new tools used thousands of years ago, what would they find if there was no tomorrow and in 5000 years they dug up your house. For me they would find a couple of glass bottles, a couple of plastic bottles, my klean kanteen, shave cream, spray deodorant, my computer and printer. Not sure if my suitcases would make it that long, perhaps the wheels and the plastic parts, some of my clothes that are made out of who knows what and coins. Now we have found what appear to be tools, made out of rock, wood, and iron, what would the future think of us when they find a garbage dump? At least we know they wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel, as all the tires would still be around. I'm not so embarrassed by the advances in technology and what I use everyday, it is the amount that we should start thinking about. How big is your rubbish bin and how big is your recycling bin?
Okay enough about my ranting, even though I'm as much as fault as anyone else. I tell myself everyday that one little thing everyday will make a difference. Just think, it isn't always about giving things up, perhaps it is about looking at your options more clear.
Hope all is well where ever you may be. I head to Brighton for a few days once school is out, then Alan comes and we are taking a tour of the UK for about 2 weeks. I'm sure I will have much more entertaining things to say then and less about my school work.
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