more ocean trash

It seems quite a few people misunderstood my posting about ocean trash. My concern is not so much with the trash being in the ocean, as opposed to say it being in "its proper place," whatever that might be -the landfill?- My qualm is with the trash itself. Its very existence.

I do agree that it is nicer to live in a community where people put their trash in trash cans and where they don't leave stuff lying around. However that is not my worry with ocean trash. To be quite blunt, the trash in the ocean does not bother me directly. I never see it and I never run across it.

What is worrisome is that we produce so much trash, not where we put it. That is what makes our lifestyle unsustainable. And that is what we need to change if we are going to survive on this planet.

What is deeply worrying is the fact that we produce and throw away perfectly good stuff at alarming rates. The fact that we seem to need a new car every three to five years -and why you could ask? What makes those new cars any better than the car we have? And why do we need a 400 hp car to drive 55 mph -and 25 mph during rush hour?

It is these old cars and other stuff that end up in the oceans.

Like the computer that we need to replace every two years, or a new cellphone that we can'd do without, or a new TV, or new kitchen appliances, or what have you. The fact that our society makes it so that we are forced to throw out good items and buy the latest gadget. In the case of computing that is a direct statement, the older machines simply won't work with today's software, even though today's software is only very marginally more capable (and often less useful) than yesterday's version. In other cases, the "must have" is more indirect and we are told we "need" to buy the latest gadget lest we be seen as failures by our peers.

Those "must have" gadgets have become so unappealing and so uninspiring because the designers can't possibly think any more significant changes to make. Yet Madison Avenue knows how to package them so we feel we can't possibly do without them. Call it peer pressure.

Designers vary the color, or the "style" or some other unimportant but very visible attribute on a regular basis. The technical term for these unnecessary changes is fashion. Fashion has high visibility so your neighbors will know if you refuse to play along. They will know that you are "falling behind," and are no longer "in their league." They will know when to shun you and treat you like the outcast that you are.

negative presents

One important thing you can do "to save the planet" is to stop throwing away stuff that can be reused. If you try this at home you will soon be overwhelmed with items and no place to store them. The reason for it is quite simple: you buy too much stuff. Too much stuff that you really don't need and have no use for. The remedy is very simple: buy less stuff.

It has been said that Americans throw away 90% of what they buy within six months after purchase. If true, this is clearly an unsustainable situation. No economy can survive for an extended period of time like that. 

One thing is for sure, nearly half of what we buy is packaging and wrapping material. Not only do most items come wrapped or packaged, everyone seems to feel a need to add more material or bags. I frankly do not understand why people buy bread that is shrink-wrapped, stuffed in a plastic bag, and then feel the need to request another bag to carry it to their cars. Wait a minute! They don't carry it to their car. They simply roll the cart with all the triple and quadruple-wrapped items to their car.

One important area of unwanted goods are all the do-dads designed to "solve" infrequent and unimportant problems. Many of these can be found in the kitchen. Garlic presses, stirring tools, hard boiled egg slicers, yolk separators, juicing machines, blenders, stirrers, and what have you. The type of things that look good at first but soon become a hassle to use and wash and keep track of. 

These are also the type of items that become impulse buys. They look useful, are easy to pick up and don't cost all that much money. They are stored near the cash register or in other places where you linger and may as well pick something up that you don't need. They are also sold in fancy-looking stores filled with ingenious and unneeded gadgets or via TV shows and infomercials. The best way to avoid "collecting" such items is to not go shopping idly or to turn off your TV unless you are really watching it.

Other things we OD on are toys for our kids. Most children have so many toys they don't know what to do with them. Their rooms are filled to the brim with toys that are never looked at. These toys are there to signal how much we love our kids. But what they signal most clearly is how disposable our "love" really is. Because what we need to do, instead of working so hard to "get ahead" is spend more time with our kids.

The reality is that we are too busy to do that. So we feel guilty and buy toys instead. So here is an idea for your child's next birthday party: "give negative presents," i.e. take away presents instead of adding more. Yes you heard that right. Take away some junk and give it to charity instead of adding yet another boring item to the every growing pile of trash that is your kid's playroom. Another fancy item that your kids will spend three days looking at before adding it to the rest of the pile. Been there, done that.

less trash

The LA times reports that the current economic crisis is leading to less trash at landfills. It reads:"For a commentary on California's economic health, visit its landfills, where disposal rates are hitting record lows." Apparently, Puente Hills Landfill, "among the nations largest," noted a 30% decrease in tonnage recently.

First, it proves what I have been reporting all along, that we are a throw-away economy. According to some reports, 90% of what we buy ends up in the trash within six months. If you want to call that economic health -as the Times seems to think- welcome to idiocracy. Have some more kool-aid.

Second, it proves that the economic slowdown is good for the environment. Better than the "green economy" or any investment in "alternative fuel." Environmentalism is about slowing down and consuming less. Our current approach to the environment is like that of an obese person who is looking for alternative therapies instead of eating less and moving around more.

Third, it also shows that our current economy is unsustainable. It is based on churning through resources at ever faster rates. No matter how you slice it, something like that is not sustainable in the long run. And if churning hits high values, the "long" in long run becomes very short indeed. We have become like locusts, and locusts do not survive for very long.

I do not advocate recession, or depression -because that is what we are seeing now, but it appears to be the only way to get us to change our behavior. Much like out-of-control gas consumption was unstoppable until prices rose, it looks like we will need a long and deep depression to kick our bad consumerism habits. 

Common sense has failed, and to get it back we will have to experience some serious, lasting pain. But don't worry. It is coming your way. Don't be fooled by the temporary upswing -the Obama effect- because it is temporary. I have said it many times before and I will keep on repeating it, the worse is yet to come. The Dow will go down to 6,000. It may even go lower. And buying gold -the metal, not mining stocks, but actual bullion- is a smart thing to do.

While I hope we can avoid it, it may get so bad that paper money becomes real paper again.

Meanwhile, keep up the good work, and reduce trash.

restless legs

You have to hear Bill Maher say it. Why do people like to travel ? Answer: to get laid. It is one of those instances where comedians tell us what we all know to be true. Sure, there are the tourist attractions, but the number one attraction is the other people who are also there to view them. There is ample evidence to support this non-conventional view. From the crusades to the missionaries, to modern day tourism, we can see the evidence plainly written in mitochondrial and Y chromosome DNA.

Have you ever wondered why people living in exotic travel destinations never go see the local sights? It often takes out of town visitors for them to even consider looking at those "fabulous treasures." I have lived in San Francisco for decades and never been to Alcatraz. I think I have been to Muir woods twice, both times because out of town visitors wanted to go there. The same applies to ChinaTown, Fisherman's Warf, Pier 39, and all other tourist attractions. I lived in other tourist hotspots and they too never inspired me to go see the sights.

And I am not alone. I went to Boston recently to visit a friend. He too took me places that are high on the tourist must-see list but that he, as a life-long Boston resident had never bothered to see. Everyone knows stories like these.It is not that we are immune to natural beauty. But natural beauty can be found everywhere and anytime. It is a free commodity and not something you need to go travel for to experience.

Furthermore, a lot of it is in the eye of the beholder. Sure you can look over the Grand Canyon or Monument Valley and be amazed. But as Marc Reisner points out in "Cadillac Desert," the desert only looks wondrous and attractive from an air-conditioned car with a cooler full of cold drinks. If you had to survive there, you wouldn't be nearly as impressed. Even Hawaii with its spectacular volcanoes is no different. If it weren't for all the goodies we constantly ship in, paradise would look as desperate and dreary as Father Damian saw it.

Hawaii, like all beach destinations is about the surfer dudes and the bikini girls. The hard bodies on the beach. Now that is a sight worth seeing ! Men of course would only grudgingly acknowledge this in public. Because men, as we all know, buy PlayBoy for the articles.



There are only so many sunsets one can watch. And only so many new and exciting landscapes. Sure the romantic pictures matter somewhat, but face it, it is not the tropical beach but the bodies lying on that beach that count. And the clubs and the nightlife. It is not the ski, but the apres-ski that we are looking for. If not, why put up with all the lift lines and the hassle?

In tourist hotspots such as Las Vegas, Bangkok, Phuket, and Spain, the sex industry is alive and well. That industry does not just comprise sex workers but also the many nightclubs and bars where eager souls can pick up new companions. In some cases it goes so far as to support a "scavenger population."

I saw a program recently documenting the many single males living a minimal existence on the Spanish coast. They try to survive winter doing odd jobs here and there. They live frugally to the point of poverty and have but one goal. Like raptors they are eagerly awaiting the tourists that arrive in Spring. To take advantage of the relaxed atmosphere that gives many women the green light for an adventure or a one-night stand.

Despite the reproductive advantage, traveling is not something that humans are well adapted for. It comes at a price. There are dangers on the road, and dangers in the encounter with foreigners. There are illnesses, some quite serious. Even today, with tourism bringing in billions of dollars, and tourist-destinations eager to protect their source of income, travelers are at increased risk for illness, injury, and death. It is not something you read about a lot and the travel industry does its best to ignore it or brush it away. But every year, a lot of people die. Even more are assaulted, robbed, or kidnapped.

Travel also plays a key role in epidemics and pandemics. Travel is a major contributor to global warming and environmental destruction. From the planes, cars, and buses, to the garbage people leave behind, tourism is damaging and destructive. Unfortunately, it does not end there. Tourism also leaves its mark in infrastructure. An infrastructure that is often poorly adapted to the local circumstances.

Tourism plays a major role in the current water crisis in Southern Spain. The crisis goes largely unnoticed for now, but its impact is devastating. Spain is a good example because it contains many fragile environments and receives more tourists than almost any other destination on the planet. Almost 50 million people make an annual trek to the Spanish coast each and every year. They go there to do those things that they would never contemplate doing at home. But what happens in Spain is not an isolated phenomenon. It happens everywhere else too. Florida's ecosystem has been trashed by retirees and visitors alike. The everglades have seen their best days. The reefs are all but depopulated. The same is happening to the SouthWest. The spread of golf courses and swimming pools is contributing to water shortages and putting stress on the ecosystems.

Like so many other things in modern life, travel is one area where the consumer does not pay the true cost of the trip. If they did, travel would once again become rare and be the prerogative of the very rich. Not that that would be a bad thing. After a while, I am sure nobody would miss it very much.

keep the old stuff

Here is a handy tip for the holidays. One that will save you money and help the environment. It is quite simple really and its main effect is indirect. Keep the old stuff in your garage, attic, basement or storage rooms. Don't throw it out, don't recycle it, and do not give it to charity. Just keep it there.

Have you ever wished you kept something that you just threw out, because you need it now? Well that is one benefit. Re-using old stuff is better than recycling it. But even that old TV that you will never use again has its use just sitting there. For one, it won't end up in Guiyu, China, the waste capital of the world. It won't release its toxic lead and other chemicals into the environment. That is one good thing. But more even more importantly, it takes up space. That is the key part.

One thing we all learn about houses is that we tend to fill them to the top. No matter how big your house is, you will fill it up sooner or later. I call it relativity and the fear of a vacuum (see previous posts). This is a natural tendency and very hard to fight. Everyone succumbs to it, and although some people pack in more stuff than others, nearly everyone packs in a lot. Nearly everyone over-consumes for this simple reason.

If you keep the old stuff around there won't be room for new items. That will keep you from shopping for new stuff. It will save you money and it will help the environment. And it is easy. Often the best way to do something is to make it so you are forced to do it. If your house is full there isn't more room for new items. Now you can focus your energies on other matters. Like getting in shape.

A great way to be healthy, save money, and help the ecosystem.