Feeling Helpless

[fossilgrom]

This is a bummer. So if you are looking for happy, stop reading now. Also, I tried to search for a thread on the BP spill and could not find one. I appologize if somebody already started one already. I feel the need to rant a little about what is happening in the Gulf and the rest of the world. Since this affects the ocean where we all surf, I felt that the topic should be under the surf subjects. Moderators feel free to do as you will.

Like many of you I surf almost every day. Since the BP spill, it seems that I have been more concience of the crap that is floating around and washed up on the beach, the inevitable, world-wide strip of plastic bits at the high tide line. The water bottles, oil containers, bags, etc. that are mixed in with the driftwood at the top of the beach. Our beaches are relatively clean compared to many places. I lived in Japan for 4 years and there are places in some of the bays and estuaries over there that are so bad that you can't even get close to them due to the chemical and sewage smell and you can barely see the water for the floating garbage. This was over 30 years ago - and it has continued growing exponentially 24/7 since then.

The images from the gulf are getting worse and it is obvious that this is an environmental disaster that is beyond discription - possible the worst ever. A huge swath of the ocean is going to die. The environmental and economical ramifications are beyond our imagining. All of this occuring during a time of deep recession and when every ecosystem on the planet is threatened on virtually every front.

Well - as an individual, I'm feeling kinda helpless. I mean I recycle and pick up trash off the beach and all that. When we shop we bring cloth bags in with us. However, I still drive my car, I still drink from plastic bottles, use things made of plastic and petroleum. My computer, cell phone, shoes, pens, even my surfboards are made of plastic and petroleum. In other words, it seems that no matter how hard you try, you can't help but buy into the system that is killing us. One event like this spill cancels out and dwarfs virtually all the evirinmental efforts we all try to make. When I see the scale of the shite that is happening out there, I can't help but wonder if my meager attempts at being green make any difference at all.

The question is - can we as individuals adjust our lifestyles enough to really make a difference?

After thinking this one over, the only answer I come up with is - no we can't. For every one of us who take steps to recycle and limit energy consumption, there are a thousand others who are either too greedy, too poor, too ignorant, or just don't give a shite. I don't see this changing anytime soon - do you? Certainly not in time to save what is left of the ecosystem. I mean Obama's bold ecological move after the spill is to put a 6-month moratorium on deep water offsfore drilling to study whether we can "make it safer". All I can do is shake my head in disbelief. It is obvious we elected another corporate fuk.

The solution would have to be immediate and worldwide - no fukkin' way it will ever happen my friend.

To all you people who think you are making a difference by recycling, driving a Prius, using energy efficient light bulbs - whatever - more power to you, however, you are wasting your time. Might as well consume and chuck like the rest of the world and get this shite over with so the planet can be rid of us.

Sorry if I ruined your morning drive-through Starbucks.

[No wind & 10']

The oil spill in the gulf is just another recent example of pollution in our oceans. It would be nice to get the movement going a little faster away from the BLACK GOLD! What will it take for us to get away from gas powered cars and such? If there’s not a easy way for people to change, their not likely to I guess. Oil companies and government have done a good job of suppressing alternative methods. Maybe the only good that will come of this, is that it might push people to make some bigger changes and put out the effort, time, and money to get away from oil. It would be sweet to become less dependent on oil and see the oil companies be the ones affected instead of us!

[SooLoo]

Hey foss, good story.

In fact it got me to thinking as I was sitting in my massive truck leaking oil into the sand that I need to do more.

I mean I'm trying to get in tune with the blown out crappy surf and all I see is trash, tons of it, littering the beach after a sort of sunny weekend. It makes you feel small and helpless looking at all the dis-respect getting blown around my truck.

Well no more of that for me I decided to stop giving my money to Starbucks and burger king! That's right, I'm talking about taking back power from the man! I rolled down my window and tossed those devils out of my truck. I'm talking about a quad half caf mocha and a McSando w fries. I even found an empty beer can and got that filth out of my truck, eff those guys I'm making my own beer from now on.

In a fit of rage I pulled 2 or 3 cookies before coming home and making a burn pile out of all the $hit I boughht at walmart.

I suggest you all do the same.

Take back the power.

[H. Stamper]

Opt out when you can, that's the only way we have any power.

[fossilgrom]

What would you have to do to be truly green? I'll start with a few suggestions.

1. do what Sooloo did - makes the most sense. Kicking the trash out of your car onto the ground and burning all your Walmart crap will only add to the polution problem, but it might make you feel better.

2. Park your car forever - even your Prius (ya right)

3. completely boycott all petroleum based fuels, solvents, paints, lubricants etc. (ya right)

4. Only eat what you grow or produce or is proven to be produced in a completely green way (ya right)

5. Never buy anything with any plastic in it or the packaging again (ya right)

6. convert you house to solar or wind to get completely off the grid (ya right)

7. wear only natural fibre clothing produced with ecologically sound methods by people who are not corporate slaves (ya right)

Anymore totally impractical, never gonna happen, pipe dream suggestions out there?

[Spent]

Fos, you are right, you cannot be truly green in a capitalist system that continues to wank over technology and 'progress.' Capitalism can never be sustainable. The essence of capitalism is to exploit other's and natural resources to get onself ahead. However, it doesn't have to be so black and white, all or nothing. You do what you can or what you find practical. You find a balance between your concerns, ethics and the lifestyle/ standard of living you can live with, I suppose.

Weighing up the ethical implications of each purchase (how you spend your $), isn't going to change sh*t but it might be all we have unless you want to start blowing up dams.

Reformist polcies, 'green technology,' recycling, voting blah blah are all well and great but ultimately are just prolonging the ultaimte demise of the techno-industrial-capitalist nightmare. The only logical outcome is for it to collapse in on itself. It is only a matter of time. To answer your question, I fear no meaningful change is possible under this current economic, socio-political structure we've arranged ourselves under.

Forget taking back the power... if we really gave a sh*t we'd dismantle it all together.

[Spent]

Here is my pie in the sky anti-poltical agenda

1) Everyone needs to be able to gather everything they need to survive within walking distance of where they choose to lay their head.


2) All transport should be human, wind or solar powered. Not just for ecological reasons but to deter excessive travel and encourage people to find 'life' in their immediate surroundings and discourage global monoculture which is vulnerable, unhealthy and boring. We are currently too interconnected.


3) 'Communities' should be voluntarily compromised of a rough number of inhabitants, large enough to make sure that everything that needs to get done will get done, but small enough so that everyone still knows everyone personally.


4) Three hours a day of hard labour from those capable, should be enough to sustain a healthy community (according to a 1932 study). Then you are free to meet your own station in life.


5) Art, music, and entertainment should come from within the community and consumed live where at all possible. Aren't we all tired of worshipping rock stars who earn obscene amounts of money who are no more talented than that 'one friend of ours?'


6) Separate communities should feel free to explore federation and trade and so on, as long as it does not jeopardize the autonomy of any community or individual.

7) No more internet or cell phones.


All of this is to encourage sustainable living while enhancing bio-regional and cultural vitality and peculiarity.

[SooLoo]

When in doubt grab a bag out and clean your respective beach

[fossilgrom]

not a plastic bag though....

[speelyei]

So just before the dog fell over and died, I told my wife, "we're gonna need to find a new dog soon". We loaded up our 635 children and moved into the carpet for a while. Sure enough the dog was dead within a few days and I felt vindicated. All those other suckers who hadn't prepared, they thought this day would never come. My wife often asks how we can change our reproductive and feeding habits... she worries about it a lot. I tell her, "hey, we're fleas. this is what we do. If we didn't do this, we wouldn't be fleas."
The people bought a new cocker spaniel, and we're getting settled in nicely. Maybe someone can buy you guys a new dog?

[fossilgrom]

As far as we know there is only the one dog. You mean you won't share your dog with us?

Maybe the world needs a big flea bomb.

[SlimVest]

the answer is here:
http://www.getuncommon.com/collections/449/

Fight oil dependence and help clean up the gulf by buying a iphone case made of an oil-based material!

[fossilgrom]

Yup SV. And there you have it - the obvious hypocracy that is lost on most folks.

This thread sucks - see where my mind goes when the surf is crap.

I just went and looked and the surf is as hopeless as this topic. Guess I'll get back to work on my project, which happens to be designing a paved parking lot...arrrgh.

[Gazsurf]

So just before the dog fell over and died, I told my wife, "we're gonna need to find a new dog soon". We loaded up our 635 children and moved into the carpet for a while. Sure enough the dog was dead within a few days and I felt vindicated. All those other suckers who hadn't prepared, they thought this day would never come. My wife often asks how we can change our reproductive and feeding habits... she worries about it a lot. I tell her, "hey, we're fleas. this is what we do. If we didn't do this, we wouldn't be fleas."
The people bought a new cocker spaniel, and we're getting settled in nicely. Maybe someone can buy you guys a new dog?

So we're all one dog scratch from going to Mars? Your post is cryptic and quite engaging. I'm deep in thought now as a result......

[Wilbur Kookmeyer]

Yup SV. And there you have it - the obvious hypocracy that is lost on most folks.

Please..... I have been pointing this out for years.....

If you have traveled outside of podunk Oregon in the last 20 years and are not deaf, dumb, blind, and unable to smell...you know how fuct we all are.

And every one of the self righteous hippie greenie dipshits are just masturbating as they throw their "if we cared" crap around that make it sound like they are the ONLY ones who care as they drive their fossil burning plastic mobile down to the Red Black to bad mouth the pigs that they would cray to the first time some eco-eater looked at them cross eyed.

Yeah...go 'save the world'.

That should have been Chandler's line...or at least it would be if there were a 2010 remake and that would kick @ss and be about as true as anything that anyone spews anymore 'cuz that is all the 'save the world' movement is is one big clique and popularity contest.

So go save the world.

Go shred.

Tools.

Tool.....?

Sounds about right.

Sure this might be about LA...but you might as well multiply and add 3 while you can.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnk78TTj8to