Open blog 2 - Analog vs Digital

Analog VS Digital  - no, I don't mean wrist watches....

There seems to be this push to replace simple ways of doing things with more complicated ways. Mainly I am thinking here if the "i" world and the belief that technology  - more and more of it - will solve all our problems. Apparently we all "need" the newest app out for our smartphones to remember anything anymore. 

Yes - many things can be done at the same time and copious amounts of paper can be eliminated by digitizing our lives and work - but what is the cost of all this? How much more electricity are all these mini-computers using? How many times have you been run-into my a person texting while walking on the street? - driving on the street??

And - how may people are being exploited around the world to obtain the Rare Earth Metals needed to create all this digi-culture? How many people around the world are being poisoned while breaking down digi-waste?

Why has no one thought up a computer that would, theoretically, not be disposed of in less than 2 years? Why isn't it easy to switch out old components for new ones?

Apple has attempted to address this by making their computers easier to disassemble and recycle - but they still rely on the same business model of newer is better.

We are all really just interested in see the media we want and access the data we need.......why all the new screens all the time?

Open Blog 1

So - I went and saw the movie "Bag It" at the Russell house a few weeks ago. The movie was really good - well done - not obnoxious at all. What was somewhat obnoxious was the panel discussion after the movie....

After watching what I think everyone could call an alarm call regarding plastics, the environment and people - the members on the panel seemed quite defensive of the lackluster/non-existent recycling and waste issues here in SC. It would have been one thing to recognize the difficulty that exists in this state to move on these issues - but to basically defend the situation?

Ok - maybe this sounds a bit harsh, but I am not sure why the recycling promoter for the city isn't more active - I had never heard of her or her position before. And another thing - this state is red through and through right? - so where is the self-reliance that republicans value so much. It seems to me that this state constantly goes out of its way to attract business - any kind of business (like nuclear waste disposal) - at the expense of the public's general health - and sustainability. I mean - how sustainable can our landscape be if there is nuclear waste buried near by - or landfills receiving trash from everywhere?

I think that this state has an incredible opportunity to retool the way we do things - eat, generate power, transport ourselves - because SC is really fairly underdeveloped compared to many other states. We should really get in on the ground level with sustainability here - and that can start by banning plastic bags......