Zephyr Page 22

Photo by DAVID SHANKBONE

vation 101 ask yourself this question - did either of the dudes engaged in the interview mention the word conservation?

Is the plan to simply convert from one energy source to another without consideration of what that means for ecosystem integrity, habitat restoration, species viability, and human mental (some would say spiritual) well-being? Is the game to ensure that an endless supply of juice is always available? How many plasma TV's are talking about here? Are we not going to engage in meaningful debate about human overpopulation and carrying capacity? And if not, why not?

Sometimes you just have to wonder if all this ballyhooing about the end of civilization isn't a simple case of Homo erectus asphaltus flatulence. Maybe it's time to take another look at what it means to be "civilized."

Or have we past the point of self-examination?

Calling Don Quixote!

posted by Mudd

Monkey See, Monkey Eat Eggs

Here's one for you veggie-mates out there in Cyberland - "Wild howler monkeys have been caught on camera raiding chicken coops and eating bird's eggs." [BBC]

"The behaviour has surprised researchers as howler monkeys are thought to be exclusively vegetarian."

But the question still remains - what came first, the chicken or the eggs?

posted by Mudd

Windmills, PVC Pipe, and a Little Elbow

Think industrial wind power is green?

Now check out "The extraordinary true story of a Malawian teenager who transformed his village by building electric windmills out of junk...." [BBC]

You gotta appreciate this quote: "Many, including my mother, thought I was going crazy - people thought I was smoking marijuana...." What a breath of fresh air! And this guy was forced to quit school at age 14 because he couldn't cough up the $80 a year tuition

Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

Wondering about your very own green funeral? Drop in on "Grave Matters - A Journey Through the Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial."

Do we need a fancy casket with pink lining? How do they expect us to be recycled in one of the goofy

contraptions? On the other hand, if you seriously want a Hee Haw Body Bag, don't forget to bring your check book. How did I get into this brambled mess of a blog? pass the kleenex.

http://wbx.me/l/?p=i8ai=http%3A%2F%2Fcanyoncountryzephyr.com%2Fb
log%2F2009%2Fio%2Fo9%2Fwill-the-circle-be-unbroken%2F

The Kangaroo Express

I don't what most folks wake up to every day, but here in the miasmic mess of Alabama, we're treated to a relentless gusher of titillating "factoids." Take this piece discovered in the Birmingham News, for example -

Friday, October 09, 2009

A Jefferson County convenience store was robbed Wednesday night by a gun-wielding man wearing a skeleton mask. The robber, authorities said, made his getaway on a skateboard. "It seems like Halloween is getting here early," said sheriffs spokesman Lt. Randy Christian.

And the name of the victim? The Kangaroo Express, of course.

Amen, and pass the remote control.

posted by Mudd

Green Fashion Jamboree!

Calling all Neo-Greens! Dust off your threads; it's Green Fashion Jamboree!

The one and only Karl Lagerfeld, fashionista deluxe, recently brought his mega-green fashion designs to a Paris runway and proved that "ecology can be not only politically correct, but cool." Or something like that.

As reported by Fashion Wire Daily: "The designer even played on the legend of Marie Antoinette, famed for her farm in the Petit Trianon where she enjoyed the pleasures of the simple life - churning butter, feeding animals and extending her garden."

And in a stunning moment of weirdness - "Farmer Lagerfeld even wore homespun jeans, but with crocodile boots, though his, like most people's shoes at the show, turned green from all the hay".

Amazing turn of events out there in Eco-Land. Now we can look like a Neo-Green farmer in $10,000 overalls and reptile boots while we shovel pig shit into the biodiesel compost bin!

Pass the ex-lax. And don't forget the "wind-tousled hair."

posted by Mudd

The Topple Factor

Want to read something brilliantly crazy? It comes to us via NPR, so you know it's fun. Or funny; take your pick. At any rate, the piece's title reads: "Could Climate Change Topple Modern Civilization?"

But the story should've been titled: "The Green topic de jour- How to Save the Planet Right Now!" And the show's erudite interviewee Lester Brown has the answer. Or he thinks he does. Of course, the answer is windmills sticking up like giant lawn mower blades across the lovely terrain of North Dakota, Texas, Kansas, and assorted Fruited Plains everywhere. Maybe your backyard!

Check out the interview with the famous Monsieur Brown. After you're done being bedazzled with the knee-knocking scientific mojo regarding Planetary Sal-

GREEN McMANSIONS

Calling all Neo-Greens - "The first newly constructed, carbon neutral house on the East Coast is opening its doors to the public in October. The Green House, as it's been named, uses approximately 70 to 80 percent less energy per square foot than a comparable new house."

And is it a crock of McMansion shit, or what?

Is this what we're calling green these days? "The family living here can live with virtually no carbon footprint as a result of their day to day activities," said one of the home builders. Notice he said "as a result of their day to day activities." And how does a Neo-Green come up with the cash to buy a 4,000 square foot humble green mansion? Even Michelle Obama's organic gardener doesn't make that kind of casserole.

Not to fret - you can tour the home any day now.

Keeping up with the Green Jones.

posted by Mudd

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Apparently the "Green McMansion" in the photo above, from Treehugger.com wasn't green enough for some anti-McMansion sorts. This green palace, in Seattle, and a few others got the torch.)

The Great Desert Solar Farms War

Adding insult to injury in the evolving The Great Desert Solar Farms War, the New York Times reports, "Here is an inconvenient truth about renewable energy: It can sometimes demand a huge amount of water. Many of the proposed solutions to the nation's energy problems, from certain types of solar farms to biofuel refineries to cleaner coal plants, could consume billions of gallons of water every year.

Of course, Ground Zero for the eco-struggle over industrial solar farms is tak-





	Photo by DAVID SHANKBONE		vation 101 ask yourself this question - did either of the dudes engaged in the interview mention the word conservation? Is the plan to simply convert from one energy source to another without consideration of what that means for ecosystem integrity, habitat restoration, species viability, and human mental (some would say spiritual) well-being? Is the game to ensure that an endless supply of juice is always available? How many plasma TV's are talking about here? Are we not going to engage in meaningful debate about human overpopulation and carrying capacity? And if not, why not? Sometimes you just have to wonder if all this ballyhooing about the end of civilization isn't a simple case of Homo erectus asphaltus flatulence. Maybe it's time to take another look at what it means to be "civilized." Or have we past the point of self-examination? Calling Don Quixote! posted by Mudd Monkey See, Monkey Eat Eggs Here's one for you veggie-mates out there in Cyberland - "Wild howler monkeys have been caught on camera raiding chicken coops and eating bird's eggs." [BBC] "The behaviour has surprised researchers as howler monkeys are thought to be exclusively vegetarian." But the question still remains - what came first, the chicken or the eggs? posted by Mudd Windmills, PVC Pipe, and a Little Elbow Think industrial wind power is green? Now check out "The extraordinary true story of a Malawian teenager who transformed his village by building electric windmills out of junk...." [BBC] You gotta appreciate this quote: "Many, including my mother, thought I was going crazy - people thought I was smoking marijuana...." What a breath of fresh air! And this guy was forced to quit school at age 14 because he couldn't cough up the $80 a year tuition

		Will the Circle Be Unbroken? Wondering about your very own green funeral? Drop in on "Grave Matters - A Journey Through the Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial." Do we need a fancy casket with pink lining? How do they expect us to be recycled in one of the goofy
contraptions? On the other hand, if you seriously want a Hee Haw Body Bag, don't forget to bring your check book. How did I get into this brambled mess of a blog? pass the kleenex. http://wbx.me/l/?p=i8ai=http%3A%2F%2Fcanyoncountryzephyr.com%2Fb log%2F2009%2Fio%2Fo9%2Fwill-the-circle-be-unbroken%2F
The Kangaroo Express I don't what most folks wake up to every day, but here in the miasmic mess of Alabama, we're treated to a relentless gusher of titillating "factoids." Take this piece discovered in the Birmingham News, for example - Friday, October 09, 2009 A Jefferson County convenience store was robbed Wednesday night by a gun-wielding man wearing a skeleton mask. The robber, authorities said, made his getaway on a skateboard. "It seems like Halloween is getting here early," said sheriffs spokesman Lt. Randy Christian. And the name of the victim? The Kangaroo Express, of course. Amen, and pass the remote control. posted by Mudd Green Fashion Jamboree! Calling all Neo-Greens! Dust off your threads; it's Green Fashion Jamboree! The one and only Karl Lagerfeld, fashionista deluxe, recently brought his mega-green fashion designs to a Paris runway and proved that "ecology can be not only politically correct, but cool." Or something like that. As reported by Fashion Wire Daily: "The designer even played on the legend of Marie Antoinette, famed for her farm in the Petit Trianon where she enjoyed the pleasures of the simple life - churning butter, feeding animals and extending her garden." And in a stunning moment of weirdness - "Farmer Lagerfeld even wore homespun jeans, but with crocodile boots, though his, like most people's shoes at the show, turned green from all the hay". Amazing turn of events out there in Eco-Land. Now we can look like a Neo-Green farmer in $10,000 overalls and reptile boots while we shovel pig shit into the biodiesel compost bin! Pass the ex-lax. And don't forget the "wind-tousled hair." posted by Mudd The Topple Factor Want to read something brilliantly crazy? It comes to us via NPR, so you know it's fun. Or funny; take your pick. At any rate, the piece's title reads: "Could Climate Change Topple Modern Civilization?" But the story should've been titled: "The Green topic de jour- How to Save the Planet Right Now!" And the show's erudite interviewee Lester Brown has the answer. Or he thinks he does. Of course, the answer is windmills sticking up like giant lawn mower blades across the lovely terrain of North Dakota, Texas, Kansas, and assorted Fruited Plains everywhere. Maybe your backyard! Check out the interview with the famous Monsieur Brown. After you're done being bedazzled with the knee-knocking scientific mojo regarding Planetary Sal-
				GREEN McMANSIONS Calling all Neo-Greens - "The first newly constructed, carbon neutral house on the East Coast is opening its doors to the public in October. The Green House, as it's been named, uses approximately 70 to 80 percent less energy per square foot than a comparable new house."
			And is it a crock of McMansion shit, or what? Is this what we're calling green these days? "The family living here can live with virtually no carbon footprint as a result of their day to day activities," said one of the home builders. Notice he said "as a result of their day to day activities." And how does a Neo-Green come up with the cash to buy a 4,000 square foot humble green mansion? Even Michelle Obama's organic gardener doesn't make that kind of casserole. Not to fret - you can tour the home any day now. Keeping up with the Green Jones. posted by Mudd (EDITOR'S NOTE: Apparently the "Green McMansion" in the photo above, from Treehugger.com wasn't green enough for some anti-McMansion sorts. This green palace, in Seattle, and a few others got the torch.) The Great Desert Solar Farms War Adding insult to injury in the evolving The Great Desert Solar Farms War, the New York Times reports, "Here is an inconvenient truth about renewable energy: It can sometimes demand a huge amount of water. Many of the proposed solutions to the nation's energy problems, from certain types of solar farms to biofuel refineries to cleaner coal plants, could consume billions of gallons of water every year. Of course, Ground Zero for the eco-struggle over industrial solar farms is tak-
			22