In this issue:
-Blackout 2003
-A New Mentality
-From Vision to Reality
-Supporting SustainableWays.com

::BLACKOUT 2003::

Where were you when (and IF) the lights went out?

I was at my boyfriend's house on a sunny Thursday afternoon, looking forward to my birthday weekend. But some of us were stranded in the city and spent the night sleeping in Grand Central Station. Some were trapped underground in the subway with the rush-hour crowd and no lights or AC. Some were stuck in dark elevators with people they didn't know. And some were even at Great Adventures theme park, going upside-down at 100 miles per hour, when the electricity went out.

I remembered a paper I'd read in college called "The Peak of World Oil Production and the Road to the Olduvai Gorge." What stuck with me was not only the undeniable, mathematical evidence that our current energy system is unsustainable, but his predictions of what would happen as a result.

"It begins...when an epidemic of permanent blackouts spreads worldwide, i.e. first there are waves of brownouts and temporary blackouts, then finally the electric power networks themselves expire."

Sound familiar? I thought of this paper and reread it when I heard of the rolling blackouts in California. And I thought of it again this past week.

I also thought of all the environmental propaganda that's out there, and I could imagine some people preaching that we need to go back to hunter-gatherer lives, and at least "simpler" lives, and stop supporting big corporations that cause all these problems.

I'm definitely not one of those people.

While I DO believe that are current energy system is not sustainable, and more than a bit too centralized, I hesitate to blame overpopulation and corporate American straight off the bat. I know, for example, that most of the buildings and houses in North America are built inefficiently, which makes them suck up a lot of power unnecessarily. That has nothing to do with overpopulation and corporate interests, but it has everything to do with our mindsets and values.

::A NEW MENTALITY::

People don't prioritize sustainability. That's why products that are good for the environment are more expensive than those which destroy it. Our economy reflects our demand, which was established in a time when we thought resources were infinite.

Now we know they're not...in fact, they're running out quickly. But we're living in an outdated system. We're making houses and buildings and products and cars as if there's a never-ending supply of oil.

Before the problems go away, the system needs to be changed. Since the system was designed according to an old mindset, we need to develop a NEW mentality. One where oil may not be an abundant resource, but the sun is. One where it's possible for people to live sustainably AND comfortably AND happily, because we're intelligent and we can figure it out.

I try not to waste my time reducing the negative impact of our current, poorly designed system. Instead I imagine a system where corporations compete to provide the most sustainable product on the market. I picture a world where billions and billions of people can do what they do now but in a sustainable way (If you expect them to stop having children or are waiting for them to change their ways, don't hold your breath).

And then I try to figure out how I can help to create this new system.

::FROM VISION TO REALITY::

I've long been thinking about how I can integrate my work life with my values (one of them being sustainability) in a fulfilling way. In fact, I took a year and a half off from college to think about just that. I saw myself becoming one of those people who hates their jobs but are stuck for various reasons (fear, debt, etc.). In other words, a wage slave. So I stopped dead in my tracks and decided to rethink where I was going with my life.

Now I have a much better sense of purpose and because of that I have a job I love in every possible way. Get this: I work part-time from home, get paid more than I've ever gotten paid before, do something I'm really good at, and help to build a sustainable future.

I'm not here to brag, but I AM here to share, so I wrote an article this month called "Work, Success, and Sustainability: Carving Your Niche in a Sustainable Future" (www.sustainableways.com/articles/work.html). If you hate your job, are dissatisfied with it, or even just feel like it could be better, check out this article. I'm hoping it'll help you the way an article like this would've helped me two years ago.

::SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLEWAYS.COM::

Thanks again everyone for signing my guestbook, becoming subscribers, and making your book purchases through links on my site. I just wanted to let you know that you can make used book purchases from Amazon.com Marketplace, and I still get a commission from that, so don't forget to follow my links and add the item to your shopping cart ASAP.

I'm making a steady $5 a month so far, and aiming for $10 so that I can upgrade my hosting service. One of the bonuses that comes with that is a forum, which I feel would be really valuable to SustainableWays.com.

I've also joined the sustainability web ring...some of the sites are a little off-topic in relation to my site, but it might be worth going crazy and clicking on that "random" button. Let me know if you find anything worth reading!

Have any ideas, comments, or suggestions? Please share them with me! Krystle@SustainableWays.com

Till next month,

Krystle C.

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