Un
The Man wants us to write about technology. Energy and technology. But sometimes we want to write about un-technology. About not doing things. Avoidance strategies. Nega-watts. Nega-barrels. Things that are related to energy but that are distinctly un-tech.
Un. Like burying coffee grounds and banana peels and egg shells in your garden to make your soil rich, all the while diverting these from the landfill and thus avoiding the energy used to transport them to the landfill. Or using reusable grocery bags to the same effect. Or inflating tires to proper levels and going light on the brakes. Or eating more leftovers and splitting meals when dining out to work on the staggering 27 percent food waste issue discussed here.
If 300 million people did a dozen "Un" things like this daily, the energy savings would be substantial.
The Man wants us to write about technology, but sometimes we get feisty and subversive and just write about un-technology anyway. It's our little way of sticking it to the Man.
Photo: Pomph
Hey, I do those un-things all the time and never knew I was being un. Compost eggshells or feed them to my dogs. grow veggies with the compost in the back yard. Use wine bottles as edgers around the beds. Question: why aren't there electric gas mowers? Seems like it'd be so easy to make one.
Posted by: Lori Cuthbert | June 09, 2008 at 04:33 PM
Yes, ma'am, you're Un.
There are electric mowers, which I'd always heard were underperforming or a pain because you had to manage the physical relationship between the extension cord around and blade. But here's a positive review on a cordless that can also use a cord (or a combination of battery and electric power for tall grass): http://products.howstuffworks.com/remington-powermower-mps6017a-electric-mower-review.htm
Oh, and, uh, the references to "sticking it to the Man"...that won't happen again.
Posted by: Chris | June 12, 2008 at 07:27 AM