Category Archives for "Projects"

Climate Guilt – What is It & What to Do About It

Image of a statue of a man huddling in guilt

What it is
In a nutty little shell climate guilt (eco-guilt or green guilt) is the guilt of those who realize that are not doing everything they could be doing to defend the natural environment.

Go On…
Eco-guilt is a feeling of remorse or guilt that a person may experience when they recognize that their actions are contributing to environmental damage or degradation. This guilt can arise from a variety of situations, such as using disposable plastics, driving a gas-powered vehicle, or buying products that are packaged in unsustainable materials.

Eco guilt can motivate people to make changes in their behavior in order to reduce their environmental impact, but it can also lead to feelings of helplessness or despair if a person feels overwhelmed by the scale of the problem.

You Are Not Alone…

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How to Reduce Water Usage in Your Home

Image of Water Drop hitting water

Water is a Renewable but…
You have probably heard the question; if the amount of water on earth stays the same forever, why should we bother conserving it, and why are some places experiencing such a lack of it?

No one disagrees as to the supreme importance that water holds. The increased occurrence and intensity of severe environmental events, such as forest fires, hurricanes, record temperatures, heat waves, and droughts have water conservation at the forefront of countless people’s minds.

This issue also turns out to be a double-edged sword because not only are people concerned about how to save water they are also struggling to deal with the rising cost of their water bill. More than ever before…

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Help My Electric Bill is Too High – Programs to Assist

You are not alone.
Households across the nation feeling the effect of soaring energy prices. Specifically, it is particularly hard on people living on a fixed or limited budget. It is unthinkable that anyone should suffer because they lack access to the essential energy needed for heating, cooking, and warm water -Dignity.

There Are Options
Fortunately, options exist to help those in need lower their energy bills. That help comes in the form of a growing number of programs and incentives to alleviate…

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Permaculture Principle 12: Creatively Use and Respond to Change

Image of cyclone destroying a house

Evolutionary or Unforeseen
All systems, whether natural or man-made are subject to change either through an evolutionary process or an unforeseen event. Some changes are predictable, and we can plan for them – in nature we have seasons and patterns of succession, in life, we experience rites of passage as we age and in business, market disrupters require businesses to evolve in order to remain competitive.

We Can Use It to Our Advantage
The changes we can anticipate should be accounted for in any system we design. This takes us full circle to the first design principle – the purpose of Observing and Interacting is to take stock of the shifts that are happening.

Anticipating it can help us create productive ecosystems faster, better meet the needs of population growth, assist us in successfully ridding our economic booms and busts…

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Permaculture Principle 11: Use Edges and Value the Marginal

Living on the edge
In a society, the edge is where free thinkers go to live – innovative ideas thrive there. In nature, it’s also a wonderful place to reside. This permaculture principle takes us there.

You’re so Edgy
An edge is where two systems butt up against each other – water meets land and an estuary is born, two companies merge their similar experimental cutting-edge technologies to develop a new better product or a Ska band moves in next door to an investment banker and new friendships are made at their shared fence – Introducing new plants and animal species, inspiring technological breakthroughs and sparking new conversations that may not have ever have happened otherwise.

Edges are easier to see in nature than in other more abstract forms such as friendships and technology. I love to wander the edges of…

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