Contact: thurmanhubbardATyahooDOTcom
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By Thurman, on June 27th, 20102010-06-27T20:15:35ZF jS, Y%
“…faced with what may be the biggest ecological disaster in human history, I’m hearing average Americans up here talk of the Gulf oil “spill” (when they speak of it at all — TV gives the illusion those outside the Gulf region give a shit), in terms of its effect on: (A) the price of seafood; and (B) jobs in tourism and fishing. Only trolls stunted by generations of inbred American style capitalism could do such a thing: reduce a massive ocean dead zone to the cost of a shrimp cocktail or a car payment.” ~ Joe Bageant, June, 2010
Once in a while someone comes along who so eloquently expresses my thoughts and sentiments that I simply want to shut down my laptop and give up my feeble attempts at writing altogether. Who needs me when there are writers like Joe Bageant around. Continue reading Deep Down We’re All Just Inbred Trolls
By Thurman, on December 15th, 20092009-12-16T01:23:41ZF jS, Y%
The following post originally appeared on my other blog, Unorthodox Homestead Journal. With the Copenhagen talks in full swing, I thought perhaps it might be appropriate to re-post it here. After all, one of the keys to reducing your carbon footprint is basic conservation. Turn off the lights on your way out.
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In the summer of 2008 our electric bill went through the roof! It was double what we normally expect to pay during that time of year for several months. Our house, by most standards a tiny 1000 square feet, is cooled by three window air conditioners: a small unit in each bedroom and a large one in the living room / kitchen. Continue reading Conservation: Easier Than You Think
By Thurman, on November 21st, 20092009-11-21T22:39:53ZF jS, Y%
Hydroelectric power generation is nothing new to North Carolina. In 1897 the Board of Commissioners in the city of Winston granted a franchise to Henry E. Fries to transmit and distribute electricity to the growing manufacturing industries of the city. On April 20, 1898 the Fries Manufacturing & Power Company began operating the first commercial hydroelectric generating station in the state, sending 10,000 volts of energy just over 13 miles from its facility on the Yadkin River to a growing industrial center which would soon become the twin city of Winston-Salem.
Perhaps the best known sources of hydroelectricity in our state are the four dams, originally built by the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) to power the company’s smelting plant, now closed, in the town of Badin. Those dams, and their associated facilities are now the center of controversy surrounding Alcoa’s efforts to renew its license to operate them. Many residents, including our governor, believe that the interests of the people of North Carolina would be better served if ownership of the dams reverted to the state.
Continue reading Alcoa, Give Us Back Our River!
By Thurman, on November 20th, 20092009-11-21T04:47:36ZF jS, Y%
Modern industrial civilization is more dependent on fossil fuels than most people realize. For instance, most of the electricity in the United States is generated by burning coal. From mountaintop removal, to sulfur dioxide emissions, to ash disposal, coal is perhaps more destructive to the environment than any other fuel we use, but this essay isn’t about coal.
Peak oil is the ugly step-sister of our dependence on coal and these two fossil fuel siblings present the modern world with an almost overwhelming dilemma. Most people are familiar with the connections between fossil fuels, carbon dioxide emissions, and climate change, whether they accept the relationships or not. While it may be too late to prevent many of the negative consequences of climate change; if we move quickly and begin reorienting our lives toward more localized, sustainable ways of living, we may still be able to reduce some of the most negative impacts of peak oil on human civilization.
Continue reading Peak Oil & Climate Change
By Thurman, on November 3rd, 20092009-11-04T02:05:00ZF jS, Y%
Should a person’s deeply held convictions regarding an issue, for example, climate change, be afforded the same protection against civil discrimination as religious beliefs? That ‘s the question recently addressed by a labor court in the United Kingdom in the case of Tim Nicholson, former head of sustainability with Grainger PLC, one of Britain’s largest property management firms. Mr Nicholson claims he was unfairly dismissed because of his “philosophical belief in climate change.”
In 2008 Nicholson was relieved of his duties after attempting to get other corporate officers in the firm to practice what their public literature preached. After his termination Nicholson filed suit against Grainger for unlawful dismissal, claiming that the primary reason for his firing was his conviction that climate change is the most important issue facing humanity and his deeply held environmental principles.
In March, Nicholson was granted permission by judge David Neath to pursue his claim under Britain’s Employment Equality (Religion and Belief) Regulations of 2003, which cover “any religion, religious belief, or philosophical belief.” Grainger opposed the ruling, claiming, “A philosophical belief must be one based on a philosophy of life, not a scientific belief, not a political belief or opinion, not a lifestyle choice, not an environmental belief and not an assertion of disputed facts.”
This case raises an interesting question: When do a person’s deeply held beliefs regarding political or cultural issues become protected religious beliefs? The defendants, Grainger PLC, claim that Mr. Nicholson’s reverence for the natural world and his deeply held convictions about climate change amount to a political opinion, not a religious belief. Continue reading When Does Personal Opinion Become Religious Conviction?
By Thurman, on October 17th, 20092009-10-17T20:10:00ZF jS, Y%
Of all the fossil fuels, Coal has perhaps the oldest relationship with humanity. Along with its cousins, oil and natural gas, coal powers much of the industrial world. Burning coal is also a major source of carbon dioxide, now conclusively linked to climate change, as well as the sulfur dioxide laden “acid” rain that decimated many of our forests in the past several decades. Throughout history man has utilized coal for everything from home heating to fueling industrial forges, but today coal is primarily used to generate electricity.
The problems associated with coal begin at the mine and do not end until long after the last stone is burned to a cinder. Coal miners live with the constant risk of death, injury, or serious illness and mining communities suffer from elevated levels of water and air pollution. Strip mining, more commonly known today as mountain top removal, destroys entire ecosystems replacing the diverse ecosystems it took nature millions of years to establish, with polluted rivers and unsustainable monocultures. The unholy devastation of mountain top removal is best understood when seen from space.
Continue reading Coal: The Dirtiest Fossil Fuel
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Gardening Without Gas
I’m one of those nut jobs that believes there are limits to our natural resources, at least some of them. Solar energy is virtually infinite, but that’s an exception I can live with. I also believe in the fairy tale that is the greenhouse effect and the impact of human industrial activity on the global climate.
Call me crazy but some things just make sense, like the idea that if you spew tons and tons of carbon dioxide, methane, and a bunch of other chemicals into the atmosphere there’s a better than good chance that you’ll eventually upset the balance of nature and alter the cycles and structure of the biosphere.
Another of my favorite “myths” is peak oil, which suggests that there is a finite amount of fossil fuel (oil, natural gas, coal, etc.) in the world and that sooner or later we’ll use up most of it. The other side of this coin is that after we’ve sucked or stripped most of these naturally occurring substances from the subcutaneous layer of the planet’s skin, it will get too expensive too continue doing so while still banking a healthy profit.
Everybody knows profits are the only reason our best and brightest minds bother getting out of bed in the morning, so when the money stops flowing one of two things will be the likely result. Either the extracted petroleum products will be so expensive that most of us will get priced out of the market, or the profit mongers in charge of the operation will find better ways to make obscene amounts of money, the lights will go out, and trucks, trains, and jet planes will cease to deliver the lifestyle we’ve all come to depend on. Continue reading Gardening Without Gas