My favorite energy saving strategies: - not using a refrigerator - not having a drivers license - showering with about 5 lit. of water - capturing water from the washing machine (semi-manually) - capturing money from the shower (oops, I mean water!) - buying low Watt appliances (smaller TV rather then bigger) - fly/drive as little as possible (or not at all) - of course not using chlorine... (chlorine cleaning products are illegal in professional cleaning BTW) - mechanical carpet cleaner - tiled carpet for easy cleaning... - measuring water to be cooked - buying electricity from wind-mill operator - using electricity over gas (gas is not renewable, therefore it doesn't seem to exist) - energy saving lamps - solar powered led lamps - not routinely lights on - turning off central heating boiler in summer - putting on warm clothes before heating home Though this isn't about saving money at all (I'd happily pay for it), but I accidentally saved almost 450 Euro in one year compared to last year bill. That made it possible to support several good causes more then usual, so that was not turned into pollution either. - * - Vision of a non-failing Humanity ... 8 O'clock in the evening. The paperboy brings his last papers to the door with a long face, it is cloudy but dry. An opened window, white garments flutter, someone is in there, the light is on. Suddenly a short cry ... ``Daddy daddy, come see come see!'' Sound of a child running down the stares, panting. `Daddy, you got to see, ...'. He gives a piece of paper to a man in the living room. It is a part of the evening paper. With an irritated face the paper is grabbed ... "where's the rest of it ?" the man says. Without waiting for a reply he looks at it. Frantic silence for a second, the boy looks at his fathers face. The man stands up. ``That can't be true.'' He walks to the front part of the living room, sits down near the phone and wipes his forehead. Then he picks up the phone and calls someone. ``Yes I know, but that's what it says, e...'' ``No I'm not listening to you, why do they write that, why, I have things to do here, I'm fixing my bike. No I'm not ...'' The boy walks to the hallway and jumps to get his coat. Suddenly his father rushes behind him, grabbing his coat while opening the door. If you didn't know him you'd think he was tripping over his own feet, but with a hop he lands on the pavement and in a second reaches the street. ``Wait for me!'' In the street on the crossing a few dark figures, small red dots. Cigarettes, some of the neighbors are already waiting. ``Have you read it?'' ``You think its true ?'' ``You think its true ?'' Down the street someone, a short person with a hat, raises his hand and shouts. ``Ok, let's go. Come 'on.''. ``Oh, what's he got to say'' a woman sighs, puts out her cigarette and walks in behind the group. ``Have you read this ?'' The man is holding up a piece of paper. It says: "90% of all wild forests is gone, only 10% left." Yes they had just read it, or heard about it on the phone or in the street. A few doors in the street swing open, someone is going door by door. Speaking to people, ``Hey, hi'', then off again. Next house. Energetic man. Doors stay open, shy families appear, zipping their coats on the way out. ``Mam, I was watching that, Mam!''. ... 9 month later the timber trade collapsed to 5% of its former size. People refuse to use their cars unless they absolutely have to. ``This car will last me 30-35 years now.'' The owners of timber factories fess up their crimes, give up all their wealth and apply for an honest job. They've never had one. One will be a window cleaner, another is learning to become a skilled painter. A new movie is in town: ``What would have happened.'' The above depicts a species well capable of living in this world for longer then it takes to gut it. How big is the difference with present day humanity, could the above happen in 90% of the streets. Respect for nature means care for it even when it is not in trouble, to limit consumption to a sensible maximum amount per person, especially the `rich and greedy' who obviously miss this sense. The rich and greedy will undoubtedly attempt to turn this problem in their favor if given any chance. Attempt to impose restrictions that allow them to remain the worst polluters of all. It is also possible that they want to let the situation deteriorate far enough, until drastic measures - over which they like to be masters - have to be put into practice, and/or can be blamed on someone else. While there was ignoring the problem before, it might eventually attempt to overstate the problems, and present itself as savior, putting the costs on the shoulders of the working classes. When the problems are under control, restrictions and hysteria could remain in place, proving profitable. None of that seems probable if people themselves limit consumption, because it squarely singles out the rich and greedy as troublemakers. The rich & greedy are turning Destruction of Nature (DON) into a product. Although this system, if regulated and strictly limited in scope could economically work, it also establishes that `to destroy nature one must have money'. As an extension of that, the rich & greedy will be able to buy more DONs then others, although they already destroy most. It is obvious how they are thinking ahead, securing their privilege in an ideological framework.