Hypesynthesis

I went to Chapters today on behalf of a boy.  I want a book focused on wind energy so I looked in the "Science and Technology" section then the "Environment" section, I also looked in "Engineering".  I used the computer and several books came up, not one was in stock and half of them were unavailable to order.  The ones available to order were roughly $300.  They were textbooks which si fine except textbooks I can find in a library but also, textbooks on wind energy are (in my experience) for people who study engineering or marketing specifically.  I want a wind energy introduction book.  Something that would cover wind energy generally and broadly, but doesn't leave out its mechanics or economic worth. I figured a store like Chapters would have a disgusting amount of solar, wind and geothermal introductory reads... But not one on any of these subjects did I find.  If I have to make a point of this rambling I guess it would be that for all the talk about change and clean energy, there sure isn't much available to motivate/interest individuals who want to educate themselves and understand why the future of these are so necessary from every angle.  "Google it" I guess.

Everything is round

Show me a square anywhere

When you break it down.

"Clean energy" and "green" are media-flavour-words used by businesses that have caught on to these ideas as a trend.  Fortunately companies are portraying themselves as greener and this has a tremendous impact on consumers psychologically... Unfortunately this "trendy" approach to initiating a greenteam is just like the perfect models in advertisements: It's a picture, everything behind what goes into developing that picture is less than inspiring. We will buy the product but our money is not going to any greater cause; the company pays for the green marketing then continues business as usual, distracting us with pseudoslogans and empty promises.  It's frustrating because of how desperately we need to implement these ideas regardless of which consumer gives a lick. 

Good Humans

[Con't from my last post...]  People learn from people like Gary.  Correct, you can pick up any text or type into Google what ever question you have of animals: How to hold a scorpion or caiman, even how to humanely kill and freeze large rodents for python-food.  I think the first thing I did when I got home from meeting Gary was Google "what is a skink".  It lead me on a month long investigation of the evolution of lizards and snakes.  But beyond Gary's distracting, intriguing lifestyle exists important subtleties.  When you meet someone who represents something you haven't thought of, you detect it immediately. If you choose not to connect with that person it can become something intimidating.  Instead of being defensive or critical I've learned to take advantage of this position of unfamiliarity.  It can be very useful to understand someone like Gary, when you understand a different perspective you tend to learn something about yourself.  Unintentional learning is an experience but to realize you have changed in the process is surreal.


I want to introduce you to Manfred Max-Neef, a chilean economist and environmentalist.  He was the first to introduce to me the notion that there even existed an economist who is also an environmentalist.  David Suzuki also reminds us that "eco"system and "eco"nomics are the same...  we've just lost track of which of the two we humans have control over.

"This current economic crisis provides an opportunity to re-examine our priorities. For decades, scientists and environmentalists have been alarmed at global environmental degradation. Today, the oceans are depleted of fish while “dead zones”, immense islands of plastic, and acidification from dissolving carbon dioxide are having untold effects. We have altered the chemistry of the atmosphere with our emissions, causing the planet to heat up, and have cleared land of forests, along with hundreds of thousands of species. Using air, water, and soil as dumps for our industrial wastes, we have poisoned ourselves." -Suzuki

  We must understand that current economic strategies no longer provide a coherent framework.  If we want to achieve sustainable development we have to be more creative with solutions, more understanding of what an economy is.  The current practices are, very simply, not complimentary to the environment.  I don't know how to put it more simply because it is a simple concept: Economies rely on the environment, we must have a level of governing for these systems on a global scale.  No one country owns air or water, welcome to Earth Systems 101.  Even a four year old cannot resist or ignore this awareness. Unfortunately we predict and predict without being phased, we must either be in denial or totally accustomed to procrastination since we fail to recognize our behaviour is a global responsibility. We waste time that we do not have blaming and pointing while shovelling money at temporary solutions to keep certain companies going that face inevitable failure.  There must be economic, social and environmental balance to move toward any form of recovery. I see potential for humans through Manfred Max-Neef discussing the importance of love on a political level. Of course one must show compassion to offer any help to any person? Without love for the people how can there be respect for the people?  If we don't respect our people how could we have a conscience while making decisions on their behalf?  He was also the first in a position of political authority that I'd heard say "I say life, not human beings...".

1. The economy is to serve the people, not the people to serve the economy.

2. Development is about people and not about objects.

3. Growth is not the same as development, and development does not necessarily require growth.

4. No economy is possible in the absence of ecosystem services.

5. The economy is a subsystem of a larger, finite system: The biosphere. Hence permanent growth is impossible.

I shouldn't react so struck by Dr. Manfred Max-Neef.  His ideas are not especially overwhelming or new or even tactical.  They are clear, simple, logical and delivered with that sexy-adorable chilean accent. They are so easy to understand you have to wonder why this man is so different from everyone else.  It is unnerving that situations he places priority on, the objectives politics depend upon, are so foreign to the normal functioning of politics!  We should be accustomed to his perspective on development, people and environment.  What should shock and disturb us are governments that encourage it's people to pour money into "stuff" and into building when there is no soil from which to grow these "necessities".  What this ends up costing is life.  You might think 'this isn't affecting me, where is there trouble?'.  This is exactly what Manfred talks about when he says "...life, not human beings."  I feel the effects everyday because I refuse to ignore the signs.  I don't want to walk around oblivious to the bee's on the sidewalk in the middle of summer dancing moronically with confusion.  I'll spend the extra dollars on organic, locally grown food because there's a better chance it's not genetically modified.  Not that I could ever be sure since our government works with the food industry to keep labels off these products.  We're involved deeply in a dangerous experiment, and wether you know it or actively choose not to, we are paying dearly for this irresponsibility.


This vision of worth-through-consuption is inhuman and is not normal.  People don't see it because we've diluted our existence with the environment to an existence among the environment.  This way, we can remove ourselves from responsibility to maintain all other existing life which allows governments to fulfill the power agenda.  If we're happily consuming we're unfocused and attempting to fulfill something we don't understand so it's never ending.  If Manfred fearlessly and easily breaks down this compound of issues we spend loads of money on to complicate, why is no one paying any attention if he makes so much sense?  Where is his due publicity?  He has the answers, he has won awards for these answers and teaches in universities and is a council member of the World Future Council.  He is an author and lectures around the world, but no one I know has heard of him?  He is best known for elaborations of practicing economics as if people matter.  Why ignore his efforts to help us?  

No wonder Dr. Suzuki has the weight of the world on his shoulders, he's dealing with a bunch of maggots.

Planet Animal: Some people think it's uncool to blog about personal things

Hi Kathryn,

Thank you for contacting us about __________ & Gary _____. 

Our show is about people who feel overwhelmed by their large pet families. Would you say Gary feels overwhelmed?

Sincerely,

I won't give out the name, It's not important anyway.  It was so unimportant to me at this time that this is how I responded the next day:

Always.  In a loving way of course, but definitely overwhelmed. - Kathryn

I should've deduced this was a "show" since she stated "...show..." but instead I spent the next weeks assuming this was a Vancouver Film student doing a documentary.  I figured I could get the refuge more local exposure, perhaps give Gary a chance to show off his animals and create some awareness... provoke some thought among the community? 

I used to volunteer with an exotic animal rescue society.  Feeding alligators and crocodiles, tortoises, ferrets, skinks, sugar-gliders... I love any other species more than Homo sapiens sapiens so I was excited EVERY day to be me.  I fell in love with every animal there, including Gary.  Then I ran out of savings and had to crawl back to the real world.  Back to the world of hospitality where "my pleasure" and "up yours" mean the same thing.

I could only go to the refuge for a few hours here or there- when they changed location my contributions were even less feasible.  100's of precious species + less than a handful of "unexperienced" (as far as wrestling alligators go) animal-lovers to help Gary care for them = never sat well with me.  I decided to help from home. Most of the issues are money-related. Most of the animals at the refuge are illegal in BC, they can only legally be under Gary's care with permits as actors, they cannot be viewed by the public.  My mission was this:  find them jobs.  I have been acting, without permission, as their agent on Gary's behalf.

It's been weeks since the first Email, the person I have been in contact with is a recruiter for Discovery channel's Animal Planet.  They are filming our casting video to show to the executive producers in a few days. 


Who is Gary?

Despite the attention from local press and his visions for a' state of the art ecological centre', no person has put themselves through more distress in the name of conservation and for the animals under his care.  He wouldn't trade it for women, not his own health... In fact the only problem Gary faces is not that he needs or wants out, it's that he's too concerned with the state of our animal planet, he wants to do more.  He takes responsibility for these justifiable and  pressing concerns even though they're everyones problems.


To be honest, money would make him feel less overwhelmed.  It's not a very creative or interesting solution.  Of course this could be accomplished by eliminating some of the species from his family, for example, the two 6 foot alligators or the Savannah tortoises that devour $100's worth if vegetables per week. Gary would rather starve himself than euthanize one of his animals (I can't blame him, they're all intoxicating). Gary has rather unusual permits for these animals that allow him to keep them alive and under his care legally.  If certain species did not have such a status Gary would be required by law to send them back to their native environments.  He would be required to do this within 6 months of obtaining the animal and funding must come from his own pocket (it is a lot of paperwork and extremely expensive as you can imagine).  As I may have mentioned before, most of the animals have come to him born and raised in captivity, not to mention in poor health.  If he did have the money to release them into their native environments- to be "free"- they would not survive.  His other option according to BC legislation: Euthanasia.  Death does not qualify as an option under Gary's definition of "solution".

He also needs man-power.  Volunteers, animal-lovers, receptionists, Veterinarians, Animal behavioralists.. all of them willing to work for free or minimal compensation.  At least until his "state of the art ecological centre" takes off. I guess this is money-related as well.

Gary doesn't give up, he tries very hard not to become discouraged.  Overwhelmed, yes, but if he were to let himself become discouraged by the seemingly endless obstacles that are involved in his mission, the whole operation would go belly up.  He's well aware of that.  -Kathryn

Hi Kathryn,

Thank you for the information.

We can't help with giving away money or finding manpower but we have been successful previously with finding free help like vet care, building enclosures, cleaning, and humane placement but placement may not be an option considering the permits. We have been working with the HSUS and other humane organizations. 

Does Gary continue to take in animals although he is overwhelmed? Does he admit to needing help?

Sincerely,

(Still clueless as to who I am speaking to, I began to understand this was no vfs student)*

Gary admits needing help.  The very thought of free vet care for those animals makes me overjoyed, ______.  With his decades of experience working closely with exotic animals, I know Gary hasn't mastered the business side of his operation.  He is friendly enough but not especially terrific with "those" people.  In a strange way this is one of his most charming characteristics.  The impression I get: He has been uninstructed when it comes to approaching the right people for help.
He could always use cleaning/handling help, there are only a couple volunteers who are able to be there at a given time.  Mainly they are there to help Gary bring a selection of animals to schools and events; they put on hour-long shows to make money for feed and hydro.  Most of the time Gary does not have a choice when it comes to taking in more animals.  Some venomous snakes for example have simply shown up at the door in bags marked "Danger" etc.  - Kathryn

Hi Kathryn,

First, let me say Gary's situation sounds very compelling and we are very actively searching for a Canadian story. 

Second, the first season hasn't aired yet in Canada and just finished in the US but you can find the link here,

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/confessions-animal-hoarding/

Let me confront the title as most people's first reaction is disinclined. Our definition of animal hoarder is anyone who has more animals than they can properly care for and that in many cases we've been able to get the animals the care they need. You'll see in the clips is the common thread in the people we feature is that they care deeply for their animals. 

We don't release last names or the location and we don't force anyone to do anything they do not want to do. We have no legal authority. What we can offer is free resources like therapy, vet care, possibly building things to enable Gary to not feel so overwhelmed and work more effortlessly towards his goal of opening a centre. 

Do you feel Gary would be open to speaking with me?

Sincerely,

Now I was excited but hesitant.  Possibilities for Gary and the animals are obvious, but so are misinterpretations or misportrayals (made that word up). Conflicted: The episodes make these people out to be delusional.  This is not the case with Gary.  Though he has a different approach to behaving within certain limits that define the range of normal functioning , he is not delusional.  I had to respond with these concerns.  If Gary is crazy then I am crazy, I resinate with that man and his view of the natural world more than anyone.  I let ____ know that Gary does not have any disorder.  He has diabetes and a noble amount of compassion for other species and the environment- this in no way reflects insanity or need for therapy.  In fact people could learn from him and have.  He takes in animals because he doesn't see a choice.  Communities take advantage of people like Gary because so few of them exist.  Gary doesn't view animals as ornamental or disposable.  He regards them as family and friends, he gives each one the respect all species deserve and for having this perspective, they have become his burden.

You say french fry, I say Jello.

Anchored kelp forest

beams of sunlight exposing

 every particle

Fact:  I have a thing for writing in haiku.  Fact2:  You can base my level of rage per post by how many haiku's I've included.  I have been told by people who love me that they're good, so that is not a reliable indication of quality.
I am unsure from what angle I want to approach this.  More people read when it's funny.  Even more people read when it's funny and enlightening.  Even more people read when it's funny, enlightening and a turn-on. So I should phrase my thoughts using innuendo.  It shouldn't be that hard, right?  Maybe I'm just not used to doing it.  Oh look, I'm a pro.


by the way this is a terrific website   http://www.treehugger.com/