On risk

After a wonderful discussion about food in class last night, Lydia and Samantha stayed after class to keep me company while I ate (the students brought in wonderful food for a potluck). After Samantha left, Lydia and I talked for an hour about, of course, the environment and government, she being in the School of Public Policy. She used a term that was insightful, and one that we don't necessarily think about in our daily lives, and one that I have not used at all in the last year - risk.

We take risks all day, every day. Many of us don't realise that some actions are risky, but that doesn't stop us from doing them. Some of us decide to get into cars, and drive ourselves around. We put our complete faith in other people, hoping that they won't drive, from the other oncoming lane, into your lane, at fifty miles per hour. As a cyclist, you are even more vulnerable, and several people I know have been hit by cars. When we decide to heat food up in the microwave in plastic containers, we accept, whether we want to or not, the risks of plastics and plasticisers leeching into our food. When we decide to pass through a full-body scanner at the airport, there are risks to developing some complication, no matter how small those risks may be. In fact, the standards that are set by the government, be they for car crash safety, whether or not a plastic is microwavable, or for X-ray imaging, are set by evaluating the risks for all of these actions. There is nothing that is not risky with these sorts of standards. Someone, somewhere, will experience side effects of medication - we run that risk. Risk is inherent and calculated into whether or not an oil exploration company will decide to drill into an exploratory oil well - I am absolutely sure those at BP, Halliburton and Transocean had some conversation about the risk. Whether they decided to do something about it or not, that is a different story.

But in our daily lives, how much do we think about the risks of our actions ruining the environment? There almost seems to be a tacit acceptance of those risks in favour of "progress" (1, 2, 3) and "development" (1, 2). Any acceptance of how we have behaved so far only legitimises the acceptance of these risks. On the other hand, what do we risk if we change our behaviour? What do we risk if we did choose to live under the paradigm of sufficiency, rather than efficiency (1, 2, 3) and neoliberal economic growth? We risk the staggering and unquantifiable - we risk living with and within the limits and capacity of Earth rather than forcefully and violently against those boundaries. We risk being better to other people and animals. We risk not filling up landfills to their created capacity. We risk preservation and conservation. Are we willing to take that risk?

Paragraphs on patience

With the urge to fill your time with other things, you can buy microwave dinners every time. You can convince yourself quite easily that your time is better spent doing other things. In fact, cooking can take a while, especially if you don't do it often. If you lose your touch, or never had it, it can be intimidating to enter a kitchen. Sharp knives surrounded by heavy metal. Hundreds of potential ingredients, more than a thousand degree difference between the flame temperature and the room temperature, and infinite combinations of amounts of ingredients. What do caramelised onions look like? When is the pasta al dente? When are the beans done? When will the beans be done?! It just seems like it would take a lot of effort to make a meal. A meal just fills your stomach. A meal just takes your mind off of hunger. On the go, there are things to do. There are other things to experience.

In fact, a meal sustains. A meal heals. A meal brings you close. Cooking brings you closer - to your friends, to your family, and to your food. Why not be patient and learn? Why not be patient and cook? Why not see how long it takes for pasta to go over the edge? Why not see how long it takes for water to soak into beans? Why not wait to see the dough rise? There is much to be experienced through patience. You don't have to be idle. You can observe, and learn. You can learn, and impress. You can impress, and be full. Patience reveals nature. And you won't have to throw away that microwavable container.

Guest blog #7: Adrianna Bojrab Unplugged

"There is one foe we all have in common, utility bills.  The (groan) we-just-paid-the-last-bill time of the month when we are put in check, again, for how much energy and money we waste on utilities - mindless shelling out of money on necessary but over-abused resources.  In the college town of Ann Arbor, MI, we feel the wrath of the cold early in the year, forcing us to raise the temperature on our thermostat. However after two months of growing agitation of our mounting bills, my housemates decided to unplug.  Even when a machine is turned off, but plugged in, energy is being wasted. And so our unplugging movement began.  I began to notice the microwave unplugged when not in use, and so the next time I saw the microwave plugged in but not being used, I nonchalantly pulled the plug.  This caught on quickly between my six roommates and I, yet was never spoken about. ‘Unplugging’ began as someone’s intent to diffuse our high monthly bills but caught on like an obsessive game.  What else could we unplug?  Our game moved from the kitchen to the blow dryers in the bathroom, and spread to the lamps in the living room, even creeping into the television and cell phone charger in my own bedroom. It became second nature.  We continued our little game throughout the month, and were shocked by how much our utility bills decreased.  By trying to reduce our bills each month, we can find an incentive to save energy.  Whether you’re in it for the reduction of your bills or saving energy, you will find that by decreasing your energy use, you are benefiting your world, and even your life." 

~Adrianna

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Waste and trash don't only apply to physical, macro-scale objects. They can also apply to electrons and cotton fiber paper that is green and white. I like the title she chose...unplugged...makes it sound all media-esque.