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Re: GBlist: Re: StrawClay



Seth and Marc,

It's going to be a long time until we have "hard" data on environmental 
impact for all our actions. Even when science gives us the "truth," that 
truth often changes in light of new data.

Even when we want to be objective, the information may not be available. 
Does that mean we just "go along?" No, when data is lacking we can and 
_should_ make choices based on our values. We won't always be right. As 
an educator who once promoted solar water heaters with _draindown 
valves_, I can say that mistakes are inevitable. Despite specific 
setbacks, I think we're moving in the right general direction.

Now the point, strong environmental values are often based on a deep 
spiritual connection to earth and living things. If the spirit is 
willing, there's no need to waste breath on payback, life-cycle cost 
anaylsis or any of the other "objective" assessments. We know what's 
right and we try to do it. When we fail, it's the details that get us, 
not the fact that we're going in a totally wrong direction. (Someone has 
to make mistakes so the rest of us can learn.)

There will always be a need for objective analysis. In our own field, 
most of the people who make decisions about development and construction 
lack the spiritual connection, so their values have a different 
basis--usually money. To convince these people, we still have to hammer 
on the objective analysis. But for many of us, it's not needed. We can 
focus our attention on "how" not "why."

Bruce 


>I don't think that Seth's note about the spiritual context of 
>sustainability is
>inappropriate to this list.  I attended a one day Natural Step workshop on
>Saturday in which we were asked to list the 3 most pressing environmental
>problems/issues.  What I came up with was only one - humanity's disconnection
>on a heart/love level from each other and the natural world.  I believe that
>all of the other ones that people listed follow from this.
>
>Marc Rosenbaum


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Bruce Sullivan                                        Tel: 541-484-9353
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