Month: June 2022

The Planet of the Humans

Gil and I watched a documentary last night by Jeff Gibbs. Jeff is an investigative reporter and he explored the issue of renewable energy–wind, solar, electric cars and biomass.

I have learned to be a bit skeptical of anything I watch. However, even if all of his conclusions aren’t completely 100% factual, he made some very worthwhile and thought provoking observations.

Mr. Gibbs also opened my eyes to some things I had not considered and I am always grateful for the experience of gaining new knowledge even when it is depressing and painful.

I have never given much thought to what goes into making solar panels. It requires coal, high grade quartz, and other fossil fuel inputs. He showed solar farms in the California desert that have been abandoned as the mirrors and panels have broken down over time.

Mr. Gibbs spent a lot of time in the movie on the “renewable” energy source of biomass. I have heard of biomass burning biofuels but according to his research, the greatest source of biomass are trees. We are cutting down trees in very large quantities and burning them ourselves or exporting them to Europe. This practice is considered renewal because supposedly a tree is planted for each tree that is cut down. But, it takes years for a new tree to grow and it seems like the carbon balance in this effort is very skewed.

One very discouraging and disturbing focus of the documentary was how much money corporations and very wealthy individuals are making off the drive for “green energy.” I realized as Mr. Gibbs showed the companies that make up some of the mutual funds that are considered to be environmentally friendly, that I am complicit in the ongoing deception and I am benefiting from this completely messed up system. How? I contribute roughly 11% of my income to my 401K every paycheck and I have really no idea how that money is invested. I am sure I am part of funds that have Monsanto, Chevron, Exxon, Rio Tinto, the Koch Brothers, etc in those funds.

Also, I am a consumer of food, fuels, clothes, air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. I like to travel and see new places. I use water for my lawn and garden and flowers. I love eating grapes in winter that were flown all the way from Chile. I live in a very comfortable home that has always been larger than truly needed.

The movie ends with Mr. Gibbs making a very valid point, actually issuing a challenge to humankind. The challenge, stop deluding ourselves that switching to “green or renewable energy sources ” is going to solve our climate, energy, equity, and distribution issues. We each have to change what and how we consume our planet’s resources. If this fundamental change doesn’t happen on an individual basis, nothing will truly change in a positive way on our planet.

The final image of the documentary is of a mud covered orangutan lying on the ground dying after his/her forest habit has been cut down. For me it brought to mind the final scenes of The Lorax and the last Trufula tree.

UNLESS SOMEONE LIKE YOU CARES A WHOLE AWFUL LOT. NOTHING IS GOING TO GET BETTER. ITS NOT.

How do I keep these new realizations, increased awareness and this new perspective going?

How do I try to open the eyes of others?

How do I CHANGE myself?

Do I care enough to truly make hard decisions and sacrifices? Change my behaviors?

I do care and I will change!! This world and this planet is too beautiful and precious. I have to change and encourage others to change.

Life Is Not Fair

I work at a large hospital in a metropolitan area. I am a nurse case manager meaning I work with patients to arrange the services they need when they leave the hospital.

The nursing process that I was taught and have used for over 35 years is: assess, plan, implement and evaluate. One of the questions I ask almost every patient is: Have you or anyone living in your household in the past year been unable to afford rent/mortgage, food, medicine, utilities, transportation?

There is research that backs up asking this question. The research on social determinants shows the you have improved health outcomes if the basic needs of the person who is unhealthy or experiencing an illness are met.

So, I ask that question and I sincerely want to hear their answer. However, if they tell me they can’t afford their rent this month because they have been sick and unable to work..all I can tell them is, “Here is a resource you can call 2-1-1 and they might have a program that will help you.”

I want to be able to do more than just tell them to call 2-1-1. If I had a $100,000 to use for patients who have what I judge to be legitimate financial needs how would I distribute that money? How do I follow up and see if it truly made a difference? If people found out they could get their rent paid when they are sick does that incentivize illness? What are the ethics of paying for people’s immediate financial needs when they are so vulnerable?

These are difficult questions for sure with no easy answers but I want to keep grappling with the issues and not just let the idea go because it sounds difficult to execute.