INTRODUCTION
My idea is to promote living in harmony on the planet through stories of actual people who are devising new ways to conserve energy and resources.
INSPIRATION
For years, I've seen messages from utilities, organizations, and government agencies, urging people to conserve resources. Each time I saw the little flyers that came in my utility bill, I thought "I've seen all this before." They didn't inspire me to do anything I wasn't already doing. So I just recycled them.
I thought, "Isn't there a better way?" Do I need government or other big institutions to tell me what to do? Why not gather stories from real people about what they are doing and share those instead? That way, we can learn from each other, adapt what we learn to our own situation if possible, and build a sense of community! Sure, some government programs are helping, but there's a limit on what they can do. We've got social media, so let's use that to spread the word!
I thought, "Isn't there a better way?" Do I need government or other big institutions to tell me what to do? Why not gather stories from real people about what they are doing and share those instead? That way, we can learn from each other, adapt what we learn to our own situation if possible, and build a sense of community! Sure, some government programs are helping, but there's a limit on what they can do. We've got social media, so let's use that to spread the word!
BACKGROUND
Back in 2008, I watched a video called The Story of Stuff, (21 minutes) then, I created my own video (4 minutes) to introduce Energy Stories. In 2022, I went back to watch both of these again. I realized that The Story of Stuff placed a lot of blame on government and big corporations. But now I felt uncomfortable with that judgement. I have come to believe that there is a radically different way to view the causes of our current situation.
Consider this: Most of the technology currently damaging the planet was invented and developed before anyone alive today was born. The burning of coal, oil, and gas, steel mills, the diesel engine, chain saws, mechanized farming and chemical fertilizers, refrigeration, plastics, the electric grid, ... all these things already existed by 1920. As children, most of us accepted the benefits of all this as "normal." And yet, these technological developments have given us immense power over the natural world.
World population grew from 1 billion in 1800 to 2 billion in 1925. At the time, that seemed to be a gradual increase, and our impact on nature still seemed to be inconsequential. So, we kept going. Since then, however, world population has grown exponentially. In 1959 (when I was 9 years old), there were 3 billion people on the planet. Forty years later, in 1999, there were 6 billion. Think about it: We added as many people as the entire history of humanity before that, in just 40 years! Now, in 2023, we have over 8 billion.
Today, technological progress and world trade has allowed us to have anything we want, as long as we have the money. Just select an item on a web page and that thing is delivered to our doorstep the next day. Never before in humanity have so many people had such "push button" power to get just what we want, yet we barely see the direct impact of that power on the natural world. It's all "behind the curtain" - out of sight, out of mind.
Consider this: Most of the technology currently damaging the planet was invented and developed before anyone alive today was born. The burning of coal, oil, and gas, steel mills, the diesel engine, chain saws, mechanized farming and chemical fertilizers, refrigeration, plastics, the electric grid, ... all these things already existed by 1920. As children, most of us accepted the benefits of all this as "normal." And yet, these technological developments have given us immense power over the natural world.
World population grew from 1 billion in 1800 to 2 billion in 1925. At the time, that seemed to be a gradual increase, and our impact on nature still seemed to be inconsequential. So, we kept going. Since then, however, world population has grown exponentially. In 1959 (when I was 9 years old), there were 3 billion people on the planet. Forty years later, in 1999, there were 6 billion. Think about it: We added as many people as the entire history of humanity before that, in just 40 years! Now, in 2023, we have over 8 billion.
Today, technological progress and world trade has allowed us to have anything we want, as long as we have the money. Just select an item on a web page and that thing is delivered to our doorstep the next day. Never before in humanity have so many people had such "push button" power to get just what we want, yet we barely see the direct impact of that power on the natural world. It's all "behind the curtain" - out of sight, out of mind.
A NO-FAULT WORLD
So, who is to blame? Shall we blame the people who developed all this technology before 1920? Sure, we can, but they're all dead by now. Shall we blame ourselves for benefiting from all these modern conveniences while avoiding responsibility for their impact on the planet? I, for one, don't think that is going to do much good either. In fact, I think blaming and fighting with each other will just waste more time, when what we need is collaboration and action. Sure, there may be people who seem flawed or even mean spirited, but to me, this problem is way bigger than just the actions of a few people. If anything, there are aspects of our basic human nature have a lot more to do with it.
WHAT'S NEXT
We are now faced with radically changing our relationship with nature, including all living & non-living things. We are already putting ourselves and the rest of life at great risk! At first, what we're faced with may seem overwhelming. How can we change how we live, our institutions, and all the infrastructure now in place, without serious economic upheaval? I believe that it's not only possible, but that we are going to do it with less trouble than it might seem. Conservation of resources can actually save us money, provide us with more benefits, better health, and a better mental outlook when compared to the out-of-control exploitative culture we have inherited.
CONTACT & SUPPORT
Note: Energy Stories is a concept and web site created by Glenn C. Koenig. I am a self employed individual living in the United States. I welcome your support, either by a one-time donation through PayPal (coming soon) or a monthly subscription via Patreon, or by other means (send me a message on the "Contact Us" page here, to get started).
Please note that Energy Stories is just a d/b/a name, not a non-profit organization and therefore any donations made to me in support of the mission of this site or other web sites I run are not tax deductible.
Please note that Energy Stories is just a d/b/a name, not a non-profit organization and therefore any donations made to me in support of the mission of this site or other web sites I run are not tax deductible.