Tag Archives: idealism

The World Needs Open Information

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I’ve decided to release my blog under Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). This means you can use my blog however you like, as long as you share it with others, too. You can modify my blog, translate it, and even publish it for money–as long as you give others the same freedom I give you.

This announcement is a bit premature, but I’m planning to write an e-book in a few months under the same license. And as a programmer, I’m thinking about releasing my software under similar open licenses.

I don’t support the idea of restricting access to information. A good idea is like the wind. It is immaterial in substance and so it’s impossible to hoard. It has no real owner, nor point of origin, since it flows wherever it pleases.

When it comes to useful knowledge, I want to promote free sharing instead of hoarding. More people need to hear about Greenimalist living, not less. So if someone wants to e-mail a copy of my book to his friends, I don’t want him to worry about being sued by a team of lawyers. I just want him to enjoy it without a guilty conscience.

We’re at a crossroads in digital technology. Using what we have today, we could reduce our environmental impact to practically zero. Videoconferencing can replace international travel, search engines can replace entire libraries, and digital downloads can replace newspapers, books, DVDs, television, and radio. All this is possible because software and data can be transmitted without the need to change hardware.

But our technology is being stymied by a lack of openness. Digital restrictions and intellectual property law have created a litigious atmosphere that has stopped us from fully enjoying the fruits of our technology.

I like e-books a lot. They’re superior to printed books in every way; the image quality is better, delivery is instant, storage is simpler, and the environmental impact of a 10MB download is negligible. But what I hate about e-books is the lack of openness in the publishing platforms. I enjoy taking old computers, which would otherwise end up as e-waste, and rehabilitating them with GNU/Linux. But because of the restrictions on these platforms, I won’t be able to read e-books even if I pay for them. I have to buy a Kindle or an iPad or whatever overpriced gadget is on the market.

Without open software, I can’t salvage old computer parts. Instead, I have to buy items with a short, planned obsolescence. So if I do buy the e-reader, either I purchase the latest version year after year, or risk losing access to my books.

What I find especially disturbing about digital information is that I am losing control over it. If I buy a printed book, I can loan it to my friends, sell it at a bookstore, or donate it to a library. With an e-book, I don’t have those rights. Simply opening a document or watching a movie requires that I sign an ironclad legal agreement. Technically, because of my operating system, I’m breaking international patent law each time I play a DVD or listen to an mp3, even though I legally pay for the content (1). So in spite of the potential of digital downloads, I still visit the old-fashioned library.

I’m tired of this—and I don’t want to put you through this nonsense.

I can’t control what happens in the netherworlds of the digital universe, but I can control what happens at Greenimalist. I’m making my content freely sharable.

So please share; the more people hear about the Greenimalist life, the better.

[[Note: To avoid confusion, CC-BY-SA 3.0 allows you to sell content. The license protects the user's ability to share/copy/transfer/print content once purchased. Think of it as granting the user extra freedom, rather than the content being without price.]]

1 If I recall correctly, DVD decryption and mp3 decoding is protected by patent law. So even if I legally buy mp3s, I’m not allowed to play them using open-source software since they don’t pay licensing fees to Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. Correct me if I’m mistaken.

Thoughtful Living

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Hsinya's dad visited a small village in China.

I’m on the quest for a simpler, more thoughtful life.  A few months ago, I got rid of almost everything I owned.

We got rid of:

  • LCD Monitors, computers, and routers
  • Books and office supplies
  • Dishwasher, blender, microwave, and toaster
  • Tables, chairs, and couch
  • Clothing and shoes
  • Pots, pans, plates, utensils
  • …and so forth.

We hawked our most valuable items on Craigslist, and we donated worthless ones (1).  We kept a few possessions, such as two chairs and a few pots, but everything we own can fit in a single room.

I’ve spent a lot of time contemplating the deep, moral reasons for living a simple life.  The core goal behind minimalism is trimming your life down to the essentials.  So I ask myself, “What is truly necessary in life?” To answer this question, I look to the rest of the world.

We live on a gigantic planet with seven continents, four oceans, and almost two hundred countries.  This planet is home to seven billion human beings, most of whom don’t live like we do. These people don’t drive to work because they’re too poor to own cars (2).  Their families spend less than $200 a month on food, roughly the cost of cell phone data service (3).  Many survive without plumbing or electricity.

The rest of the world will never be able to live like us.  Economic progress cannot completely change the situation.  It’s physically impossible for all seven billion people to share the affluent American lifestyle.  There’s not enough oil on this planet to fuel seven billion cars, not enough water to supply seven billion private swimming pools, and not enough space to landfill seven billion music players each year.  Our lifestyle is only possible for the world’s rich elite, but we don’t even realize it.

We need to reconsider our materialistic, ownership-centered culture.  Jesus taught us that a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (4).  He taught that man must choose to either serve God or money, but not both.  He taught some to go and sell all that they had, to give their money to the poor, and to seek treasures in heaven rather than on earth.  He taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves.  In the past, many Christians took his words literally.  These Christians considered themselves sojourners, mere pilgrims on the earth.  Consequently, possessions were not something to be hoarded, but to be spent for one another, to be spent for the sake of the kingdom of God.

Consider drawing up your own list of necessities and luxuries.  Figure out what you could live without, and consider donating the money you save.  I decided to keep electricity, plumbing, and wi-fi internet, but I eschewed the car, microwave oven, consumer electronics, and fashion.  Everyone’s needs are unique, so I try to avoid judging others based on my own list.  I simply want to spur each one of us to live life more thoughtfully and compassionately.

Do you think simple living is worthwhile?

  1. [[**Update: 3 people have already requested the microwave. Sorry, it's no longer available.**]] Email me (via “Contact Us”) if you’re interested in picking up a free, functional microwave, or other miscellaneous items.  I’ll let you know if they’re still available.
  2. There are approximately 600 million cars on earth, less than 1 for every 10 people on planet Earth.  There are far fewer cars in Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile
  3. In Mongolia, a family in Ulaan Baatar spends about $40 per week to feed their entire family, or about $160 per month.  An iPhone phone and data plan for 2 could easily cost over $200 per month.  Other families spend even less, some around $30 per month, and others even close to $1 per month. http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519_1373664,00.html
  4. From the Bible: Luke 12:15, Matthew 6:24, Matthew 19:21, Matthew 22:36-40

The Journey of a Thousand Miles

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Start today, one step at a time.

Going green can overwhelm because it challenges our entire way of living.  Obstacles seem insurmountable when you live in an urban society that doesn’t prioritize sustainability.  The laundry list of “green actions” is so long that we never act on anything. The journey is so vast that we never bother to make the first step.

  • Eat 100% organic.
  • Live completely gasoline-free.
  • Avoid all product packaging.
  • Recycle everything: plastic, styrofoam, electronics.
  • Only buy used, never new.

Challenging, but just the tip of the iceberg.

My green quest started with a multitude of challenging goals.  I wanted to buy 100% organic.  I only wanted to support local food.  I always wanted to get to the farm by bicycle, not car.  I wanted to avoid all packaging, both paper and plastic.  I wanted stop shopping. If I needed electronics, I would only buy used.  Recycling had to become a rule, even for difficult materials like styrofoam and plastic.  Leftover organic scraps would be composted, not thrown in landfills.  Our clothes would dry by natural sunlight, not by laundry machine.  Lastly, I wanted to do this all on budget, without interfering with work and school.  I quickly got stressed and overwhelmed, so I settled for achieving just a few, individual goals.

Individual decisions actually make an impact.  Even the humblest of beginnings is something to celebrate.  Each little change, consistently practiced, can make a dramatic difference.  You could start by making the small commitment to recycle all paper waste like newspapers and junk mail.  Be persistent, and within ten years you could recycle 1000 pounds (500 kg) of paper (1).  That’s a powerful impact for such a modest investment.

There are plenty of tiny decisions you can commit to:

  • Turn off your lights when they’re not in use.  You can save 36.5 kilowatt-hours of energy and $5.48 in cash each year per lamp (2).  That could mean more than $50 each year for a large house.
  • Use the fan instead of the air conditioner and save 300 kilowatt-hours of energy and $45 in bills each year (3).  If you rely heavily on AC, this one decision could save you more than $100 each year.
  • Walk instead of driving for short trips and save 15 gallons of gas and $45 per year (4).
  • Hang dry your clothes and save $193 worth of energy per year (5).

Tiny decisions involving tiny effort can save significant money.  You don’t need to do everything at once: just pick a few goals, make a commitment, and stick to it.

Just begin.  Start today, one step at a time.  Try to avoid excuses or justifications.  Celebrate your milestones and little victories.  Each decision seems small, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.  After a few weeks, your decisions will cement into habits.  Once they become second-nature, take on a few more goals and keep moving.  Someday, you’ll look back and be amazed at just how far you’ve come.

What are some small steps you can start today?

  1. The average person uses about 50kg (110 lbs) of paper per year.  Over the course of 10 years, you can save about 10 trees, 5 thousand gallons of water, 1 barrel of oil, and 2.5 kilowatt-hours of electricity.  See wikipedia for how I got my estimates: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_recycling#Recycling_facts_and_figures
  2. Suppose you have a lamp that uses of 100 watts of power.  If you can save 1 hour a day, 365 days per year, for 10 years, you can save 365 kilowatt-hours and $54.75 if you pay 15 cents per kilowatt-hour.  See Michael BlueJay’s excellent electricity tutorial pages: http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/cost.html
  3. A medium sized-AC unit uses 1000 watts of energy.  If it’s left on 5 hours a day, 60 days per year, you will use 300 kilowatt-hours of energy and rack up $45 in bills at $0.15 / kilowatt-hour.
  4. Assuming each short trip uses about 0.2 gallons of gas, and that you make 75 short trips per year, yields 15 gallons of gasoline per year and $45 at $3/gallon.
  5. Michael BlueJay estimates between $0.31 and $0.49 per load of laundry, depending on whether your machine runs on gas or electricity: http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/dryers.html