Economy that Mimics Nature

Supply and demand are much like natural laws, and a balance must be struck when we tinker with them. Government procurement policies can be used to dramatically boost recycling. For example, the Clinton administration issued an Executive Order in 1993 requiring that all government-purchased paper contain 20 percent or more post-consumer waste by 1995 (increasing

Fear, Justice, or Cheapness?

My father tried to teach me well, explaining that every doorman, porter, cabbie, waitress, and mail carrier deserved a tip for their services and that the bulk of their earnings depended on tips–a precarious situation since one’s paycheck is thus determined by the often inconsistent kindness of patrons. I continually wrestle with tipping. Emotionally I

Short Term Solutions to a Long Term Problem

The wife exclaims: “Don’t you think that whether or not we are 100% sure that your urine has affected my side of the bed that it would behoove you to cease despoiling our honeymoon bed?” Quoth the husband: “Well it would be extradorinarily inconvenient for me to leave this comfortable and warm (increasingly warm) bed

Paperless Society

CBS Radio’s syndicated computer columnist Dave Ross captured the essence of distributed printing this way: The best thing about the Internet is that there’s no paper. The worst thing about the Internet is that there’s no paper. Remember the promise of the paperless society? How computers would revolutionize the world and make all that wasted

Why Environmentalism is a Sin

I’m big on the environment. I like trees. I like spending time among groups of trees over groups of people, although individual people I have known often prove themselves to be more engaging. I try to be cognizant of how my life impacts the rest of the planet. I recycle. I drive a hybrid car.