The 5 things you should do if you want to live in rural Colorado: (Colorado Springs: home, buy)

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by canyontiger2

Forget it Jazzlover. These city slicker tunnel visioned people will not nor do they want to every look at how some one else feels or live. They have only one thing in mind ME ME ME. MINE MINE MINE. No one elses way of life or opinion have any merit. They don't even want to check it out. If not their way or their opinion------well you get the picture. Good article Nadine!!! I wonder if anyone else bothered to find the article since it website given did not work, other than you and I. Doubt it. It was not their idea or point of view, and it was in a little heck town paper, what could possibly of interest to them.

i'm sensing you're not picking up on the dripping sarcasm of my post. i am totally with Nadine and jazzlover on this stuff, if you hadn't gathered that yet. Nadine had mentioned the "negativity" mentioned by some of the posts here, and i find it interesting that when some posters talk about the way it is, basically, some others call that "negativity". yes, people are losing touch with some of what Nadine and jazzlover have pointed to, and it is also my opinion that we might not want to lose touch with some of those things.

[hello-world]

do any of you write to your representatives, attend townhall meetings, write to your newspaper editors, volunteer for nonprofits or campaigns, teach, etc. about some of this? regardless of the reserves of some of our representatives, we DO have the capacity to raise awareness and shape the future, as i suppose many of us understand. so, i wonder how some of you go about that beyond these forums. could you please share?

[Coloradoan]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

I guess all the people who think that food just magically appears in the grocery store shouldn't worry then. The fact that we are turning our prime agricultural land into subdivisions, drying up thousands upon thousands of acres of irrigated land to water Kentucky bluegrass lawns, forcing thousands of people who actually know how to grow food for us off of their land, and--now-- setting up programs for ethanol production that will (quoting an energy expert) allow us "to burn up the last 6 inches of Midwestern topsoil in our gas tanks" means we should just take the Alfred E. Neuman "What, me worry?" attitude, I guess.

Somehow, knowing that the U.S. is going to be a net importer of food just like we are for oil doesn't make me very comfortable. But, what do I know? I'm just one of those dumb hicks who spent part of my working career in agriculture trying to feed those people who can't be worried about where their next meal might come from.

I guess I'm one of those dumb hicks too that feels very uncomfortable about the growing amount of food we import. Do folks realize that less than 1% of food we import into this country is inspected for safety, quality, etc.? The dog food scare with the wheat gluten is just the tip of the iceberg. Give me home grown / USA food anyday.

[CosmicWizard]

jazzlover

original by: jazzlover

But, I've come to realize that I live in a house bigger than I possibly need, that I (like many) accumulated way more "stuff" than I possibly could use, and that I was getting caught up into the "materialistic" treadmill that makes one a slave to one's possessions or one's desire for them.

I forgot to put this one on my list of things that we have immediate CONTROL of.

Save Natural Resources by buying an existing 2000 sq ft house rather than building a brand new 5000 sq ft McMansion. Do most families really need more than 2000 sq ft? Not too long ago 2000 sq ft was considered to be a b-i-g house.

You are spot-on about accummulating way more stuff than we could possibly use. We found out about this the hard way when we sold our home of 15 years and had to put all that stuff ( even after throwing half of it out, or giving it away ) into storage and have it shipped across the country. I like Henry David Thoreaus concept of being rich, which goes something like this: A man is rich in direct proportion to that which he can do without.

So, that's what I'm working toward--figuring out HOW TO CONSERVE! And, sooner or later, every American is going to have to figure it out. We will have no choice. The free (or relatively cheap) lunch is over! I agree with you, Francowell, to start with the small, local things--"think globally, act locally," as they like to say.

PS--I know many on this forum get tired of my supposedly "dire" predictions. But, quietly (but not quiet for long), the forces are gathering that will head us in a different direction. Grain prices have exploded since more and more grain is being diverted to ethanol production--so, you will pay for the gasoline you use (or don't) at the grocery checkstand, even if you don't buy gas at the pump. With summer air conditioning demand ramping up, electricity demand is pushing the power grid to the limits once again. Here in the Rocky Mountain West, there are still many areas trapped in a multi-year drought ( you can see the latest prediction here: Climate Prediction Center - Expert Assessments: United States Seasonal Drought Outlook ). June has been hotter than hell in many parts of the region. A forest fire came close to roasting some houses (in an area in which they probably should never have been built) near New Castle, Colorado earlier in the week. Could be another bad fire year in the region.

The warning signs are everywhere. Change is 'a comin'.

Well said. No argument from me...only agreement.

I think that reliance on corn based Ethanol is likely to create more problems than it solves. One issue that comes to mind is the strong likelihood that corn will be planted on the same acreage year after year without any crop rotation, relying more and more on chemical fertilizers that will end up in the water supply. I'm sure there are many other downsides to using corn based Ethanol.

regards....Franco

PS: You started a great thread with this one!

[Nadine]

Originally Posted by hello-world

do any of you write to your representatives, attend townhall meetings, write to your newspaper editors, volunteer for nonprofits or campaigns, teach, etc. about some of this? regardless of the reserves of some of our representatives, we DO have the capacity to raise awareness and shape the future, as i suppose many of us understand. so, i wonder how some of you go about that beyond these forums. could you please share?

As a matter of fact, yes I do. I am a member of the Back Country Horsemen of America and of our chapter Rocky Mountain Back Country Horsemen. We work with BLM, NF and State or whoever needs us to take care mountain trails, rebuild those torn up by unthinking or uncaring people. We pack out trash, we pack in roadbase, posts and signs, the list goes on and on. The most disgusting job is burying human feces that is just done along a trail with usually Kleenex or T paper, just laying there. Even a cat digs a hole. Yes it is all voluntary. Yes, we write to our government on issues, yes we run educational seminars on "Leave No Trace", survival and caring for our back-countries and land. Yes we have representives that attend all kinds of local, state and national meetings to keep on top of what is going on and report back. Google Back Country Horseman, I am sure you never heard of us or what we do or how many hrs are volunteered.

[CosmicWizard]

Nadine

It appears that you and other members of your organization are doing some great volunteer work. Hat's off to you!

regards...Franco

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by francowell

I think that reliance on corn based Ethanol is likely to create more problems than it solves. One issue that comes to mind is the strong likelihood that corn will be planted on the same acreage year after year without any crop rotation, relying more and more on chemical fertilizers that will end up in the water supply. I'm sure there are many other downsides to using corn based Ethanol.

Mostly that it takes more total energy to produce than it yields.

Also, what probably 90% of the American public doesn't know is that most all of the ammonium nitrate "articficial" fertilizer (which actually does work quite well) that is manufactured is made using a process that fixes nitrogen out of the atmosphere. The problem is that the "fixation" process requires the massive burning of natural gas! So, quite literally--if indirectly--we are feeding ourselves with finite fossil fuels. In not very long, those ag surpluses pittnurse mentioned will be a thing of the past.

People think that petroleum production declines might mean that they will have to drive less. Silly them, that is just the beginning. Like the very blunt bumper sticker I saw last summer (on a hybrid, by the way): DRIVE AN RV . . . HELP BURN UP YOUR GRANDCHILDREN'S FUTURE. Ouch!

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Mostly that it takes more total energy to produce than it yields.

Also, what probably 90% of the American public doesn't know is that most all of the ammonium nitrate "articficial" fertilizer (which actually does work quite well) that is manufactured is made using a process that fixes nitrogen out of the atmosphere. The problem is that the "fixation" process requires the massive burning of natural gas! So, quite literally--if indirectly--we are feeding ourselves with finite fossil fuels. In not very long, those ag surpluses pittnurse mentioned will be a thing of the past.

People think that petroleum production declines might mean that they will have to drive less. Silly them, that is just the beginning. Like the very blunt bumper sticker I saw last summer (on a hybrid, by the way): DRIVE AN RV . . . HELP BURN UP YOUR GRANDCHILDREN'S FUTURE. Ouch!

not to mention things like the (according to one source) 54 million MORE acres of South American land (i.e., likely what is currently tropical forest) that's projected as the demand for soy (biodiesel, the OTHER alt fuel) that will draw down about 1/2 the CO2 as the forest does (after burning the forest down to make way for all that soy...and thereby first EMITTING tons of CO2). that's a HUGE parcel of land. and a HUGE redistribution of CO2. and we can speculate further as to how those Pioneers, ADM's, Dupont's of the world are going to shape the political dynamics of things (and countless individual families and lives far removed from the worry of whomever might be enjoying their new fangled fuel while on their way to the beach) towards meeting that DEMAND by so many of us right here.

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by Nadine

As a matter of fact, yes I do. I am a member of the Back Country Horsemen of America and of our chapter Rocky Mountain Back Country Horsemen. We work with BLM, NF and State or whoever needs us to take care mountain trails, rebuild those torn up by unthinking or uncaring people. We pack out trash, we pack in roadbase, posts and signs, the list goes on and on. The most disgusting job is burying human feces that is just done along a trail with usually Kleenex or T paper, just laying there. Even a cat digs a hole. Yes it is all voluntary. Yes, we write to our government on issues, yes we run educational seminars on "Leave No Trace", survival and caring for our back-countries and land. Yes we have representives that attend all kinds of local, state and national meetings to keep on top of what is going on and report back. Google Back Country Horseman, I am sure you never heard of us or what we do or how many hrs are volunteered.

thank you. i'll look into that. back country horsemen sounds very cool. used to live on a horse farm, so, always love hearing about that kind of thing. sounds like you're doing some cool stuff with it.

[Nadine]

Originally Posted by francowell

Nadine

It appears that you and other members of your organization are doing some great volunteer work. Hat's off to you!

regards...Franco

You don't need a horse to join. Look us up. Loads of this work is not done with horses. If you hike or love to hike and want to help care for the trails you hike on. We do work a great deal in the Wilderness Areas where only hiking and equine or lamas, that sort are allowed. See some beauty country and enjoy some real good people. We also eat like lumberjacks and many just set up the camps and get the food ready. There are lots of jobs. In Colorado Springs a club called Medicine Wheels which are mt. bikers (pedal) are active too. There are ATV clubs that take care and look down on those that tear around and try to repair the damage they do. Anyone that is giving anything but lip service can find a club to join that combines their love with taking care of the land. Just go look.