America’s 10,000 watts of excess

If you divide all the annual energy currently available on earth by the number of humans alive, the Swiss realized the highly logical answer: the annual fair amount available to each person works out to be right around 2,000 watts. 

The reality: Europeans typically use about 6,000 watts per person; the Chinese, 1,500; Bangladeshis, 300; Americans, 12,000.

This begs a basic philosophical question: How best to live? 

As the Dalai Lama remarked, we all burn carbon simply by being alive, so it’s not about elimination, but of mindful consumption. 

Paying attention to what feels good, as opposed to what is supposed to feel good, can be very instructive.

Following how advertising + marketing tells us to live is not as satisfying as sitting in the dirt weeding a garden or sipping coffee with a friend. These require minimal wattage.

To that end, watching is never as satisfying as doing. Virtual isn’t as satisfying as real. Our true animal pleasures are the deepest, and those pleasures burn less carbon than the virtual, boosted and advertised pleasures of overconsumption. 

That’s simple biology, and it’s a good thing, too, for us and our family, the biosphere, is also, coincidentally great on our pockets. 

So this holiday season, pay attention; feel your body; think it over.

Be mindful of your burn, and make what you burn really count. Imagine that your goal is to cut your energy usage by 84% daily.

In terms of low-carbon gifting, human connection over memory-creating experiences is a wonderful alternative: See our full download on the environmental impacts of the holidays + what you can do about it, here.

- Above words inspired by Kim Stanley Robinson’s piece for @bloomberggreen