Transition Indiana

James:

   I wish we could simply work together on Zero Waste but there seems to be a barrier. Is there a way to eliminate it?

   When I see a problem I like to analyze the problem and come up with a direct answer. But when I read your work I see an emphasis on insurance. To me this seems like an avoidance of the problem in favor of financial and political manipulation. Insurance has had a lousy run here in the USA where it is a transparent scheme for making people sick and allowing them to suffer and die so that greedy insurance companies can make billions in profit. I wouldn't want to be associated with this filthy industry in any way.

   Aside from that, it seems like you are proposing a scheme like - if I may be permitted a dramatic exaggeration - for taking out insurance to create a tax incentive to set up a fine system to create a profit system to affect a legislative climate to cause a law to incentivize Tom to move into the house that Jack built. My solution is: if Jack or Tom need a house, find a way to build it for him. Don't take out some insurance policy in hopes that the filamentous threads connecting it to Jack's house will somehow all come together. They won't. There are too many other players with their sticky fingers in too many pies to hope to set up a long trail of influence. It will be hard enough to just accomplish the direct goal, much less controlling a long chain of diffuse, hoped for connections.

   That's why I stay away from your proposed insurance scheme. Tell me if you can, why my doubts are misplaced and what we can all do that will have a direct, ultimate, palpable effect on eliminating the design of goods for immediate discard.

Respectrully,

Paul Palmer

PS: Personally, I think we need more discussion of conflicting ideas on Wiser Earth. There is way too much peace and love on this site and too little action. People need to get real in discussing their action programs, their goals and their willingness to participate. There are way too many groups and too many people trying to collect groups like charms on a bracelet. I blanch when I see profiles listing thirty or more different groups. I think that Wiser Earth has gone down a wrong path in facilitating that kind of collection rather than activities, though I don't blame anyone. It seems to just be the logical outcome of the ease with which people can add on groups and issues, like a virtual environmental struggle instead of a real one.