Peppermint Tea

Because it’s in front of me.

Something made with hot water. A minuscule packet of dried leaves that traveled 6,000 miles (just from the Greenwich Meridian) for my pleasure. Oh, and someone’s profit. It probably traveled in a marine container which likely weighed more than its contents, being full of only tea. My stove is electric, which means any fuel burned to generate it released more energy than delivered to my teapot. I live in California, so the power plant burned natural gas. There may have been some contribution from wind power. I drove to and from the store using gasoline. The truck delivering to the store burned diesel, as did the truck or train carrying the container from the East Coast. The container ship probably burned bunker oil. 

This is all assuming it was shipped from the UK. 

So, just how much carbon was released to give me a nice cup of tea?

I’ll leave this as a challenge for the interested student.

Love, and hot water,

Stephen 

Somewhere Between a Rock and a Hard Place

I seem to have become a grouchy old man. In my youth, ever so many years ago, I was such an optimist. Today, I’m not so sure that anything will work out well.

Perhaps becoming a grandfather had something to do with it. That and climate change.

The optimistic fragment of my mind tells me that a fundamental change in the way we think is developing. It has potential to save us from ourselves and bring us to a good future.

The pessimistic fragment, larger than I care for it to be, figures it won’t get far enough in time. I fear my granddaughter will die cursing my generation for our failure.

Peace, and awareness to you,
Stephen