Friday, June 24, 2011

Recommended Reading: The Sacred Balance

Though first published in 1997 and updated in 2007, the book quoted in an earlier post still has much to say to today’s reader.

For example, a ‘live small’ philosophy is promoted with good reason.

On page 177 I read the following:

“A citizen of an advanced industrialized nation consumes in six months the energy that has to last the citizen of a developing country his entire life.” (Maurice Strong, quoted in the Guardian)


["Water's edge at Niagara Falls, Ontario": photo by GH]

The full title - The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering our place in nature. Length - 330 pages. Subject matter - important information and tone related to conservation of limited resources.

On page 176 - 177 I also read this:

“It is clear where the chief responsibility for this crisis (re greenhouse gas emissions) lies when Earth is viewed from space at night. As Malcolm Smith has described it - Most of sub-Saharan Africa, vast expanses of South America central China are stark in their black vastness. North America, Western Europe and Japan, where a quarter of the world’s population uses three quarters of the world’s million kilowatts of electricity, shine out as if we are hell-bent on advertising our profligacy.”

Hell-bent. No explanation needed.

Profligacy. Definition for those that don’t know the word - reckless extravagance.

If you’re a person determined to become less reckless with your lifestyle, look for the book at your local library. (More information under the heading “Read This...” in right hand margin).

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Please click here for a related post re climate change.

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