At the risk of offending some whose efforts I admire, I have serious reservations about electrification as a cure for our climate crisis. For example, electric cars will be out of reach for most people for decades, and it is as elitist as it is unrealistic to think otherwise.
Also, the electricity to power it all doesn’t exist! The grids in Texas and Southern California are already struggling with demand during extreme temperatures, so we aren’t going to be plugging hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles into those grids any time soon.
It seems everyone is hoping that the technology will change, so we don’t have to. Fairy tale! Yes, the technology must change, but far more crucial is that our collective and personal mindset and behaviors must change.
The slogan “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is like the Richter scale; reducing is 10 times more potent than reusing, which is 10 times more potent than the consolation prize, recycling. Reducing is the obvious, common sense, necessary step that almost no one wants to take.
If each of us treated electricity and gas as precious resources, to be used as sparingly and wisely as possible, that would actually change the trajectory, starting today. We have normalized the mindless waste of energy for the sake of convenience, and just a little, times tens of millions, adds up to a lot, completely wasted. In our homes, businesses, cars, and daily lives we must use less by being more mindful, by taking more seriously the impact it has on our already dire situation.
Rick Moser
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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