Let’s switch gears, shall we?
After almost thirty years of existence, I keep noticing how disorganized everything is. We have over-specialized across the board, injected technology and buzzwords and failed to take care of our people. Ownership, community, personal freedoms and the environment are receding every day. People are being squeezed and revolutions have become mundane. The advancement of technology was thrilling in the aughts, then the blooming of personal computing in the tens. This decade, AI is making waves and is likely do so for the rest of it. Doesn’t it feel like scarcity is setting in?
What I see
Everything has global reach. E-commerce can connect any two places in a reasonable amount of time. We overproduce and saturate markets while neglecting the needs of those who cannot afford the same services. Why can’t we provide food and shelter universally without sacrificing quality? Would the answers to these needs become non-speculative again? Perhaps not, otherwise we would already be working towards that goal.
There are constant battles over energy and land, yet we are okay with wasting both to drive our personal ICE —Internal Combustion Engine— vehicle and consume disposable plastics. We are okay with pollution happening somewhere else because it makes the statistics look better. Every inch of value is extracted today in case it becomes impossible tomorrow.
We fail to accept and respect our neighbors, our elders, our community because they are different in some way. Even in developed countries, violence and death from it are inevitable. Why do we waste lives in this way? Do people believe that dividing the world’s population will solve our scarcity problems overnight?!
It is all there. We have the technology to improve lives. It does not require IT, only strong will and effort. We have made the world harder to understand with layers of abstraction and bureaucracy, can we get rid of that? We use technology to connect, can we chat in person or over the phone? Telemetry, analytics and tracking are baked into everything, can we avoid that?
What I do
Minimalism
There is scarcity and scarcity: I mind losing access to video streaming services, but I’m okay with 1080p60 because that is where I stop getting more value. I do not future-proof or buy things before I need them. My M2 Mac Mini will serve me at least as long as my now 5 year old cell phone! Second hand is acceptable. I do not waste food or throw a lot in the garbage and wear my clothes until they wear out. Vegetables, fish and chicken are preferred over beef, pork or mutton.
Electricity use
My home uses about 20% of my city’s per capita electricity! Only generating electricity and upgrading to more resource-efficient appliances may reduce that number. This year, I will be implementing the following practices:
- Cooking food less frequently and more efficiently;
- Drying more clothes outdoors;
- Using my computing devices less and optimizing them for low power consumption and longevity;
- Unplugging more devices when not in use or battery powered: thermostats, portable game consoles, laptops.
Advocacy will help reduce the number of KWh drawn from the grid. As electricity prices rise, change becomes easier to implement. The best way to start is to learn about your electricity use. Knowledge is power!
Charity
I donate to charity at least once a year. I encourage people to donate to food banks and people who need food banks to visit them! If you don’t use meal vouchers, you can reduce your taxes by donating that money! Or help homeless people by directly buying them something.
The pledge
As long as I am alive and outside of recurring life expenses, my projects are:
- Buying my first home and paying off its mortgage;
- Improving its efficiency as much as possible. I am aiming for net negative electricity usage.
After that, most of my spending will concern sustainable housing. Sustainable for whom? For the people who will live in it. I will follow this cycle:
- Buying more housing;
- Improving their efficiency;
- Renting them through a government partner to low-income families at the lowest acceptable price. That price must cover the costs of the home, including taxes.
This will not move the needle enough but the families who will live in these homes will never have to worry about shelter again. They will gain access to better food, clothing, leisure and their own personal projects. They will learn about my project and can decide to contribute.
If you wish to help, contact me through any of the platforms I use. I am looking for anything that can accelerate this life project. A position that pays more, lower mortgage rates, anything really. It’s even possible that I am sending you here to let you know about it. Look at the date of the post and compare it to what I’ve described. Am I still convinced, talking about the details?
This is my pledge. This will be my contribution. My broad vision for the next decade and beyond. Ten years ago, I started engineering school as a third-year student. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.