The Big 3-4

Today I turned 34 years old - but I'm only 5 years old in "southern hemisphere" years.

How Big is Your Footprint?

New Zealand has very strongly promoted a "green" image, and I have been generally impressed by the development of renewable energy resources, including wind, hydro and geothermal energy production. Regrettably, Prime Minister Helen Clark just scaled back her commitment to a carbon emissions trading scheme (perhaps she is concerned about the reaction from the agriculture sector in an election year). Clark's decision was a disappointment to many.

On a more positive not, I found inside of a box of breakfast cereal a paper showing the cereal company's CO2 emissions per Kg of production, broken down by emissions source (electric, gas, land and air travel). This paper also contained a list of ideas for the consumer to make his or her home more sustainable.

Catching Up, Ten Years Later

I just re-connected with a friend of mine from Samoa (Petelo). We met in 1998 in Apia and haven't seen each other since. Only recently did I learn that he is living in Auckland.

Over the past 10 years, Petelo lived in Los Angeles, Seattle and Wellington. I lived in Boston, Indiana, and Washington DC. Meanwhile, a lot has changed in Samoa (some positive and some negative). Over dinner, we talked about those changes and laughed at some of the things that haven't changed. We also talked about the people and places we both knew. I'm looking forward to returning to the islands this July.