Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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A Checklist for Energy Use in Our New Age. Our climate, because of our past negligence of the many warnings from decades ago, That our waste will cause temperature increases in both the atmosphere and our oceans, We are now 'paying' for it with a new unfolding world. Because we are a travelling population, I use trips as a recipe to make decisions : 1. I have a trip unfolding before me. 2. I must first evaluate its importance and the needed results. 3. Do I really need to go on this trip at all? 4. Are there closer alternative destinations which will fulfill the trip's goals. 5. If going, can I 'double up' on travel modes (ie. 'carpooling'). 6. Do I have an alternative--a less polluting mode of transport, even if less convenient. 7. Have I evaluated my possible mode of transport : air, train, bus, car, bicycle, walking. 8. With all this--watch out for rationalizations! We must now all realize how fast our climate is changing and to finally realize That one person does make a difference ('one vote makes a difference'). The frog in the pot of water feels nothing even as the temperature rises Until it is too late. (Yum, delicious cooked frog meat.) All this will take discipline and forgetting the way we used to live. We are slowly frying to a point where we will all be nomads (towards the poles) In this new century. (See Nomad Century by Gaia Vince, 2022.) Also consider : EV or hybrid plugin, photovoltaic panels, wall battery, solar box cooker, Hold back on the AC and use a fan, sundry clothes, paint surfaces white, landscape with xeric plants, House upgrades, plant shade trees, etc., etc. Frank Maurer 20 July 2023 0010 Hours.