show me a zero carbon footprint ~ and i'll point out its shoeless slave
but first we'll need a generator ~ to shed light on his pitch black cave
said an oil tycoon to the cobbler ~ who turns on the lathe for a shave
By
David Kavanagh
Shall I compare thee to an elephant?
Of course not, you’re a motor car.
And if I put you in the zoo,
No-one would come and look at you.
You do more harm than him I fear,
For you pollute the atmosphere.
Though he blows methane in the air,
His carbon footprint can’t compare
To the ozone damage that you do,
With noxious gasses passing through.
But still you’ll be the choice for me.
You’re quicker between A and B
(“Something From Nothing”, 2024, original encaustic)
My Carbon Footprint
As the rest of the world hurls into the future
Some of us are just left behind.
This year, this season, this month, this very day
Marks the point of no return
When AI has surpassed human control
And the world that we knew is no more.
I ask my wife if she thinks we’ll be the ones who adapt
And comply and accept a life in the pod,
And she says no,
We won’t survive.
“We are the carbon
That needs to be reduced.”
(3/4/25)
The world's biggest problem? It wasn't going away.
One fifteen year old girl would face it. That was just her way.
She didn't give us fantasy. She gave us action.
Demanding from leaders of the world, satisfaction.
Politicians insulted her, saying, "naivete",
stating she oversimplified, that's how they'd portray
her. Whether she was popular - that she did not care,
as she laid bare their smoke screens with clarity so rare.
She had things to deal with - Asbergers and depression.
The brave way she handled them teaches us a lesson.
She turned depression into action. her courage to enlist,
making a few enemies, but none were scientists.
Climate awareness was not this girl's only impact.
Backing the campaign to fly less changed the world in fact.
Sweden dropped four percent in domestic travel by air.
Pretty good work for a young girl with the grit to care.
Greta Thunberg, just a girl, also influenced me.
I keep my carbon footprint small, I don't go on a spree.
I vote. My money's in a fund with a low MSCI,
inspired by the young girl who won't let the planet die.
From the sun to the sea,
Constantly giving waves of energy.
Add in some rains and winds that blow,
And there's renewable power, we can grow.
While these natural forces seem infinite,
Their capture and use requires creativity.
Since they rely upon our specific needs,
Where they'll add or subtract electricity.
The diverse roots may involve some transfer,
Such as, storing and moving some heat.
Or even more basic, grabbing the sun's photons,
Sending them to darkness to finally meet.
The forms of this energy are plentiful,
As well as, sustainable to a much greater degree.
Since we realize the finite supply and dangers,
From an oil-based, global economy.
So while most of us have seen the examples,
Sounding the alarm from our historic past.
One can only hope that we follow the science,
By reducing our carbon footprint ... and fast.
A darker gray pours over the horizon,
Cold and wet with a wind to subdue.
Yet with it comes a shade of discomfort,
As if energy must begin a search for a clue.
The changes we all see have been so gradual,
Where to some, it's more like no change at all.
So while the weather slowly reaches new extremes,
Our carbon footprint is seen climbing the wall.
Now it appears most of the planet is cooperative,
Attempting to alter & curtail this unwanted event.
But there's always those few who stand defiantly,
Since their belief is, there's nothing to prevent.
The saddest part of this story is unyielding,
As status and greed are the glue to hold fast.
And as long as some can keep a vise-grip on the last
Oil well, they'll just happily reminisce of days past.
In spite of this, the rest of us know the day is coming,
When our future is defined by this remarkable change.
Giving pause to our legacy and survival,
If we're unable to create a fair exchange.
I ride a bicycle
just retired my tricycle
No stove, no oven, no range
Some folks think me strange
'cos I use the sun for cooking
and I catch folks curious, looking
Sleep on the ground
all night, and sound
up at the crack of dawn...
My carbon footprint is zero
I'm a back-to-nature hero
The whole page was blank
it looked lovely that way
I had to go spoil it
Painting an 'Inky Way'
Cos' when it comes to pollution
even poets fail
My alarming 'carbon footprint'
climbing higher than a whale's
It gets worse day by day,
because of our neglect.
But we look other way
and vital facts reject.
For years we’ve seen warning
but always close our eyes.
As glaciers start melting,
we watch sea-levels rise.
Antarctic ice now thaws.
More water this sets free.
Into ocean it pours,
so further rise we see.
Our carbon footprint grows.
We must accept this fact.
But our reluctance shows
in that we’re slow to act.
We dare not think it true,
so seek easy option.
We don’t know what to do
so we take no action.
Our air pollution grow,
but we put off the day
when we must change our show,
for then we’ll have to pay.
Some say love makes the world go round
I say it is oil that makes the world go round
The thing that is in everything
from plastics to fuel is how it does rule
so given this thought here is your opportunity
to have your say in a different way
Where’s your stand on the Keystone pipeline
moving dirty Alberta oil from Canada to Texas
Or fracking that shakes the earth
and plays with the water table
how about drilling in national parks
and protected wetlands or in oceans and seas
the carbon footprint that fossil fuels leave
and our slavery to BIG oil and high gas prices
but what of the flip side
the oil cartels called OPEC alongside Mr. Putin
does the blackmailing by the few
through oil dependency offset the risks
that is the question to be answered
Andreas Simic©
show me a zero carbon footprint ~ and i’ll show you the shoeless slave
By
David Kavanagh
sharp sound of church bells
on a cold crystal clear night
warns heaven and hell
to try harder to do right
not give up on the good fight
strong gusts of north wind
ominous clouds now hover
no good they portend
bad time to feel hung over
makes good sense to find cover
cannot seem to breathe
chest seems filled up with cement
just able to wheeze
was this something to prevent
before starting to lament?
always in God's hands
strange conditions amplify
carbon footprint lands
should we continue the lie
while the planet starts to die?
We profit but dismiss the cost,
And continue wiith our plunder,
Ignoring wildlife being lost.
We forget mistakes of the past.
Perhaps on this we now ponder.
We profit but dismiss the cost.
Extinctions now occurring fast,
And we are the main offender,
Ignoring wildlife being lost.
An evil spell we now have cast,
With our poison spread asunder.
We profit but dismiss the cost.
Our populations now are vast.
To claim land, forests we render,
Ignoring wildlife being lost.
More climate changes are forecast,
A carbon footprint reminder.
We profit but dismiss the cost.
Ignoring wildlife being lost.
I’m confused
At times bemused
By the turn society’s taking,
Sexuality so complex
Gender needing further context
All my preconceptions breaking.
Are cows good
On this we brood
Carbon footprint the new quandary,
Should we fly
Or cycling try
A simpler world I recall fondly.
Left or Right
The current fight
Politicians all grandstanding,
Little caring
Overbearing
Of our hearts and minds demanding.
To take part
Is quite an art
Every word now needing measure,
Opinions rue
So fast to sue
No surprise the past I treasure.
Frequent flying will leave the Earth dead.
Driving cars means disaster ahead.
And we must give up meat
or our maker we’ll meet.
So it’s settled: we're staying in bed.
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