From 2GreenEnergy Intern Fabio Porcu: Before I Say Goodbye

These past three months have gone by rather quickly, and, before I have to return home, I wanted to share some personal thoughts. I want to start by saying that my reflections are not in any form accusations but a critical view that, of course, includes me too.

During my stay in the United States I found myself with a significant amount of free time on my hands, which I often dedicated to observing and inquiring about the many different cultures around me. In particular, during these three months we have seen the attacks in Paris, which made me think a lot, especially about what motivates people to do that. At the same time I wrote some articles that analyzed the differences between various countries on topics such as environmental changes and the composition of the energy mix; even this made me think a lot.

Often when we think about the future we plan to find a good job, a nice house, a big car, the latest computer and smartphone, as well as lots of money. In our consumerist mentality this is the stuff that makes us happy. It would be really nice if everyone in the world could have it all. Yet if all the people in the world had similar standards of living as seen in Europe and the United States, the amount of material and energy resources to sustain such an immense population would equal that of five planets.

The material and energy resources are necessary to maintain this standard of living, but, when they are not present in our territories, we are forced to look somewhere else. Precisely for this reason, governments and corporations with their armies in recent decades have expanded their borders, looking for resources in other states. To keep costs low, thereby promoting consumption, many territories and populations have been, and are increasingly being exploited.

This further increases the economic gap between the rich and poor countries, but the rich do not care too much about that. We do not care as long as these people do not come knocking on our doors and raising their voices, giving us a bit of the terror we have sown.

But this cannot be accepted! We are the good ones! Why do they attack us?

I think all of us should examine our consciences and think what we really need and what is superfluous. We have to think about the consequences of our consumerism, the real cost of things we buy. Often behind a low cost there is an exploitation of another territory.

Perhaps this seems too big an issue for us; maybe we believe we cannot do anything. I think that is not true. It would be enough to use a little common sense and be aware that our actions have consequences both in a downward or upward direction.

What can we actually do in our small surroundings?

We can check if the producers of the stuff we buy respect the environment and workers; we can avoid products that are mass produced by multinationals and promote fair trade, farmers, local ranchers and local artisans.

We can promote efficiency and energy savings; as a quick example, by improving the thermal insulation of houses and by using the established technology of solar thermal panels we can often halve the consumption of gas or other fuels for heating.

We can replace our muscle cars that consume so much fuel with more efficient ones, even if they are a bit slower.

We can recycle everything possible and avoid waste.

Maybe all this will not be enough to solve the world’s problems; however, it can certainly make a strong contribution to improving it.

To finish this small reflection I would like to quote a passage that has always fascinated me written by Robert Baden-Powell:

“Happiness doesn’t come from being rich, nor merely from being successful in your career, nor by self-indulgence. One step towards happiness is to make yourself healthy and strong while you are a boy, so that you can be useful and so can enjoy life when you are a man.

Nature study will show you how full of beautiful and wonderful things God has made the world for you to enjoy. Be contented with what you have got and make the best of it. Look on the bright side of things instead of the gloomy one.

But the real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness to other people. Try and leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best.” 

Your friend,

Fabio