Weekly Wisdom #278 - Alternative Energy, Art of the Good Life, Fewer Meetings & Becoming Superhuman

Alternative Energy, Art of the Good Life, Fewer Meetings & Becoming Superhuman

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Happy Monday!

The past week in Nova Scotia has seen a lot of flooding, after some of the most extreme rain we've had in a long time.

This followed a very dry April, and wildfires in May and June.

It's hard not to think about climate change, and the effects we're seeing around the world.

I've always been interested in the idea of being completely self-sufficient—and having a net-zero carbon impact—and after staying in an off-grid Airbnb last weekend, I was back down the rabbit-hole.

There's all kinds of cool tech available for more off-grid (or lower consumption) living these days, from propane-fired on-demand water heating, to solar-powered heat pumps.

What intrigued me this week was at-home wind generation.

Solar power (rightly) gets all the attention, as it requires very little maintenance and has an attractive payback period.

But wind is another option, and as I simulated in this spreadsheet, if you're willing to deal with some potential maintenance, the payback period can be much quicker—around 2.5 years here in NS—and a good complement to solar here in Canada.

As the climate continues to change, I hope we all think a little bit more about how we can reduce our individual impact, as well as advocate for change on a larger scale too.

Have a great week!

Graham

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Links

📚 Book Notes: The Art of the Good Life - Rolf Dobelli - A succinct guide to living a good life. This is one of those books that is so packed with wisdom that you feel like highlighting the entire thing.

The next best thing is taking some detailed notes and then re-reading frequently; something I'd recommend here.

📚 Book I Read This Week: 1984 - George Orwell - In an era where capitalism is increasingly vilified, it's also important to remember what the alternatives are.

I like picking up something fiction when I'm feeling a little tired of non-fiction/business-y books, and the last time I read this book was in high school.

It was also a reminder about how memories don't match reality; I didn't remember the book well at all.

📖 If you want fewer meetings, measure them in cash - Quartz - Canadian tech giant Shopify announced last week some tactics to reduce the number of meetings internally:

Cancelled all meetings of 3+ people

Reinstated no meetings on Wednesdays

Created a tool that takes the salaries of those involved in the meeting, and adds a total cost, in $, to the calendar invite

I love this idea, and I loved one of the quotes too: "A meeting is the result of a process that didn't work."

As they mentioned, the point isn't necessarily to eliminate meetings, but to encourage thinking twice about whether one is required and how many people should be invited.

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