Emulating Taurens IRL: Living with a minimum impact on the environment
by Robin Torres 
Oct 15th 2007 at 1:00PM
This post is part of Blog Action Day, in coordination with Weblogs, Inc's Green Daily, a blog about living green and well at the same time. Visit Green Daily every day to learn how to live like a Tauren-- with minimum impact on our Earth's fragile environment.
Today is Blog Action Day and the topic is the Environment. Of course, we're supposed to talk about the RL environment, but there are some lessons that we Earthlings can learn from some of the Azerothians -- namely the Taurens.
Taurens live in harmony with the environment. I would also include Night Elves in this discussion, but they tend to have a greater impact on Azeroth -- everything seems to become all flowery and full of trees. While this may be a pleasing effect, who is to say that it is better than the way they originally found the land?
You get the idea when looking at the Tauren lands, that if they were to up and leave Mulgore, the evidence of their civilization would be gone in a matter of years. They certainly would have left a minimum of damage behind -- perhaps some slight deforestation.
Taurens live in harmony with the environment. I would also include Night Elves in this discussion, but they tend to have a greater impact on Azeroth -- everything seems to become all flowery and full of trees. While this may be a pleasing effect, who is to say that it is better than the way they originally found the land?
You get the idea when looking at the Tauren lands, that if they were to up and leave Mulgore, the evidence of their civilization would be gone in a matter of years. They certainly would have left a minimum of damage behind -- perhaps some slight deforestation.
The only way we could truly emulate the Taurens on Earth would be to return America to the state it was in before all those immigrants showed up and claimed ownership. But this isn't practical. We have a new civilization taking up most of the space here now that doesn't want to give up all of its new fangled technology. Even if we were willing to move to tents and live off the land, all of those bulldozed buildings would have to be put somewhere. And who would provide us with internet access so that we could play WoW?
But we can take the spirit of the Tauren life and apply it to human civilization without lowering the standard of living to which we have become accustomed. We can minimalize the impact our living has on the environment. There is only so much we can do as a society -- the current U.S. government, for example, seems unwilling to really tackle the global warming and reliance on fossil fuel issues. But we can accomplish a true Tauren-like effect on our environment on an individual basis. There are the standard things such as Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and living close to work that really help. But to treat the environment as the Tauren do, we need to live in homes that are the Human Civilization's equivalent of the Tauren domiciles. These exist and one day I will live in one: the Earthship.
Earthships are self-sufficient homes that are built with recycled materials. Yes, they are made out of trash. And they require no outside utilities. Ahhh, they really tickle my inner hippie.
The structure of the Earthship is made of dirt and scrap tires. So all that bad environmental mojo you've built up over the years can be wiped away by reducing the number of flat tires filling up the landfills. There are construction techniques involved that make the dirt and tires a viable and sturdy building, of course. It's not just trash and dirt piled up to make walls. They use recycled materials throughout the home as well. For example, stained glass effects in the house are created with the use of discarded glass bottles.
The Earthship provides its own power and water and sewage treatment -- even food! So, if the apocalypse does come (via WMDs, asteroid impact, alien invasion, etc.) and you survive it, you can still live a happy, healthy life (barring aftereffects from the catastrophe) in your home. It is also designed for any terrain or climate, so if you want to build one up the side of a mountain to have a birdseye view of the upcoming apocalypse, you can do that, too. Or you can just retrofit your current home to have Earthship-like sustainability.
They really have to be seen to be believed, so please take a look at their website. You can see floorplans, pricing structures, an image gallery, seminar schedules, etc. If this thrills you as much as it does me and you have the extra cash, you can even stay in the Phoenix Earthship overnight for similar to hotel pricing.
I dream of a world where we all live in peace with each other and harmony with our planet. But in reality, I look forward to one day owning my own Earthship from which I can play my Tauren Druid with minimal impact on either the real or virtual environment.
Would you rather live in a Tauren home, an Earthship or where you live now?
| Tauren home | |
|---|---|
| Earthship | |
| Where I live now | |
| A mansion where you tree huggers aren't invited |
Filed under: Tauren, Virtual selves, Odds and ends
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Paul Denton Oct 15th 2007 1:14PM
Keep the politics - and make no mistake, this is political - out of WoW, please.
Joshua Barker Oct 15th 2007 1:25PM
We play games like WoW (and read articles about said games) for entertainment. If we wanted to be preached at, we would go to church, class, or any coffee shop where vacuous hipsters like yourself hang out.
andregalan Oct 15th 2007 1:29PM
I found the article funny, but it is flame-bait at its core. Written with the best of intentions, with a tongue-in-cheek manner to it, I liked it.
Many won't.
Delta Oct 15th 2007 1:29PM
@2
QQ much? It's not as if some of us who do play can also hold an intellectual conversation once and awhile, even political, or is that now taboo with every other piece on WI that could be considered "politics" like "casuals vs. hardcores"? If you don't have something positive or negative-constructive to contribute, by all means ignore it and refrain from commenting.
Delta Oct 15th 2007 1:30PM
correction: I meant @1, but it might as well @2 as well.
kunukia Oct 15th 2007 1:33PM
Must agree with the two above comments. I am sure you are a fine person, and have very good reasons for what you wrote...but not here, please.
kunukia Oct 15th 2007 1:35PM
Errr, the first two comments...
native Oct 15th 2007 1:40PM
From the Website:
"One of the most recently built Packaged Earthships reports a maximum low temperature of 64 degrees (for a brief time) early in the morning before sunrise after two cloudy days and a minus seventeen degree winter night. This is with no back up heating system what-so-ever. Newer models will expect 68 degrees to be the maximum low in similar conditions."
Why don't you come plop one of these earthshacks down in rural northern wisconsin with maybe a week straight of -25 degree temps and windchills in the -40's and no sunshine. you'll be begging for some good ol' fashioned fossil fuel heating.
you got your WoW in my politics!
you got your politics in my WoW!
either way it tastes awful.
chinasky Oct 15th 2007 1:54PM
Last I checked, Taurens are cows. Cows are the leading producer of methane. All this love the earth crap is a lie. Taurens are the single worst race for the environment. Much like environmentalists who only fly by private jet,live in oversized mansions and drive SUVs (not that I'm referring to anyone in particular), Taurens talk a big game but when it comes to brass tacks, they are no true friend to the environment.
liberalsareimbeciles Oct 15th 2007 1:58PM
Though I'm not surprised to see avid gamers post such idiotic drivel,(after all who has time to actualy learn about things before they go spouting off like they're experts when they have to make raids 5 nights a week, then farm consumables off off-nights), it's painful to read nonetheless.
You question about where I'd like to live, I'd like to live in a giant home made of redwoods, covered in animal skins, and a heater that spews gases in amazing quantitites, nonstop ... IF that served my needs.
When you said "global warming" that's when you lost me. Try actually reading once in a while. Fully half of the scientific now says there is no evidence linking man to the "warming" of our planet (Odd, too, that some glaciers are getting bigger). It's called CLIMATE CHANGE and it happens naturally every couple of thousand years. Again, some simple research could'v enlightened you before you made yourself look like a sheep in Al Gore's flock, spewing scripted drivel like you actually knew about it before hearing all the liberal talking pieces talking about it.
Go live in your hippie-hut if you want, but don't try to use phoney science to make us feel bad. The earth exists for me, and people who have the guts to take advantage, to profit off of it.
/flameoff
willis Oct 15th 2007 2:00PM
How is not harming the earth political?!?
barrah Oct 15th 2007 2:05PM
Politics or no, I don't think it's irresponsible to encourage people to be responsible, especially when considering a limited resource.
You can NOT deny that we're using oil at an ever increasing rate, you can also NOT deny that we're having an impact on our planet. I think it's good to stop and think every once and a while about how the daily choices we make effect things around us.
That said, noone forced you to read the post, and it's your own fault if it upset you. Just because you don't agree, doesn't mean someone else is wrong.
/happyactionlovetime
liberalsareimbeciles Oct 15th 2007 2:15PM
Actually I can say we're NOT impacting our planet negatively, not in the way the author is implying. Once again, there is no more consensus among the scientific community that says we are negatively impacting our planet through the use of coal, oil, and the like.
Indeed, the consensus is there is no evidence supporting that we are harming our planet by doing so.
And no, no one forced me to read this article. I come here looking for articles on my video game of choice, not something akin to an article written by a socialist sucking off the government teet, like those you'd find on moveon.org.
MonkeySlayer Oct 15th 2007 2:16PM
@9
Actually the single worst race for the environment is the human race.
Carry on.
Ryan Oct 15th 2007 2:21PM
@8 Sounds like what you need is some good ol' fashioned osage-orange.
barrah Oct 15th 2007 2:26PM
I really think the point that the author *meant* to make is this: "You get the idea when looking at the Tauren lands, that if they were to up and leave Mulgore, the evidence of their civilization would be gone in a matter of years." (OP)
It would be neat if you could say the same for us. Then I'd agree with you wholeheartedly that we're not having a negative impact on our environment. But the fact is, we're introducing artificial pollutants to our water tables, our soil and our air daily. While they may prove to not have a negative impact, I sincerely doubt it.
It's amazing how many stars you can see in Hawaii, far away from the light pollution of the mainland. I'd say that is a negative impact right there. I do hope you're right though, and we're not ruining the earth. That would make living here in the next 50 years much more pleasant.
MacKoroni Oct 15th 2007 2:27PM
@10
I love these people who deny humans have had an impact on global warming/climate change...Yea I'm sure there's always been holes in the ozone layer too :/
I believe the most up to date studies and models have shown that what we are expeiencing cannot be soley blamed on humans or a natural occurance sepatately, it's a combination of the two that we specfically experience and the moment. We have the ability to lessen our impact on our current course, and we should, that would be the responsible human, thinking being thing to do.
Eustace Oct 15th 2007 2:27PM
OK, so do us a favor and keep your ignorant politics to yourself. Besides all that Tauren flatulence will soon cause global warming in Azeroth too, right?
r.a-c.r. Oct 15th 2007 2:28PM
@13 lol. much like the fox "news" anchors you may or may not be parroting, your claims lack any warrant. Also, it is charming that you argue against the author's "implications" rather than actual statements or claims.
For all flamers, a quote from the page that inspired this post:
On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.
It is pleasantly indicative of the political climate in this country that the response to "let's talk" is "shut up".
There are a number of topics, metaphors and practical living options in this post. Also a number that are impractical, poorly represented or just silly. A good jumping off point for a discussion, no?
superfrank Oct 15th 2007 2:32PM
@13 I think your name suggests some kind of bias.
Anyway you are almost exactly wrong about the scientific consensus - however this probably won't bother you as you seem more interested in repeating a lie as if it would somehow make it true.
If there is an ounce of rationality rather than dogma in you, allow me to direct you to the excellent wikipedia which states that "The majority of climate scientists agree that global warming is primarily caused by human activities such as fossil fuel burning and deforestation."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming_controversy#Controversy_concerning_the_science