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Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 13h

Will fossil fuels be extractable and refine-able and transportable to keep the hungry data centers humming?

Nothing grows forever within a finite system. The outputs of AI may be non-material, but the inputs surely are.

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Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 13h

These grandiose visions of AI becoming ever more powerful seemingly without limit, do they account for the fact that AI, like humans, is a dependent part of the earth?
Will chip supply chains keep flowing at 3 degrees of warming? At 3.5? Will data centers stand through flood and fire?

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Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 16h

Trying the "new blank journal will fix everything" technique.

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Reposted by Dr. Elizabeth Sawin

Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 17h

Beaded #sciart by Ruth Cuthand for Indigenous Peoples Day www.thisiscolossal.com/2019/05/ruth...

Beaded Images of Disease Explore the Impact of Colonial Trade

In her series Trading, Saskatchewan-based artist Ruth Cuthand creates a visual metaphor that outlines how early settler/Native relationships influenced First Nation people’s living conditions and well...

www.thisiscolossal.com

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Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 1d

Pretty low tech really, all mechanical parts and all easily fixable (though not much really goes wrong) and easy to maintain.

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Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 1d

Now we "just" need to get it all into the basement, re-route a lot of plumbing, get it all hooked up, replace nasty vinyl flooring with wood, replace a broken sink, find new homes for two pretty new low flow toilets paint a lot of walls and baseboards. 💪🏻 🛠️ 🫟 🚽

Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 1d

We spent the day yesterday on the first step of a project to conserve water, protect a wetland, close a nutrient cycle loop, avoid a potential costly expense, and get back a sustainability feature we've been missing since we moved into our new house. Photos below . What are we doing?

A man stands in the bed of a pick up truck, with two planks coming off the side. A large blue object is supported at the bottom of the planks

A garden cart with a large blue object with some tubes and fittings

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Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 1d

💯 Well done, Winner That Eats Vegetables :)

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Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 1d

A "giveaway clue" (maybe....)

The bed of a white pickup truck is filled with a large blue contraption. There are hoses and cranks and doors and all manner of things. There is also a purple box and you can just make out the words: not your average toilet.

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Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 1d

Sort of. I'd say you are lukewarm.

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Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 1d

We spent the day yesterday on the first step of a project to conserve water, protect a wetland, close a nutrient cycle loop, avoid a potential costly expense, and get back a sustainability feature we've been missing since we moved into our new house. Photos below . What are we doing?

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Reposted by Dr. Elizabeth Sawin

Antonia Juhasz @antoniajuhasz.bsky.social · 2d

Been thinking about this quote from my 2005 book, The Bush Agenda, and how Trump keeps trying to entice "enemies" to attack.
Joint Chief of Staff Admiral William J. Crowe once told Colin Powell:
"First, to be a great President you have to a war. Two, you have to find a war where you are attacked."

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Reposted by Dr. Elizabeth Sawin

Matterist Books @matteristbooks.bsky.social · 3d

Cool!
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/t...

Zora Neale Hurston’s Play Comes Alive for the First Time

www.nytimes.com

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Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 3d

I enjoyed the conversation with Michael Simpson - I hope you like the result!

Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 3d

The purpose of a system is what it does.

There are no physical reasons we cannot have a balance-seeking, nature-honoring, human development seeking system.

There are physical reasons why accelerating of energy and material throughput cannot be sustained.

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Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 3d

A system designed around growth will keep looking for ways to accelerate.

A system rooted in the biosphere and human well-being will look for ways to develop while staying in balance.

You can decide which this is...

Meta Tells Workers Building Metaverse to Use AI to ‘Go 5x Faster’

Meta says that its coders should be working five times faster and that it expects "a 5x leap in productivity."

www.404media.co

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Reposted by Dr. Elizabeth Sawin

franklincountynews.bsky.social @franklincountynews.bsky.social · 3d

Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati Ohio newest exhibition includes a quilt by Rella Hall Thompson from Franklin County
www.cincinnatimagazine.com/article/new-...

Read more about Rella Hall Thompson
www.instagram.com/p/C20v-HJqfm...

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Reposted by Dr. Elizabeth Sawin

Marc Edwards @marcedwards.bsky.social · 3d

Imagine rivers with the same rights as corporations?

“When it all comes down to it, the river is my grandfather," said CRIT Councilman Tommy Drennan. "I am made of this river."

#AZWater #coloradoriver

www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...

Colorado River Indian Tribes may grant personhood rights to 'living' river

The Colorado River Indian Tribes may soon give their eponymous river personhood status, following moves by other tribes and Indigenous peoples.

www.azcentral.com

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Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 3d

I don't know where the "debate" is because I've gradually shifted to spend more time with do-ers than the debaters (and the do-ers seem very clear that it's all connected. I think about is if how if the "it's all connected" view had prevailed 2008 or 2015 what a different world we'd have now.

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Reposted by Dr. Elizabeth Sawin

Dr. Katy Croff Bell @katycroffbell.bsky.social · 3d

Students, employees, and alumni just received an email from Sally Kornbluth -- MIT says NO to the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.”

"we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education."