Page 66 - Green Builder January 2017 Issue

FROM THE TAILGATE By Ron Jones

New Offerings for the Sustainable Minded

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
SOME YEARS AGO, a good friend of mine
went to the trouble and expense of finding
an out-of-print copy of collected works by
the great American poet Wendell Berry. He
then made it into a gift to me.
My friend made special note of one precious jewel
hidden in this deep treasure chest of verse—a very
short piece titled, To Know the Dark. It reads:

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
And find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,

And is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

Our most ancient ancestors must have known
the dark very well. But once they learned to protect

their backsides in the relative safety of a cave,
with a campfire strategically placed and diligently
maintained at the entrance, the relationship of our
species with the dark has been in relentless evolution.

Every advancement in technology has undeniably
provided us with benefits in the form of convenience,
efficiency and accessibility. But, equally undeniably,
there is another side to the coin of progress. In this
case, it is the erosion of our self-reliance and our
ability to fend for ourselves. It’s one thing if a light
bulb burns out—we simply replace it because a new

one is usually available, and the act is not beyond our
common capabilities. But if the power goes down, that’s
quite a different situation. Suddenly, the complexity
of the problem has multiplied exponentially.

Our editorial calendar promotes an examination
of where we’re headed: “The solar transition is well
under way, but the next phase has just begun, as the

Internet of Things integrates with on-site and micro-
grid energy production in new, exciting ways.” We
are understandably intrigued and excited by the
prospect of generating our own power, and with the

rapid proliferation of “intelligent living solutions” that promise to and smart living, as well as the one after that, because with each
make our lives better. step along the way we give up a bit of control, another piece of our
natural ability to respond.
But with each of these new opportunities comes the proportionate

responsibilities of understanding not only what they do for us, There is something quite reassuring about an all-night supply of
but how they do it. What is our usual response when the Internet firewood. Something deep in the back of our collective memories tells
connection goes down? Makes one stop and think, doesn’t it? us that this is a good thing, that we have power over at least one basic
source of comfort and safety. But we should take care to not lose our
And so perhaps it should be with a healthy blend of caution and

fascination that we embrace the newest advancement in technology ability to know the dark, and to travel there without trepidation. GB

64 GREEN BUILDER January/February 2017 www.greenbuildermedia.com