Survey: High Tech or Low?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 11.11.08
We are conflicted. TreeHugger loves wacky new things like 3d printers, downloadable designs and electric motorcycles, yet we also claim that our future lies in the past with vegetable gardens and bicycles. We have enough writers and server capacity to accommodate both world views, but what about you? Jaymi looked at both sides now with her post on 7 Overrated Technologies and Their Underrated Low-Tech Alternatives but which side are you on?
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With all due respect... Most of the stuff on this site is completely gratuitous. Every once and a while there is a gem. We do not need iphones. Sure it makes you feel good, that's called marketing and self-gratification. We do not need cheaper 3D printers. Not solving any problems there. Bake some bread this weekend. That's a step.
why can't both be right to some degree? i doubt anyone is going to be willing to give up technology to be greener, but neither should people be using more power than needed to acheive a goal or task. grow fresh veggies in your garden, then use your modern stove to cook them using less energy and producing fewer pollutants than lighting a fire, etc.
:-)
Its all about the right tool for the job. It's not even about being spoiled or not.
It's silly to build a wall between "high" and "lo" tech. The two are not incompatible. Technology should never be seen as "how much" or "how little", but "how appropriate is it?" Technology is the means to an end, not the end itself. There are cases when high tech is appropriate, and cases where lo tech is appropriate to get what you want.
Is a state-of-the-art, finely-engineered folding bike high or lo tech? How about one that uses an electric motor for power assist on acceleration? It's high tech, but it can greatly simplify your life if, for example, you have a relatively long commute on busy streets. What about a laptop that allows you to access valuable information like TreeHugger?
I don't think anyone is anti-high tech. Different people have different ideas of what "level" of technology is appropriate. Some people want to appear lo-tech and are completely unaware of how much they depend on high technology. They have a very superficial idea of technology and, unfortunately, tend to judge others who have made different life decisions.
A simple, balanced lifestyle is what we should be focused on. That can be achieved in many ways. We shouldn't limit ourselves by obsessing about the technology we--or others--use to get there.
dad, the third option makes no sense in the context of the survey.
love, your editing daughter