I recently finished the book, Stronghold , by Tucker Malarkey. The story was motivating on several fronts, including a familial connection between my wife and the primary characters, her first cousins once removed, both the author, Tucker, and the protaganist, Guido. Beyond the subjects being known entities, the narrative follows the life and conservation work of Guido Rahr, someone deeply connected to wild rivers. Via a lifetime of dedication to protecting wild salmon and their intricately interconnected ecosystems, Guido developed a guiding thesis for his life’s work: pure, unadulterated “strongholds” were necessary for the long term success of salmon everywhere. These bastions of ecosystem originalism could help sustain species diversity and also act as scientific references to inform the protection of other salmon habitats worldwide.
It is an open secret that lack of protection, regulation, and appropriate economic signals combined with ever accelerating development has caused the disappearance of salmon from regions where they once thrived. Wild Atlantic Salmon are mostly gone while watersheds up and down the west coast of the United States have eradicated salmon due to the introduction of large dams, clear cut forestry, and industrial agriculture.
The inspiration in the story comes from a few main sources. First, Guido is a unique character with a singular passion. Second, the millions of acres of protected habitat speak to the power of conservation. Third, there is an appeal to bio-mimicry, that we must think on a larger scale about interconnection - human and natural.
As a matter of course, I projected Guido’s strategy to a subject that I am intimately passionate about, the war on entropy. Rather, I posed the question to myself: how can we apply the idea of Strongholds to our energy production and consumption? For too long, society has relegated energy efficiency to the subservience of the almighty “cost-effectiveness” God. In practice, this subservience has created a lot of inaction.
Part of the magic of conservation is that it appeals to a higher order. Certain natural environments should be protected for their intrinsic value and appeal. This can be found in National Parks, Wilderness areas, and remote, protected regions around the world.
The energy landscape needs similar inspirations and we should invest in creating those to inspire others that there is a better way than sinking investments in the status quo. For convenience and comfort, we are addicted to coal, “natural” a.k.a. fracked gas, and oil. Yet the consumption of these fuels directly leads to the destruction of ecosystems and the destruction of our climate system. By using these fuels without second thought, we are providing the moral license for industry to continue their acts of destruction. But is important that we do not ascribe blame on individuals, because we are all puppets of industries who want us to pretend there is no harm.
We need to scale Strongholds by proving their capabilities. We know if works on a small scale. Homes can be built or retrofitted to produce as much energy as they consume, and have no emissions. But an individual home’s impact is small. We must create neighborhoods where each home is a producer and consumer of energy and can share with one another. On site, battery energy storage could negate the need for distant, centralized fossil fuel power plants. Energy needs beyond the home could be supplemented by more localized renewables and storage to power electric vehicles and commercial needs. Islands, cities, and increasingly larger regions will all eventually be enveloped as Strongholds emerge.
The truth is: we know this method can scale, it is a matter of investment and action. In the way we’ve mobilized capital for conservation, we need to invest in the projects that will inspire people to see the possibility of moving beyond carbon. Just like Guido’s success in bringing people to the river, actions are motivated by first hand experience. Only when people see the possibilities, will we be able to continue loosening the stranglehold of fossil fuels on our society. Every Stronghold chips away at their influence and provides space for an alternative future. This is why I feel rejuvenated after reading Stronghold.