I am just waiting for the post "what does oil have to do with kayaks"...

I certainly agree with you.  I only wanted to point out some of the hypocrisy of the statements.  The oil used in the kayak industry is minimal compared to other industries.  Ultimately, we need to be wise in balancing conservation with the needs of our society; balancing impact with growth.

The comments I made about computers and electronics in general are relevant, though.  Between non-recycled waste disposable electronics (i.e. all electronics these days) and power draw from computers, video game consoles, etc. needlessly left on, and power draw from under-utilized over-powered datacenters, there is a serious problem.  Green companies are a major source of venture capital in the Northwest these days - I see 2-4 deals a month go through in this area.  Look for server virtualization firms (such as VMWare and the new seattle startup Illumita) to do well, given that they help consolidate servers and better manage data center power utilization by allowing firms to use fewer servers.

I am, at heart, a libertarian, as well.  While I am a member of the Republican party, I believe in smaller government, fewer regulations, etc.  At one time, I considered joining the libertarian party, but realized more can be done influencing the Republican party in my small way towards the libertarian ideal, though I certainly don't support the zero-government anarchist free-for-all that some loosertarians (credit to Michael Medved for that one) support.

So, to put a fine point on Brian's last comment, we need to retool and find a better strategy to be effective in defeating the coming wave of micro-hydro projects.  The point I tried (and failed due to poor choice of words) to make a while back was that there is a coming wave of projects, and a new direction is needed to be successful defeating these initiatives.

A gem of wisdom from Eric Cartman to lighten the mood:

"Hippies. They're everywhere. They wanna save the earth, but all they do is smoke pot and smell bad. "

That said, no system works in a vacuum.  Capitalism is good, but must be balanced with a framework of rules.  A free market works, but only when people make correct decisions (with respect to their own best benefit), and only when a market is structured to monetize resources and impacts to the collective.

Ultimately, though, we are a free society, and must singularly put faith in individual freedom.

Two quotes from Milton Friedman ring particularly relevant:

"The existence of a free market does not of course eliminate the need for government. On the contrary, government is essential both as a forum for determining the "rules of the game" and as an umpire to interpret and enforce the rules decided on. What the market does is to reduce greatly the range of issues that must be decided through political means, and thereby to minimize the extent to which government need participate directly in the game."

and

"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself."

I'll be sea kayaking in the San Juan's myself.