Democracy Rising 30: Wicked Problems, Wise Communities, Part 2
If we set out to design processes to ensure horrible, unproductive conversations that keep us from addressing shared problems well, our current national system would do very well.
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The clean energy economy turns out to be the metals energy economy
The fossil fuel era led to widespread dependence on greenhouse gas producing nonrenewable energy sources. The emerging clean energy era is leading to widespread dependence on vast new supplies of nonrenewable metals
Food Security, Food Sovereignty, and Collective Action During the War in Ukraine
Small farmers, rural activists and scientists came together to discuss and develop their own proposition for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, where they suggested concrete measures to help create a fair, healthy and sustainable food system in Ukraine.
Degrowth for Engineering and Engineering for Degrowth
The steady-state/degrowth movement opens the possibility of re-defining “needs” and reorienting engineers to achieving equitable prosperity on our one shared planet.
The case for a smaller future
Today Schumacher’s ideas are more relevant than ever. We look towards a future of practical action, grassroots organisation, and locally driven solutions.
One School’s Missing History
In Pitts’s case, the history of the Kansas Technical Institute is just the beginning of a tale that led to Topeka Correctional, the school-to-prison pipeline, a community’s loss, and a distinctly unnerving world.
Review: The Girls’ Guide To Off Grid Living by Amanda Kovattana
Amanda Kovattana is a fascinating woman, someone who has lived a truly extraordinary life by consistently choosing to live it on her own terms.
The Global Energy Transition: Critical Minerals & Water Scarcity
The water issues surrounding copper and lithium are daunting and may seem shocking (and dangerous) to tolerate. New mines will exacerbate existing water scarcity. Yet at some point (not yet) every EV battery that hits the road will not only reduce our reliance on oil but will save substantial amounts of water. The question is, do we have sufficient supply to complete this transition at all?
Brian Merchant’s “Blood In the Machine”
Luddites are not – and have never been – anti-technology. Rather, they are pro-human, and see production as a means to an end: broadly shared prosperity.
To Boldly NOT Go into Space
Time to prioritize solving critical problems again, before destruction of the Earth systems we depend on triggers civilizational collapse, and humanity’s brief jaunts into space become a barely-remembered memory or even just a myth.
Nick Haddad: “Insects – A Silent Extinction”
Professor Nick Haddad is co-lead of the Long Term Ecological Research site at Kellogg Biological Station at Michigan State University. He leads decades-long, landscape-scale experiments that bring scientific principles to conservation actions.
Letter From The Farm | Wandering In Quest Of Balance
Overall, failure of public authorities to accommodate multifunctional projects like those of Chiara can further exacerbate a larger trend in Italy towards a type of farm diversification that exploits capital and land, instead of valorising labour, quality food, and nature.
