Earth Day: Enemies and Opportunities
In a 1970 poster for the first Earth Day and a cartoon the following year, Walt Kelly’s Pogo offered a hard truth about ecological crises: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Act: Inspiration
Farewell to Christopher Alexander, Edgar Cahn, and Gustavo Esteva
In recent weeks, we commoners have lost three great visionaries. Each spawned robust institutions and movements to carry their visions forward; the continuing vitality of their projects confirm that their spirits remain very much with us. We should pause to reflect on and celebrate their towering contributions.
A Strong Town Designs Its Places for All, Not Just Cars
We saw a bumper sticker, Twitter post, or something to the effect of, “If your commitment to diversity doesn’t include people with disabilities, you are doing it wrong.” We couldn’t agree more.
How movements can maintain their radical vision while winning practical reforms
Ever since it launched its first audacious land occupations in the mid-1980s, in which groups of impoverished farmers took over unused estates in Southern Brazil and turned them into cooperative farms, the Landless Workers Movement has stood as one of the most innovative and inspiring social movements in the world.
Food powers change: This café shows inclusivity has “No Limits”
In the small town of Newton Abbot, England sits a cafe on Sherborne Road. No Limits Community Café & Hub is an restaurant offering quality locally-sourced food at an affordable price. What makes them special is that they also help to change lives and empower communities by employing those with disabilities and additional needs.
Democracy Rising 16: Getting Started with Dialogue and Deliberation, Part 5
As you work to create deliberative dialogues, you will face many challenges. This post looks at two of those: getting people to show up, and ensuring that participation is productive.
What Could Possibly Go Right?: Episode 75 Nate Hagens
Nate Hagens is the Director of The Institute for the Study of Energy & Our Future (ISEOF), an organization focused on educating and preparing society for the coming cultural transition. He addresses the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?”
Resource limits and our strange game of musical chairs
With a wide range of commodities in limited supply, various regions of the world are now behaving as if they are engaged in simultaneous games of musical chairs when it comes to commodity shortages.
The games differ by commodity and by region, but they all share one characteristic: As in a game of musical chairs, someone will have to go without.
Ecovillage Future: And How Access to Land is a Barrier (Part VI of Ecological Civilisation Series)
What is an Ecovillage and how do practices and values different from ordinary life within consumer capitalist societies? And what would the world look like if there were millions of Ecovillages emerging to replace industrial civilisation?
Reincarnation[?}
I have often wondered if reincarnation is actually that curious mid-life phenomenon whereby a person – after decades of youthful non-conformity – overnight turns into their parent. Suddenly they are anxious and unhappy, and convinced the next generation is going to ruin.
From the IPCC to Just Stop Oil: my week of climate politics
I fear it will be too little and too late in the face of larger forces, but this is part of my answer to those I was debating yesterday who criticize Miranda Whelehan and Just Stop Oil for having no vision for a post-oil world. The part of the vision that they’re helping to supply is a new non-state politics of care. And that’s important.
Hemp – Overgrowing the Regime part 2
Despite a lack of tools, knowledge, infrastructure and support, woefully few routes to market, and suffocating restrictions on production and use of the crop, meet the British hemp growers who are ploughing ahead. Now a campaign of civil disobedience hopes to provoke policymakers to rethink regulations.
