Special report: The great shale gas rush (excerpts)
The prospect of abundant, cheap natural gas in the United States—especially gas that’s easily delivered by pipeline to the populous East Coast—profoundly shakes up that energy equation.
Act: Inspiration
A Tale From Portugal, and one from home
I have been astonished to learn as I visited more than 100 transition initiatives over the past 6 months, that nearly all of us are off comers, and with this somewhat dubious title actually seem to breathe fresh life into the communities we have chosen to live in, perhaps for this very reason, delving deeply into the roots of our cherished new homes, and bringing them up for fresh examination in a way that those well established in an area have perhaps become so accustomed to that the value is no longer recognised.
Worlds collide at Cancun climate talks
Two worlds will collide in Cancun, but they share a single planet. If the world that defends our current model of production and consumption prevails, the planet will edge ever closer to catastrophe. The second world offers hope of a new path. Its solutions are multiple and small-scale, and require political will more than massive resources or new technologies. This second world seeks a new balance in our lives between our environment, our food systems, and our jobs.
Once in a Lifetime: This is Not My Beautiful Lawn
A “perfect” lawn is a truly human artifact, a triumph of elegance and simplicity, using machines, chemicals and Poa pratensis in its making. We need an aesthetic sense that an ornamental landscape’s beauty isn’t only about visual effect, but about holistic function–about how the landscape contributes to the biotic community, to the ecosystem’s health.
Slow time, fast time
“Fast Time” is the world I live in, the one with a two hour meeting scheduled at 7pm, my husband’s classes at 12:35, Eli’s bus at 8:15 and 3:30… payments due by the first of the month, etc… It is the world run on clocks and calendars, where expectations can be fixed and formalized. All of us live in fast time in some measure, some of us almost completely, others only barely. There is, however, no good way of escaping it entirely.
I also live in slow time. Slow time is the world of things that cannot be subject to fast time – things that take their own time, that you cannot schedule, that get done when they are ready. This is the time in which the wheat is ready to harvest, in which babies are birthed, in which winter sets in for real, in which children learn to walk or read or ride a bicycle, in which the plums ripen, in the ill recover strength, in which bread rises, in which change happens.
From condoms to biochar, let’s get moving – Oct 26
– How Mr. Condom made Thailand a better place
– After 2 years of eco-living, what works and what doesn’t
– New book on biochar by Albert Bates
– Growing ‘lots of delicious food for the least possible work’
– Eco villages are your best investment
Sharing the Harvest
With the taste of success now in my mouth, I abandon all reservations about asking for what I need. We ask everyone we meet if they know where we can find wild apples to harvest.
Alaska and energy
I came away from my too-brief sojourn in Anchorage with both a deep appreciation for this land of great natural beauty, contrasts, and extremes, and an equally deep concern for how Alaskans will deal with their enormous energy challenges. Some of those challenges are going to present themselves forcibly in the very near future.
The promise of deliberative democracy
Deliberative democracy stems from the belief that democratic leadership should involve educating constituents about issues at hand, and that citizens may significantly alter their opinions when faced with information about these issues.
Agroinnovations #107: Recipe for America
On this episode of the podcast we are joined by Jill Richardson. Jill is a journalist, author and blogger who writes for the blog La Vida Locavore and also for the news site alternet.org. In this interview we discuss Cuba as an example of a post-peak agricultural society, the propaganda of the GMO seed companies, the corporate push to approve genetically modified salmon, the Green Revolution in Mexico, and how to fix our broken food system.
French lessons – Oct 24
– France Gets a Foretaste of a World After Peak Oil
– France on strike – dramatic photographs
– Exchange student sees French strikes up close
– Dinner ladies lead the fight against pension cuts
– Marseille close to standstill as worst strikes in 15 years cause French chaos
– Sarkozy’s approval rating hits new low as French strikes drag on
– From my hometown in France : Videos and updates on the strikes
Can space aliens save the world?
"Calling occupants of interplanetary craft to rescue our planet, as we seem incapable of doing so ourselves despite the best intentions of a vocal & divided minority of earth dwellers who struggle against those who have…" What we need is a revolution of thought on the scale of the Copernican introduction of heliocentrism.
