Behavioral economics: a breath of fresh air
“Wouldn’t economics make a lot more sense if it were based on how people actually behave, instead of how they should behave?”
-Dan Ariely, in Predictably Irrational (HarperCollins), p. 239.
Act: Inspiration
Working where the rain doesn’t fall
With small-scale forestry, subsistence farmers can unlock the potential of their otherwise unproductive, fallow land.
A great future is in store for us when we take the power
Richard Heinberg came to Kalamazoo recently and his talk was the first peak oil discussion I’ve heard that didn’t discourage and depress me. Actually, I felt both inspired and energized to help create the next major era in our world’s history.
Could peak oil save the human species?
When Guy McPherson discovered peak oil, it became a cause for optimism, not pessimism.
Food & agriculture – Sept 26
– Watch Colbert’s statement before Congress on migrant farmworkers
– Colbert annoys press corps … again
– Food fight: a Kol Nidre call for sustainable consumption
– From vacant city lots to food on the table
Twilight in the U.S. – Sept 26
– America is suffering a power outage (and the rest of the world knows it)
– 15 shocking facts show that the middle class is being wiped out
– In New Orleans, kindness trumped chaos
Crash course in resilience
We can strengthen our communities and ourselves to prepare for the uncertain world of failing economies, climate change, and oil depletion.
An open letter to MoveOn
It’s time to transcend issue-oriented politics and build community… “I felt that I was glimpsing the future of community organizing in America—organizing based not on hot-button issues, but on building relationships through deep personal sharing and active listening. “
A green school with a view…of dignity
“A school has to be more than beautiful and ‘green.’ It has to respect students’ dignity, and feel like a safe and peaceful place where people care.”
Transition as a pattern language: visioning
The future can be a scary place. For many people, not being able to imagine a lower carbon world is a huge impediment to designing and realising it. If our communities suffer from a similar collective failure of the imagination, Transition will be impossible.
Food & agriculture – Sept 24
-Prospects for a viable food future
-Introducing the Permaculture Designers’ Manual, Chapter 1: Introduction to Permaculture
-Why We Need a New Green Revolution to Stop Hunger
-Food Sovereignty: Reconnecting Food, Nature and Community
-UN warned of major new food crisis at emergency meeting in Rome
Cooperation law for a sharing economy
What do you call a lawyer who helps people share, cooperate, barter, foster local economies, and build sustainable communities?
