Society

Can we talk? In a meaningful way, that is…

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Sometimes conversations get competitive and unpleasant. Everyone is trying to prove they’re right — that they’re smarter than everyone else. This drains our spirit, and we lose our energy to work for change. So we need to remember, in any kind of conversation, that it’s not a contest. Think of it as a barn-raising: You’re helping each other build something.

Unlearn, Rewild

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One of the least useful words in the English language is the word “wilderness.” I grew up wandering the woods, and, to me, where the road and the trail end and the animal (and human) paths begin is a point of fundamental transition: beyond this point lies something else an older, perfectly ordinary, normal way of being, in which we are just another animal among many others.

Linking twin extinctions of species and languages

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I think we inevitably underestimate the bond between biological complexity and cultural complexity…It may seem far-fetched to compare social and agricultural change in Iowa with linguistic and biological correlation in some of Earth’s biodiversity hotspots. But the underlying premise is the same. Biological diversity and cultural diversity go hand in hand.

The Affordable Care Act’s Fatal Omission?

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The proverbial elephant in the room (and perhaps the ACA’s fatal flaw) from my in-the-trenches standpoint is the sustainability question, How on earth is this health care system going to survive? The question has two components: First, the billions of dollars required to implement and sustain the ACA. Second, and most important, I’m talking about the viability of a system that is inextricably dependent on a ready supply of resources that are being consumed faster than they can be replaced.

Hard rain on the parade

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At what point do we stop worshipping the rulers and behaving like grateful servants, and start to recognise our own beauty and significance? At what point do we stop distrusting and being hostile to our neighbours and our countrymen, and stand by each other, side by side? At what point do we stop believing in the magic spell of money and privilege and realise that the plants we depend on need both light and water? At what point do we realise that everything in our “civilised ” world – our energy, our food, our life – comes directly from the planet? And when we do, when we connect the dots, what are we going to do about it?

Mosquito Fleet sustainable shipping – Olympia Schooner Company interview

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Hoyle Hodges founded the new Olympia Schooner Company in the Puget Sound. This year it has instituted delivery of fresh produce as part of a business plan to at least break even with sailing cargo and eventually passengers. The company began as the Mosquito Fleet Sustainable Shipping project at Evergreen State College where Hoyle studied. When we saw his video here at Sail Transport Network central in June, we were inspired to learn more. Here’s the interview we conducted…

Walking out on empire

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So what do we do now? At what point does one realize that his or her paradigm isn’t working anymore, and give up and walk out on empire? How do we start walking, and where do we go? Here are some quotes from notable people who are choosing to turn at the crossroads and walk away from empire and then to talk about the transition. These quotes highlight some of their answers to the question of “what now?”

Metals, minerals, misery, and environment – July 14

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-A Gold Rush in the Abyss
-The High Price of Gold: Peru Mining Protests Turn Deadly
-How Europe is mining’s emerging market
-China reshapes role in rare earths, could be importer by 2014
-Apple abandons EPEAT: Is Cupertino turning its back on the environment?
-China city scraps alloy plant after protests
-Video Series: Public Lands, Private Profits