The big population question
Should we be thinking about the number simultaneously alive or the cumulative number ever to live?
Society
ten.ten.ten
Central to happiness is having a purpose, making a difference. This is the new dream of the good life: a culture in which we have meaning and connection.
Deep thought – Oct 10
– What will future generations condemn us for?
– Policy at Its Worst (dysfunctional US)
– Why I was wrong about population
– Living off our capital
Transportation & urban design – Oct 10
– Transportation: The Leading Edge (ASPO-USA talk)
– E-Car Scheme to Tackle Permanent Congestion in Paris
– Going Car-Free? It’s On Us, Says Hoboken
– In Arabian Desert, a Sustainable City Rises
– Google tests cars that drive themselves
Foreword to new Transition book: ‘Communities, Councils and a Low Carbon Future’
The book is a blood, sweat and tears account of life as an elected eco warrior trying to encourage local government to work with communities to make the world a greener place, packed with great case studies and tips for Transition initiatives and Councils alike.
Time travel on Clear Creek
There are “ignored and undeveloped” spots in every neighborhood in nearly every city in America. These are the places we build around, rush past, overlook, and disdain, until they might as well not exist at all. This is where I’d like to bring the college students who wear polar bear suits on downtown sidewalks, to cajole me into loving the earth by donating money to Greenpeace. I’d like to show them that “the earth”—truly in need of so much love—is not nearly as far away as we think. It is here, right under our busy little feet.
The concept of “Living Well” – a Bolivian viewpoint
Bolivia’s Living Well proposal means living a sovereign and communal life in harmony with nature, working together for our families and for society, sharing, singing, dancing, producing for the community. It means living a modest life that reduces our addiction to consumption and maintains a balanced production.
Bicyles and transport – Oct 7
– Riding Bikes with the Dutch – Movie Trailer
– Dude, Where’s Your Car? (Hollywood and bicycles)
– Can pop culture push sustainable mobility?
– Why Building a Bike-Safe City Is Key to a Clean Energy Future
– Krugman: Transit economics
Web and media – Oct 6
– Why I Left My Publisher in Order to Publish a Book
– Twitter and Facebook cannot change the real world, says Malcolm Gladwell
– The Jewish Journal: Ten Commandments of social networking
– At Flagging Chicago Tribune, Tales of a Bankrupt Culture
A terrible dependency of mind
As I watched snippets of President Obama’s town hall-style meetings around the country recently, I was struck by how often questioners demonstrated the mindset that solutions to their problems will come from some central authority, in this case, the federal government.
At the Café del Tercer Mundo in Berlin
“The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls…”
They also emerge among refugees and Third Worlders arguing their visions in a scruffy Berlin café,
Waste & recycling – Oct 1
– On donating, buying, and swapping secondhand clothes
– Compostable diaper service
– UN environment chief urges recycling of rare metals
