The virtual salon: my home away from home
How to use flickr and social networking to dispense important, planet-saving information. Cultural jiu-jitsu from an expert.
Amanda Kovattana
Deconstructing Dinner: The erosion of civilizations (w/David Montgomery and Ronald Wright)
Deconstructing Dinner has recently been reflecting on the model of agriculture itself as the primary source through which most people on earth access their food. From our exploration of ethnobiology to recent topics on permaculture, it’s clear that there are other models available, which, for some people are a substitute for agriculture, and for others, complementary practices. But what within that dependence on agriculture are we all dependent upon? Multinational corporations? The chain grocery store? Perhaps the microwave!?
A friendly greeting from annelids
In this week’s post, the Archdruid introduces several million of his closest friends, reveals the secret Green Wizard meaning of the word “garbage,” and confronts the dreaded Squick Factor. His theme? Your future compost bin.
Peak oil: How supply crunch can lead to lower prices (for a while!)
There seems to be an on-going debate among peak oilers and many economists as to which came first, the chicken (peak supply flow) or the egg (peak demand).
A way forward — Climate hope in a prison of despair
The U.S. Senate has rejected taking action on a significant climate or energy bill this year. Heads are hanging in despair, moans of anguish are rising, and arguments are breaking out about who is to blame. While Washington has failed to act, the Earth is showing accelerating strains from our continued dumping of warming pollutants to the atmosphere.
The financial sector needs a civil society watchdog
Non-profits have suffered in the financial crisis no less than their counterparts in the private and public sectors. But could this be a ‘Greenpeace moment’: might philanthropic foundations support the creation of a civil society conscience for international finance?
A looming oxygen crisis and its impact on world’s oceans
As warming intensifies, scientists warn, the oxygen content of oceans across the planet could be more and more diminished, with serious consequences for the future of fish and other sea life.
Crop to Cuisine: Urban farming, food safety, and the new generation of farmers
This week, Crop To Cuisine steps into the field of urban farming. Food Safety Expert, Bill Marler, addresses the right to eat whatever you want. And Crop To Cuisine continues its series on the new generation of american farmers, From The Ground Up. All that and more.
Happiness & sustainability – Aug 4
-Do environmentalists and governments hold back sustainable lifestyles
-We’ll be happy when we’re old—if civilization survives
-Happy Cities for the Global South: Interview with Enrique Peñalosa
We’re hot as hell and we’re not going to take it any more
For many years, the lobbying fight for climate legislation on Capitol Hill has been led by a collection of the most corporate and moderate environmental groups, outfits like the Environmental Defense Fund. We owe them a great debt, and not just for their hard work. We owe them a debt because they did everything the way you’re supposed to: they wore nice clothes, lobbied tirelessly, and compromised at every turn. By the time they were done, they had a bill that only capped carbon emissions from electric utilities (not factories or cars) and was so laden with gifts for industry that if you listened closely you could actually hear the oinking.
Deepwater Horizon: The aftermath
With BP’s oil well close to being permanently sealed, we are beginning to gain more insight into the effects the blowout will have on oil production in the years ahead.
A history of deficits
In President Clinton’s last full year in office (2000), the federal budget was roughly $1.8 trillion dollars. When President Bush was inaugurated in January 2001, his administration received the previous year’s $236 billion dollar budgetary surplus. By fiscal year (FY) 2010, a mere decade later, the United States’ budget had doubled to nearly $3.6 trillion, and incurred a $1.6 trillion budget deficit. A budget deficit is the difference between outlays (expenditures) and income for a single fiscal year.
