Growing up dystechnic
I came out of school at the age of 17 highly literate but almost completely dystechnic. Since there is no word for the manual equivalent of illiterate I have had to coin one, and ‘dystechnic’ is the best I can do.
Simon Fairlie
ODAC Newsletter Oct 5
News of Turkish military retaliation to a mortar round fired from inside Syria spooked oil markets this week. Former Arab League envoy to Syria Kofi Annan has warned that there is a danger that the Syrian conflict could spread and destabilise the region, although the Turkish Prime Minister said on Thursday that his country had no intention of starting a war…
A healthy (and profitable) oasis in Philly’s food deserts
Want proof that the goals of business and the needs of the most vulnerable can align? Meet Jeff Brown, fourth-generation grocer and owner of the 10-store ShopRite regional chain based in Philadelphia. By mixing old-fashioned customer service with innovative new approaches, Brown is chipping away at the nation’s jobs challenge, starting in the communities hardest-hit by the financial crisis.
Transport – Oct 5
-There IS a Bicycle Economy, Two Cities Find
-Are electric cars bad for the environment?
-Amsterdam’s New Electric Scooter Program Aims To Improve Transportation Options
-Paralympics show how cycling fits almost any impairment
Transport – Oct 5
-There IS a Bicycle Economy, Two Cities Find
-Are electric cars bad for the environment?
-Amsterdam’s New Electric Scooter Program Aims To Improve Transportation Options
-Paralympics show how cycling fits almost any impairment
Transition Dogville
In Lars von Trier’s 2003 film Dogville there is almost no set. Buildings in the town are represented by a series of white outlines on the floor. Dogville was a to-the-limit exercise in what von Trier calls “pure cinema” a commitment to use only real locations, and no special effects or background music, when making a film. I was reminded of Dogville during a this year’s Transition Conference in London. There were talks and workshops, of course, but our main task was to create the working physical model of a town centre, a few years ahead, in which the services needed for a resilient community would be in place — and open for business. We had four hours to do it.
The energy-water nexus
The principal challenge of this century, in my view, will be adapting to a life without abundant, cheap fossil fuels. It has been the lifeblood of our society, and turns out to have some really fantastic qualities. The jury is still out as to whether we will develop suitable/affordable replacements. But additional challenges loom in parallel. Water is very likely to be one of them, which is especially pertinent in my region.
Green vs. Transition Towns
The green political movement and the transition movement could be said to share broadly the same objectives, but could the transition movement stand a better chance of changing people’s mindsets? Two transition activists from North London discuss their work.
HOMEGROWN Life: A Word on Efficiency (and Productivity and Sustainability)
Here’s the rub…Is it really more efficient for me to shovel goat manure, let it age, plant some lettuce in it, and truck it to local consumers? Or is it more efficient for Missourians to keep buying lettuce from California that was picked by migrant workers in unsafe conditions who were likely paid poorly, and with said lettuce robbing the withering Colorado River of its flow? There are people who try to figure these things out, but a lot of it centers on the pivot of what one means by efficiency and productivity and measurement.
A tale of two sustainabilities: Comparing sustainability in the global north and south
The definition of sustainability, like many definitions, depends upon one’s viewpoint. One’s experience and geographic setting heavily influence the way one sees the world. In this paper, we examine sustainability from two distinct locations, a highly urbanized and suburbanized island setting in the global north, and a remote island archipelago in the global south. Both locations have distinct cultural and geographic heritages. Each provides an interesting way to explore the meaning of sustainability within our current era.
The peak oil crisis: global dynamics
The most dangerous force changing our way of life has to be climate change which from all indications is starting to affect our economies, lifestyles, and most importantly our food supplies at an increasing rate. Every reputable expert is saying that this summer’s unusual melt of the arctic icecap is only the first stage of what will soon be frequent and lengthy disruptions of global weather patterns as the warming arctic causes the polar jet stream to become more erratic. These disruptions will result in alternating floods, droughts, and severe storms that will continue indefinitely – perhaps for centuries or longer.
Now that of course leads to questions about the food supply …
For real change, conversations not debates
People around the country have been forming small groups like Resilience Circles and social action affinity groups. These groups are a way to relearn skills of mutuality, consensus-building, story-sharing, and real listening. They form an essential piece of the architecture of social movements built on solidarity and relatedness.
But pulling together a small group can be a real challenge.
