Building Community

Wisdom of the land- The essence of Hawaiian sustainability

by

Dr. Scott Fisher, Director of Conservation for the Hawaiian Islands Trust, speaks to us about his work at the Waihe’e Refuge, a 277 acre protected site on the island of Maui.  Dr. Fisher talks about traditional Hawaiian land stewardship, sensitive island ecosystems, biodiversity on Maui, and the importance of malama ‘aina (care for the land).  

Growing Local Economies with Local Currencies

by

The ultrarich have been getting richer, and the richest 1% in our country own about 40% of the wealth. That’s measured in national dollars. There are other types of wealth, and it’s possible to set up other currencies, so the rest of us can enjoy more wealth. Gwendolyn Hallsmith is the co-author of Creating Wealth: Growing Local Economies with Local Currencies.

Deep green: Why de-Growth?

by

In 2008, economists and scientists met in Paris to discuss “Economic Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity.” The Degrowth (Décroissance) movement grew from this economic revolution in France. In 2010, a similar conference convened in Barcelona. For the last two years I have helped organize the Degrowth Conference in Vancouver, Canada. Journalists and traditional economists have asked why a degrowth movement is necessary. Here are answers to their questions…

Food & agriculture – June 6 (updated June 7)

by

-Analysis: E.coli outbreak poses questions for organic farming
-Are Bean Sprouts the End of Organic Farming? Nah.
-Hedge Farm! The Doomsday Food Price Scenario Turning Hedgies into Survivalists
-Mom-and-pop vs. big-box stores in the food desert
-Organic farming – India’s future perfect?
-Challenges of a Colorado Local Food Initiative

New book to inspire a redesigned, fair food system

by

But Fair Food… is not a book primarily about the problems of our broken food system,” says Hesterman. “It is a book primarily about the solutions.” It serves as a guide to changing not only what we eat, but also how our food is grown, packaged, delivered, marketed, and sold. The book starts by outlining the nuances of our food system, how it evolved the way it did, and why it is failing us.

The role of religious congregations in promoting a steady state economy

by

Proponents of a steady state economy could get a boost from religious congregations…Religious communities are good places to look for allies because, over the past 15 years, many congregations have developed an interest in exploring human duties to creation. The concept of stewardship of creation is gaining widespread support among those who believe in God as the creator of the universe.

Gary Nabhan and the importance of seed diversity

by

World-renowned conservation scientist Gary Nabhan is an author and farmer at Patagonia, Arizona along the Mexican border, raising sheep, heritage grains, and orchard fruits…When asked his definition of sustainable, he said, “What’s just? What’s right? What’s healing? Leave the land in better shape than we got it.”

The Simpler Way perspective on the global predicament

by

For more than fifty years there has been gradually accumulating an overwhelming case that the global predicament is a) far too deep to be remedied without abandoning the fundamental structures, systems, world views and values of consumer-capitalist society, b) is being generated by those foundational structures and commitments, and therefore c) can only be solved by transition to a very different kind of society…