The power of ignorance and the problem of abundance
Warning! This article will make you smarter. You’re best to guard your ignorance as a powerful political and economic tool, particularly during these current times of financial crisis.
Education
What to do?
When I share with people my assessments of where the Earthlings are stumbling rather blindly, my listeners often say: “Oh, you are such a pessimist! What would you do differently?” My short answer is: “Stop, face reality, and think. Facing reality is not pessimism. Do not try to be a better, more obedient sheep, whose sheephood is certified by a Harvard et al. at a huge expense.
The Home Energy Handbook: an interview with Allan Shepherd
The Centre for Alternative Technology has just published a new book called “The Home Energy Handbook: a guide to saving and generating energy in your home and community”. It is a great resource for Transition groups, and Transition features strongly through the book. I spoke to Allan Shepherd, one of the book’s authors/editors, and asked him to tell us more about the book.
Review: Was a Time When by Sam Penny
The novel describes a future in which humans have evolved into an entirely new species, the Neu-humans. They are distinguished by their short tails, freckled appearance and super-intelligence—along with a strong tribal sensibility that compels them to tread lightly upon the planet and always make decisions rationally. The story involves an archaeological journey to the “Lands of Oregon,” from what is now northern Canada, to discover the missing link between humans and Neu-humans. The year is 3100.
Peak Oil Exhorts Us to Reflect
Svenska Dagbladet, one of the largest newspapers in Sweden, has now made a review of the book Peeking at Peak Oil (read the article in Swedish). In a special note they have compared the predictions that Matt Simmons made for Saudi Arabia and the predictions in the new book Peeking at Peak Oil.
Graduating the Class of 2012
Class of 2012, greetings! It’s a deceptively glorious day, even under this tent in the broiling heat of an August-style afternoon in mid-June on this northeastern campus. And yes, let’s admit it, the heat, the sun, the clearness of the azure blue sky stretching without a cloud to the horizon, the sense of summer descending with a passion, it’s not quite as reassuring as it might once have been, is it? I suspect that few of you, readying yourselves to leave this campus, many mortgaged to your eyeballs (some for life no matter what you do), and heading into a country on edge, imagine personal clear skies to the horizon.
Ruthless extrapolation
We humans owe much of our success to our ability to recognize patterns and extrapolate trends to anticipate a future state…Yet this fine tool can be over-used, and I see a lot of what I call ruthless extrapolation. In almost every case, extrapolation works until it doesn’t. When the fundamental rules of the game change, watch out!
A 150-Year Experiment: Colleges that serve everyone
The historic land-grant tradition of higher education in the United States shares notable similarities to the emerging interest in the “commons”. Having researched scholarship regarding land-grant institutions and recently becoming aware of strategies for a commons-based society, I am struck by their common mission, and commitment to the public interest. This article is intended to introduce land-grant institutions, which celebrate their 150th anniversary this year to the “commoners” in hopes of bringing together advocates for the advancement of our communities and society.
Book review: “Energy and the Wealth of Nations”
When our society relies on an understanding of economics that did not predict, prevent, or mitigate the current economic crisis, and that, more importantly, does not effectively address climate change or resource depletion, it is time for a new and different approach to understanding the economy. That premise is the foundation of Energy and the Wealth of Nations, an important book by ecologist Charles Hall and economist Kent Klitgaard, who together are pioneering the new discipline of biophysical economics.
Thriving in Peterborough: the latest Transition Thrive training
We ran our latest Transition Thrive in the Green Backyard which is an urban garden, meeting space and inspiration for the Peterborough in Transition (or PinT) project. Mandy Dean and I had the unusual but very welcome opportunity to work with the PinT group for two days. Our intention was to facilitate them to fulfil their wildest dreams, while keeping their feet firmly on the ground; to take their next steps in Transition. And to sprinkle some inspiration dust and enjoy our time together.
Charles Hall – Energy Returns
Charles Hall discuss EROEI at the recent International Conference on Degrowth in the Americas.
Burning Desire for Efficiency
Ever wonder how efficient it is to heat water? Of course you have! Ever measured it? Whoa, mister, now you’ve gone too far!
