Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Welcome to Mother Earth – MĂ³Ă°ir Jörð – an organic farm in Vallanes, East Iceland, where people have lived and farmed since the 12th century. Here, EyglĂ³ Björk Ă“lafsdĂ³ttir and Eymundur MagnĂºsson grow grain and vegetables, and cultivate local food culture in their on-farm shop and cafĂ©.
Iceland’s economy had thrived on speculative finance but, after the meltdown, rather than making the public pay for the crisis, as the Nobel economist Paul Krugman points out, Iceland ‘let the banks go bust and actually expanded its social safety net’ and instead of placating financial markets, ‘imposed temporary controls on the movement of capital to give itself room to manoeuvre.’
What follows is a love letter. A love letter is my way of describing the incredible beauty and friendliness I experienced in Iceland and my heartfelt wish for Icelandic culture to thrive now and into the future.
When we think of Iceland, thoughts of sustainable fisheries and renewable energy come to mind. Is that really an accurate picture?
Will the future crises that climate change, peak resources and ecological destruction be just other useful crises for the powerful to make the rest pay?
What is really going on Iceland? Have they been jailing bankers, creating unprecedented press freedoms and crowd sourcing their new constitution?
