Aldo Leopold, in his A Sand County Almanac book published in 1946, said, “There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat Read more…
Put your finger against a surface and push. Your finger is solid and the surface is solid so nothing happens. Yet, what is solid? And what has this to do with living sustainably? Just enjoy the ride and the scenery Read more…
I started this blog to get people thinking for themselves. I have done some down the rabbit hole material, but I find I fall in to the trap of being merely reformational in what I say much of the Read more…
Like most technology of the last 70 years, we start with what sounds like a great idea and then rush it to mass production without any real consideration of long-term consequences. Then when consequences arise (as they always seem to Read more…
I have discussed how science works and especially how its reporting (or not) is affected by monied interests and governments. This is an interesting case study where the EMF issues resembles so many other issues concerning health and environment. Besides Read more…
When I was 14 years old, my parents moved us to another house in my home town. It had a field opposite with large power lines running across the field. About that time, I noticed that in damp weather the Read more…
We need to understand how scientists work and research gets done. There is a lot of research out there. Even as an expert in a specific area, it is hard to keep up on the vast amount of research being Read more…
Our culture has all these people throughout history whom we revere for their creativity and inventiveness. The names Gutenberg, Tesla, Edison, Carver, and Bell, are but a few who made great technological changes for society. While today we might use Read more…
Many years ago, I attended a weekly, evening, continuing education course about Creative Writing. The instructor as you might guess focused on creativity and its expression. During one class discussion we had to think of a subject on which to Read more…
Jared Diamond writes in his book The World until Yesterday about how indigenous peoples lived for most of human existence in tribal societies. He doesn’t paint a utopia, yet explains why the tribal system worked overall. Relatively recently in human Read more…
It is estimated that 90% of people intensely dislike the working week, which is a product of efficiency for the industrial revolution and machine system of living. So, 10% of people have a living that is ideal for them. They Read more…
If we are to move towards a sustainable world, we most certainly will have to find ways to live more harmoniously with each other. We will not have to become saints to live together, but we will have to find Read more…
Time to talk a little about spirituality and its place in a sustainable world. Let me be clear at the outset in this post, spirituality is NOT the same as religiosity. While spirituality has been generally associated with religions, it Read more…
Business, just like money, is a tool that can be helpful or otherwise. The reason it holds so much power over us is because it gives us luxuries and comforts that most of us find desirable. The level to which Read more…
As an older person, I have seen technology come from the analog radio, television, and corded land-line telephone to the digital wonders we have today. One of the most intriguing for me is the loss of printed word to the Read more…
I have just returned from Ouray, Colorado, as spectacular a mountain setting as can be found in many places around the world. The men of European descent who first came here in the late 1800s didn’t come to appreciate the Read more…
So how is the business world moving forward with all of this sustainability stuff. To read the mainstream news and publications would suggest it is well on its way. The reality? The main driving force seems to be the business Read more…
I’m busy ice-climbing this week enjoying the beauty of the mountains of Colorado! More regular posts once I get back from playing. I live comfortably in a house much to big for my needs, although it is one of the Read more…
At this point I may have some divergence from many of my colleagues on what constitutes education for a sustainable world. We train teachers to set up specific curricula with specific goals and objectives – lesson plans. While I don’t Read more…
Is there a model system we can explore that can show us how a Steady State System works successfully over long periods of time? Yes, and it is called the Natural world. The currency of this system is energy and Read more…
Some Left brain stuff today. The late Professor Al Bartlett at University of Colorado-Boulder spent many years doing public talks about the concept of growth and sustainability in connection with modern economic business thinking and planning. A lot hinges on Read more…
In the late 1970s I recall watching a BBC science show that showed at least four main different hydrogen fuel options. The researchers were all from the big engineering universities like MIT, CALTECH, and Oxford, so we’re not talking garage Read more…
“Remember, everything is right until it’s wrong. You’ll know when it’s wrong” Ernest Hemingway. In the film ‘The Matrix’ The hero Neo takes the red pill and awakens from his illusion of the consumer lifestyle to find himself in a Read more…
“People will listen when they’re ready to listen and not before. Don’t waste time with people who want to argue. They’ll keep you immobilized forever. Look for people who are already open to something new.” Daniel Quinn. What we experience Read more…
I have briefly stated it in previous posts, and I have a whole chapter in my SL text about Happiness. In economic posts I mention that what we really value and want is not what we measure. In a class Read more…
I don’t pretend to be a top philosopher, but I listen (and read articles and blogs) to people who claim to be skeptics, but then I look at what they are really saying. What most are saying is that they Read more…
As I have been trying to emphasize, healthy food makes healthy humans. Michael Pollan says that when you walk into a modern store, you should avoid the center isles that carry all the processed and dangerous crap (I use that Read more…
As an introduction to what we can do to ensure clean and healthy food (in next post), I would like to ask a simple question: How long does it take for a food crisis to occur? While I have had Read more…
I saw a great quote yesterday – “The elite create myths in order to debunk myths they don’t like” – could have been something straight out of writer Eco Umberto’s ‘Foucaults Pendulum.’ An anecdote I have seen attributed to several Read more…
Before we begin, a personal email from a friend (would be great if readers could leave comments on the blog for all to see), says that I am beginning to sound a lot like a conspiracy theorist. Interesting. Remember that Read more…