The Right Way to Flourish

One of the most basic themes of my book is that the use of [modern] technology always distorts reality. Humans first confronted reality with only the most basic of tools available to them. Today technology not only does much more in getting in our way, but can even create virtual realities. Nick Carr had a recent piece about avatar anxiety. An earlier post introduced the subject. Here’s the money quote from Carr’s earlier piece. > Your online self … is entirely self-created, and because it determines your identity and social standing in an internet community, each decision you make about… Read More

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Ecoworldly [reports](http://ecoworldly.com/2009/02/08/635-million-year-old-animal-traces-discovered/) that life on the Planet has been here for a very long time, some 650 million years, although in forms unlike those existing today. Life on Earth may and probably will continue for just as long, but probably not dominated by our species as it is today. It seems we may be hurrying the process these days. > New research in the South Oman Salt Basin shows evidence of animal life dating back much further than the first appearance of other significant life forms. > > Chemical traces of the minute marine sponges, called demosponges were observed by… Read More

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A friend sent me this tale. A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them. “Not very long,” answered the Mexican. “But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American. The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?” “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and… Read More

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This is the title of a [report](http://www.hartman-group.com/downloads/Sustainability2009-ExecSummary.pdf) just issued by the [Hartman Group](http://www.hartman-group.com/home). Here is how they describe themselves. > Consumer Insights. The Hartman Group specializes in the analysis and interpretation of consumer lifestyles and how these lifestyles influence the purchase and use of today’s products and services in tomorrow’s marketplace. > > Market Research. The Hartman Group holds to an unwavering belief in the power of the consumer to drive the marketplace. We study consumers in their natural environments – their homes, their stores, their lives. A short summary of the report can be downloaded. The report itself costs… Read More

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[Orion Magazine](http://www.orionmagazine.org/) always comes out with classy articles. [This one](http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/4253/), by Randy Olson, about communicating environmental messages struck a chord. I struggle with finding words to capture the attention of general readers and then to get them to accept the seriousness of threats to present state of the world. I don’t feel so bad when real professional communicators complain about the same thing. > “HOW ARE YOU GOING to cut through the green fog?” The radio interviewer was referring to the glut of environmental media these days. And as a filmmaker, I knew what he was getting at; last year,… Read More

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I am off at a workshop on Leading and Learning for Sustainability. I’ll be back in a couple of days.

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This year’s Japan Prize was awarded to Dennis Meadows for his contributions to the 1972 shocker, The Limits to Growth. Shocker, that is, only to those who saw the world through a soda straw. After pointing to other accomplishments, the award statement adds: > Based on the foundations established in “The Limits to Growth” over the past 30 years Dr. Meadows has consistently proposed, through model analyses, efforts aimed at forming a sustainable society. He has continued to exert a large influence on the entire world. This, it is believed, is highly praiseworthy and deserving of the 2009 Japan Prize,… Read More

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I don’t know whether to cheer or cry after reading this [story](http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126921.500-one-last-chance-to-save-mankind.html) about a rather unusual way to combat global warning. At least, it’s not one that shows up among the usual suspects. Instead of burning up charcoal briquettes in our backyard barbecues, we need to turn our grass cuttings, pruning waste, and everything organic to charcoal and bury it. Farmers and foresters are the key players, but here’s a chance for everyone to contribute to the reduction of unsustainability. The photo shows soil with a very high carbon content (terra preta). The article is an interview with James Lovelock… Read More

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I have just come home from a short visit to Ann Arbor to speak at an event sponsored by the Net Impact group at the Ross School of Business. They had asked me to speak at the dinner kicking off their Forum 2009: Next practices to address future challenges. In their own words, “Net Impact is a global network of leaders who are changing the world through business.” I also had some time to spend in a small group with some of the students. Many are in a very special program (Erb Institute) that couples an MBA with a MS… Read More

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This story is from today’s New York Times. I encourage you to read the whole article. But here is the part that woke me up today. Facebook, the very popular social networking program, has spawned some new language–defriending or unfriending. It has become so easy to accumulate a very long list of facebook friends that paring down that list has become a social puzzle. Burger King saw an opportunity to attract business by offering a free Whopper™ to anyone that got rid of 10 friends by deleting them from the list. If Esau sold his birthright for a mess of… Read More

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