A bold venture
I suggest you browse their site, archives, programs…enjoy!
KPFAs mission:
- To promote cultural diversity and pluralistic community expression
- To contribute to a lasting understanding between individuals of all nations, races, creeds and colors
- To promote freedom of the press and serve as a forum for various viewpoints
- To maintain an independent funding base
…two questions. The first was, after hearing him talk about the greatness of alternative energies, coming up with a lot of numbers and mentioning over and over again that we have to learn to think in a new way - referring to his new book Plan B 3.0 - Mobilizing to save Civilization:
‘Mr.Brown, what is your position towards the term Anthropocentrism?’
After a short circle about our impact on the planet and admitting that his argueing stems from an anthropocentic viewpoint, he summed up: ‘I don’t know anything else.’
(Well: …: Ecocentrism is the alternative world view to anthropocentrism….)
The second question we were able to ask after the open discussion, first enquiring if there were certain points he would not like to discuss in public, upon which he assured us that there would be nothing he would hold back. And so we asked:
‘Mr.Brown, why don’t you mention the current money system as one of the key factors we would have to investigate and change? It is neither talked about in your book, nor do you address this issue in public.’
Lester Brown, after a short circle of talk: ‘I don’t know enough about it.’
(There we go again….: ‘One of the world’s most influential thinkers’ doesn’t know enough about the money system. Interesting. Here is a quote from Henry Ford: “It is well that the people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.“)
Please read an excerpt of Lester Browns’ biography, posted on the website of the Earth Policy Institute, which he is one of the founders of:
The Washington Post called Lester Brown “one of the world’s most influential thinkers.” The Telegraph of Calcutta refers to him as “the guru of the environmental movement.” In 1986, the Library of Congress requested his personal papers noting that his writings “have already strongly affected thinking about problems of world population and resources.”
Brown started his career as a farmer, growing tomatoes in southern New Jersey with his younger brother during high school and college. Shortly after earning a degree in agricultural science from Rutgers University in 1955, he spent six months living in rural India where he became intimately familiar with the food/population issue. In 1959 Brown joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service as an international agricultural analyst.
Brown earned masters degrees in agricultural economics from the University of Maryland and in public administration from Harvard. In 1964, he became an adviser to Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman on foreign agricultural policy. In 1966, the Secretary appointed him Administrator of the department’s International Agricultural Development Service. In early 1969, he left government to help establish the Overseas Development Council….
I am writing this, because I would like to encourage you to make your own Plan B 3.0. Mr. Brown is doing his job and I’m sure he is a very important dynamic in his environment. But in my book he is not proposing a new way of thinking. As he said: His viewpoint is man-centered. And that is what brought us where we are at. Also: if a person working for governmental institutions and who is called ‘one of the most influential thinkers of our time’, claims that he does not know enough about the monetary system, we should get suspicious, I think.
We met Mr. Brown on the 1st of September at the GTZ in Berlin.
Again the States…
On Saturday, September 27, a national mobilization will be launched to say, “I’m ready for the green economy.”, ready to tackle the climate crisis by building a green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.
Green Jobs Now is a National Day of Action that will empower everyday people to stage hundreds of grassroots events throughout the country. There will be a special focus on low-income communities, communities of color and indigenous people.
Right now, there are millions of people ready to work and countless jobs to be done that will strengthen the economy at home. There are thousands of buildings that need to be weatherized, solar panels to be installed, and wind turbines to be erected. There are communities that need local and sustainable food and people ready to farm the crops. There are public transit systems and smart electricity grids in need of engineers and electricians. Americans are ready to build the new economy.
And guess how they will launch it:
There will be block parties, house parties, teach-ins, living room discussions, public programs with food, music, poetry. It is up to you. As long as the event is positive and fun, the possibilities are endless… and they make it easy for you to join!
The great thing about the States is that beside the most ignorant politicians and the most unethical corporate system you will find a lot of people with a sense of self-responsibility and creativity who put ideas into action.
For example….
‘The Sustainable Living Roadshow (SLR) is a caravan of educators and entertainers who tour the country in a fleet of renewable fuel vehicles to empower communities and individuals to utilize sustainable living strategies for a healthier planet. Visiting k-12 schools, university campuses and community festivals across the United States, the caravan sets up off-the-grid eco-carnivals with experiential learning villages, featuring workshops, speakers and entertainment.’
Read into their principles and ethics, it’s inspiring! Have a look at the diversity of offerings/elements, it’s fun! Makes me want it to happen in Germany…
“From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world.
It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.”
You’ll find more teaser videos, background information and even the whole movie as a free download on storyofstuff.com
(Thanks to Melanie)
Check them out!
The Global Oneness Project is a web-based video initiative exploring how the simple notion of oneness can be lived in our increasingly complex world.
We’re traveling the globe interviewing creative and courageous people who base their lives and work on the fundamental understanding that we are all connected and thus bear great responsibility for each other and our shared world. Our living library of films is available for free from our website or on DVD for events and educational use.
We are committed to documenting what is being born during this time of planetwide transformation. While we are confronted with unmistakable signs that our current way of life is no longer sustainable, inspiring and innovative people and programs are blossoming in all areas of our collective society. From a pay-it-forward café in Ahmedabad, to a youth program that brings African wisdom to Los Angeles, from the General Secretary of the Andean Nations, to the spiritual guardian of Ayers Rock, our film subjects live and work with many of the following values, attitudes, and beliefs:
* We are responsible to each other, the earth, and future generations.
* There are enough resources for us all, if we share.
* Free exchanges of information allow for greater, collective creative potential.
* Love, care and compassion have the power to transform the fabric of society.We hope that by showing the diverse ways oneness is expressed—in the fields of sustainability, conflict resolution, spirituality, art, economics, indigenous culture, and social justice—others will be inspired to create solutions to personal and community challenges from their own lived understanding of oneness.
Die Energy Watch Group veröffentlichte im Mai ihren neuen Bericht. Ausserdem ist heute, am 22.5.08 der Rohölpreis so hoch wie noch nie. Und in den letzten 12 Monaten ist der Preis um 100 Prozent gestiegen. Eigentlich ein guter Grund sich entsprechende Sound Of Sirens Artikel nochmal durchzulesen.
Hier ein kurzer Auszug aus dem neuen Bericht der Energy Watch Group:
Die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse
Peak Oil ist ‘jetzt’
Seit einiger Zeit tobt eine heftige Debatte um das weltweite Ölfördermaximum („Peak Oil“). Institutionen mit großer Nähe zur Energiebranche, wie etwa das Consulting-Unternehmen CERA, betreiben eine Kampagne zur „Entlarvung“ der „Peak-Oil-Theorie“. Die vorliegende Studie gehört zu einer langen Reihe von Arbeiten, die innerhalb und außerhalb der ASPO (Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas, etwa: Vereinigung zum Studium des Fördermaximums von Öl und Gas) entstanden sind und zeigen, dass das Ölfördermaximum keinesfalls mehr als „Theorie“ bezeichnet werden kann, sondern eine Realität ist, die sich bereits vor unseren Augen abspielt.
…Den Analysen unseres Szenarios zufolge ist das weltweite Ă–lfördermaximum 2006 eingetreten…
…Die wichtigste Erkenntnis ist, dass die Ă–lförderung nach dem Peak einen steilen RĂĽckgang erleben wird.
Just click on the play button and let her speak for a minute…She is clear, honest, accessible, intelligent,…
Read also SOS on Tour article on a talk of Vandana Shiva at the Schumacher College in march ‘08 (in german).
Find more articles of her here.
This is one of her book publications: ‘Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability and Peace’ / ‘Erd-Demokratie. Alternativen zur Neoliberalen Globalisierung’.
