“You might ask yourself, then, Why on earth did he get invited to speak here tonight? It seems that I am enjoying my moment in the limelight, because I am one of the very few people who several years ago unequivocally predicted the demise of the United States as a global superpower. The idea that the USA will go the way of the USSR seemed preposterous at the time. It doesn’t seem so preposterous any more. I take it some of you are still hedging your bets. How is that hedge fund doing, by the way?
I think I prefer remaining just a tourist, because I have learned from experience – luckily, from other people’s experience – that being a superpower collapse predictor is not a good career choice. I learned that by observing what happened to the people who successfully predicted the collapse of the USSR. Do you know who Andrei Amalrik is? See, my point exactly. He successfully predicted the collapse of the USSR. He was off by just half a decade. That was another valuable lesson for me, which is why I will not give you an exact date when USA will turn into FUSA (”F” is for “Former”). But even if someone could choreograph the whole event, it still wouldn’t make for much of a career, because once it all starts falling apart, people have far more important things to attend to than marveling at the wonderful predictive abilities of some Cassandra-like person.”
This is from a very interesting and also entertaining talk by Dmitry Orlov, Author of ‘Reinventing Collapse’, from February 13, 2009, held at Cowell Theatre in Fort Mason Center, San Francisco.
Here is the whole talk. / http://cluborlov.blogspot.com
ecoCampLondon is a Barcamp about the environment and sustainability which aims to get together passionate people to discuss, engage, interact and ultimately take action!
BarCamps without any specific topic (but “internet”) are kind of exploding now. Too many people attend and there is often that feeling that everything has already been said at other BarCamps before. Plus there is usually no reason to talk about sustainable ideas, since no one wants to hear about it. The exception proofs the rule in the new development of so called ‘Theme BarCamps’. They focus on certain topics like ‘only Wordpress’, ‘only Typo3′, ‘only social issues’ (SocialCamp in Berlin) and now ‘only sustainability and environment’. How great is that? As BarCamps are always sponsored by some companies, those events are usually free of charge and commited to get people involved, share ideas, inspire each other and create a new way of thinking together. You talk a lot and might get the idea of only talking instead of doing, but you really come up with new guidelines everyone tries to follow afterwards, and you usually make new friends and co-operations. Enough going into raptures over BarCamps now – here’s my advice for everyone who is in Britain’s capital on Saturday, 29 November 2008: The EcoCampLondon. It’s also an carbon-neutral event.
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…
Today the Burning Man Festival starts in Nevada/US. Not that I have been there, but I heard quite a bit and recently read an article about it in the Guardian. This years’ art theme is ‘American Dream’:
In 2008, leave narrow and exclusive ideologies at home and carefully consider your immediate experience. What has America achieved that you admire? What has it done or failed to do that fills you with dismay? What is laudable? What is ludicrous? Put blame aside, let humor thrive, and dare to contemplate a larger question: What can America contribute to the world?
Would be quite interesting to see what people come up with, wouldn’t it? Last years theme was ‘Green Man’. So they are really in tune with what’s happening zeitgeist-wise. Some people also call it ‘the only sane place left in the US’…I personally guess/hope that there will be more and more of this all over.
burningman.com
The ANH is an a-political, non-ideological and plural initiative promoted in 2003 by ten founding members and presided by Deepak Chopra. Today, it is a group constituted by people from all over the world with a common goal in mind: to create and reinforce a more sustainable, pacific and empathic humanity.
www.anhglobal.org
From the 7th until the 9th of November the ANH organizes its first forum/conference in Barcelona. There will be a lot of high scale speakers and a lot of people interested in:
To create an alliance of people based on the awareness of humanity’s interconnectedness. We believe that if enough people share the value of peace, war can be brought to an end. If enough people shift their awareness toward social justice, human rights, and environmental sustainability, then injustice, oppression, and the destruction of the ecosystem can be stopped.
Such a shift is already occurring – now it needs critical mass, which in turn needs organisation. The Alliance aims to connect individuals, caring communities and groups at a global level.
Unity isn’t fought for and won. It is realized one person at a time.
www.anheurope.org
Potsdam, Germany, August 8-17, rerun in Berlin, September 1-8.
‘At the Globians Festival we like to know and show more about cultures of the world, which in our understanding is more than just an exhibition platform for ethnological films. The need for a global understanding of regional issues may give birth to a new type of individual lifestyle…’
This is an amazing, beautiful festival!!
Check it out:
www.globians.com, youtube
Die Baunetzwoche widmet Frischgrün 21 ein Special in der aktuellen Ausgabe. Hier gibt es den freien pdf-download.
In Berlin hat sich eine junge, selbstbewusste Landschaftsarchitektenzene entwickelt. Frisches Grün aus der Hauptstadt hat sich nicht nur überregional, sondern auch international zum Markenartikel entwickelt. Die Hintergründe und ein Vorgeschmack auf die Ausstellung „Frischgruen 21“
Die Eröffnung war schon am 5. aber heute startet das Rahmenprogramm (pdf). Besonders interessant finde ich die beiden Termine:
MO, 9. Juni, Prozesse Entwerfen. Landschaften und Freiräume können nicht abschließend entworfen werden. Ihre Konzeptionen müssen heute Interaktion, Erweiterbarkeit und Transformation ermöglichen. Ein Salongespräch auf der Suche nach Strategien und Lösungen zu offenen, veränderbaren, dynamischen und dennoch gestalteten Räumen.
DO, 12. Juni, Landschaftsarchitektur ist keine Kunst. Am Anfang steht die Behauptung, dass Landschafts- architektur eine eigenständige gestalterische Disziplin ist. Wodurch aber zeichnet sich „gute“ Landschaftsarchitektur aus? Zur Beantwortung dieser Frage sollen versuchsweise Erkenntnisse aus den Kognitionswissenschaften herangezogen und diskutiert werden.
Allerdings wundere ich mich ein wenig, kein einziges mal das Wort Nachhaltigkeit zu entdecken. Ist das Thema in der Gärtnerzunft etwa so selbstverständlich, dass man auf das medienwirksame buzzword in Presstexten verzichtet? Oder ist das womöglich gar kein Thema?
Und was sagt überhaupt die Permakultur-Fraktion dazu?
Via: Urbanophil
…is an Exhibition at Walker Art Centers again.
“An estimated 90% of the worlds population is without access to what many of us takefor granted. Clean water, adequate shelter, affordable transportation. Design For the Other 90% at Minneapolis Walker Arts Center showcases 30 products from designers and social activists hoping to create low cost options to everyday products. Some are as complex as the one laptop for every child program, others are as simple aswater filters. Shown here is the Global Village Shelter from Ferrara Design made from corrugated cardboard.
The exhibition is on view, free, until September”
For those who can’t visit Minneapolis – check out the online gallery!
via Selectism
