Area Man Unsustainable, Experts Warn

Some very important news from the Onion that is right on target: “WASHINGTON—Unless immediate measures are taken, the delicate balance of local claims adjuster Doug Mahoney, 39, could soon collapse, an international panel of leading conservationists warned Monday. “Decades of irresponsible consumption, as well as the plundering of vital emotional resources have reduced this once-thriving [...]

Consumers Hold On to Products Longer

Love this. Why, though, must these changes in the way we live always seem to come around in a time of crisis? Should this not be the status quo? And must we always be perceived as “consumers”? From an ecological standpoint we may be consumers, but of what? Food? And from an ecological stand point [...]

Is There an Ecological Unconscious?

“About eight years ago, Glenn Albrecht began receiving frantic calls from residents of the Upper Hunter Valley, a 6,000-square-mile region in southeastern Australia. For generations the Upper Hunter was known as the “Tuscany of the South” — an oasis of alfalfa fields, dairy farms and lush English-style shires on a notoriously hot, parched continent. “The [...]

Koinonia PDC Winds Down: Permaculture Stamped in Brick and Passing Clouds

The students are in their design phase. We visited the Habitat for Humanity Global Village site yesterday and discovered a brick for the 2009 Koinonia PDC. We had a huge rain event the night before and the clouds that remained reminded me that even these stunning, patterned forms and shapes must past. So as we [...]

Larry McAuliffe’s Place, William Catton and Our Addiction to the Technological Fix

Bill Wilson and I visited our student Larry McAuliffe’s place in Battle Creek, yesterday. If you recall, Larry is an engineer who lost his job a few years back and has transformed his place into his livelihood. A family of six, they are living on less than $8000.00 a year and living well. They are [...]