The Right Way to Flourish

This story, Greening the Coffee Capsule, doesn’t work for me. It’s a little like the ads touting “green luxury.”

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Summer has finally come to Maine at least for a few days. I will try to enjoy it while it lasts. The forecasts are showing more rain and overcast skies. Family and friends will be arriving over the next few weeks. I’ll be posting articles I find interesting and relate to sustainability in some way without much comment of my own. I have been following the writer of this piece, Umair Haque, for a while. While we are of different generations, I resonate with his thoughts. It must be quite a stretch for the Harvard Business Press to maintain his… Read More

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Every so often, you read something that everyone should read. Paul Hawken gave this year’s commencement address to the graduating class at the University of Portland. Here’s the [link](http://www.up.edu/commencement/default.aspx?cid=9456). Every paragraph is memorable, but this one gives the flavor od the whole speech. > When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor,… Read More

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I am a new subscriber to [Orion Magazine](http://www.orionmagazine.org/) after reading selected articles for some time. Their move to offer a web-based edition eliminated my last reason to avoid more paper coming in the mail. I can’t think of a better way to discover and read well-written articles evoking both the dreadful state of the world and powerful ways to change the situation. This is not a place for those whose approach to sustainability is to green everything. The current issue, July/August 2009, has a number of articles worth reading. I have already just [posted an entry](mailto:http://www.johnehrenfeld.com/2009/07/can-individual-actions-create.html#comments) about an article questioning… Read More

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Derrick Jensen (I apologize for the earlier misidentification of the author), [writing in Orion Magazine](http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/4801/), doesn’t think so, or, more accurately, he thinks only conscious acts of political opposition can work. I agree in part. Unsustainability is fundamentally a result of failure to understand the world social-economic system and to act solely to solve an apparent problem in a miniscule part of it. Individual acts to reduce their impact on the environment do help in the short run, but fail to address the parts of the system responsible for its failings. System dynamicists call this pattern, “shifting-the-burden.” > WOULD ANY… Read More

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As I have been doing periodically, I am linking today’s David Brooks New York Times column to my definition of sustainability as flourishing. Brooks writes today of the disappearance of dignified behavior from the public sphere, citing three recent events: the revelation of Governor Mark Sanford’s dallying, Sarah Palin’s resignation, and the buzz around Michael Jackson’s death. Comparing today’s public behavior to George Washington’s standards, Brooks mourns the loss. > But the dignity code itself has been completely obliterated. The rules that guided Washington and generations of people after him are simply gone. > > We can all list the… Read More

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I have posted my [keynote talk](http://www.johnehrenfeld.com/Lisbon%20talk%3Ass.pdf) to the [International Society for Industrial Ecology](http://www.is4ie.org) on my Other Writings page. It interlaces themes of sustainability and industrial ecology. The slides I used with the talk are also [posted here](http://www.johnehrenfeld.com/Lisbon%20slides.9pp.pdf). The venue was the Fifth Biennial International Conference of the Society, held in Lisbon in June, 2009. I used the occasion to announce my retirement as the Executive Director, a post I have held since the Society was founded in 2000.

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Today is July Fourth, Independence Day in these United States. After days of rain, the sun has appropriately broken through.Today is a day of celebration with parades and fireworks, but it is also a day to reflect. After all, it is a day to remember what the Founding Fathers said in the Declaration of Independence. The Preamble begins with these ringing words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I wonder if… Read More

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The phrase, “think globally, act locally,” has been used by many proponents of environmentalism since the 1970’s. Attributed variously to David Brower, Rene Dubos and others, it was a rallying cry to consider the whole Earth when acting in one’s own milieu. With the growth of the global economy, it has become very difficult to follow this advice. A large proportion of the goods of all kinds, including food, found in retail outlets comes from long distances. Virtually all consumer electronics come from abroad. Estimates of the average distance ([food miles](http://www.ecomii.com/ecopedia/food-miles)) travelled in the US range from 1500-2000 miles. Whether… Read More

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Matt May’s “In Pursuit of Elegance” blog is one I check regularly. The [latest entry](http://www.inpursuitofelegance.com/post/2009/07/01/Reward-Creativitys-Forbidden-Fruit.aspx) is terrific. It’s about learning and how ideas should be rewarded. His view will probably surprise you. > The story repeats itself all the time. Companies treat employees like a rat in a maze after cheese, by paying for approved ideas and accepted suggestions. They then wonder why they get such low participation. They give no thought to the notion that in order to get a good idea, you need a lot of ideas. > > Teachers at my daughter’s school are notorious for the… Read More

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