|
Overconsumption is Costing Us the Earth and Human Happiness |
|
by Celia Cole -- June 21, 2010 -- Consumption can be good, Annie Leonard says. "I don't want to be callous to the people who really do need more stuff". But consumerism is always bad, adding little to our wellbeing as well as being disastrous for the planet. "[It's] a particular strand of overconsumption, where we purchase things, not to fulfil our basic needs, but to fill some voids about our lives and make social statements about ourselves," she explains. (Full Article) |
|
The Progressive Politics of Happiness |
|
by John de Graaf -- June 10, 2010 -- The government of Bhutan measures nine domains that affect happiness: Psychological well-being or mental health; Physical health; Time or Work-life balance; Education; Cultural vitality and expression; Social connection and relationships; Environmental quality and access to nature; Quality of governance and Material well-being. (Full Article) |
|
Lighting the Way to a New Economy |
by David Korten -- May 31, 2010 --We seek within a generation, a global system of human-scale, interconnected Local Living Economies that function in harmony with local ecosystems, meet the basic needs of all people, support just and democratic societies, and foster joyful community life. (Full Article)
|
|
31 Ways to Jump Start the Local Economy |
by Sarah van Gelder -- May 7, 2010 -- How to make it with less, share more, and put people and the planet first -- at home, together with friends and in your community. (Full Article)
|
|
Nine Myths about Socialism in the US |
by Bill Quigley -- April 10, 2010 -- Glenn Beck and other far right multi-millionaires are claiming that the US is hot on the path towards socialism. Part of their claim is that the US is much more generous and supportive of our working and poor people than other countries. People may wish it was so, but it is not. (Full Article)
|
|
Earth 'Entering New Age of Geological Time' |
|
by Murray Wardrop -- March 27, 2010 -- Humans have wrought such vast and unprecedented changes on the planet that we may be ushering in a new period of geological history. The new epoch, called the Anthropocene – meaning new man – would be the first period of geological time shaped by the action of a single species. (Full Article)
|
|
The Unpersuadables: When Facts Are Not Enough |
|
by George Monbiot -- March 9, 2010 -- There is no simple way to battle public hostility to climate research. As the psychologists show, facts barely sway us anyway. (Full Article) |
|
Travel Smart and Live Smarter |
by Alex Woodson -- March 9, 2010 -- TravelSmart, developed by German sociologist Werner Börg, targets individual households through a letter from the Mayor or the State Minister and then a follow-up visit from a TravelSmart officer (who might arrive on a bike) bearing a package with information designed for the household’s specific needs. The households receive information on transit and walking in their city and why ecologically-friendly transportation is important. (Full Article)
|
|
Seeking a Consumer Culture Revolution |
by Matthew Berger -- Jan. 12, 2010 -- State of the World 2010 says we have a culture where people find meaning and contentment in what they consume, but this cultural orientation has had huge implications for society and the planet. We are acting under the heavy influence of cultural conventions that influence our behaviour by making things like fast food, air conditioning and suburban living feel increasingly "natural" and more difficult to imagine living without. (Full Article)
|
|
After This 60-year Feeding Frenzy, Earth Itself has Become Disposable |
|
by George Monbiot -- Jan. 4, 2010 -- GDP is a measure of economic activity, not standard of living. But the terms are confused so often that journalists now treat them as synonyms. The low retail sales of previous months were recently described by this paper as "bleak" and "gloomy". High sales are always "good news", low sales are always "bad news", even if the product on offer is farmyard porn. (Full Article) |
|
12 Innovations From the '00s That Could Save Us |
by Sarah van Gelder -- Jan. 1, 2010 -- People around the world turned away from ways of life and practices that are endangering our world and worked to make communities, work places, and technologies green and egalitarian. And peoples movements challenged the power of corporations, the military, and finance interests, insisting on putting people and the planet first. It's this combination of smart, local innovation and people power that offers hopeful possibilities for the '10s, '20s, and beyond. (Full Article)
|
|
The 5th International Gross National Happiness Conference |
|
by John de Graaf -- Dec. 2, 2009 -- Studies have found that beyond a certain minimum level of income, greater happiness comes from strong and plentiful human connections, a sense of control over one’s life and employment, meaningful work, good health, basic economic security, trust in others and in government, and other opportunities less directly connected with monetary remuneration. (Full Article) |
|
Sustainable Lifestyles 