Some June/July announcements (in no particular order):

1) Check out the latest Idealog Magazine for two articles from us: one on permaculture in business and another on the stunning New Zealand film This Way of Life.

2) The latest Forward Thinking Thursdays event held on the 25th of June was another success!  See you at the next one on the 30th of July at Mezze Bar.

3) For the month of July we'll be overseas attending the 15th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference in Utrecht, Netherlands.  We'll also be exploring cultures in Eastern Europe, as well as checking out an organic farm and landfill-cum-wildlife sanctuary in Singapore.  Sound interesting?  Stay tuned!

According to Peter Senge (from Environmental Leader):

Using the term “sustainability” does not spur society on to an ultimately better solution. Rather, it is a “negative vision,” said MIT Sloan’s Peter Senge, founder of the Society for Organizational Learning.

“It’s just a bad word. It’s technically what we would call a ‘negative vision,’” said Senge, in an interview at MIT Sloan Management Review.

To Senge, Senior Lecturer in Behavioral and Policy Sciences at the MIT Sloan School of Management, sustainability is about recognizing that global commerce tends to put most of the wealth in few hands, with devastating results in consumption patterns and resulting environmental and societal damage.

“We don’t want the unsustainable, we don’t want civilization to collapse, we don’t want the human species to fail. Well, of course we don’t want that, but those images don’t move people. ‘Survival’ is not the most inspiring vision. It motivates out of fear, but it only motivates for as long as people feel the issues are pressing on them. Soon as the fear recedes, so does the motivation,” he told MIT Sloan Management Review.

Instead of considering sustainability, society must look at reinventing its way of living, because population growth and commerce will render today’s version of sustainability unsustainable. He said a preferred term may be “All about the future.”

Senge has noticed a trend of companies going from being “less bad” to “more good,” the interview notes.

I've been reading John Thackara's "In the Bubble" book lately (it is an amazing read BTW).  It discusses many design considerations in society, and among them, issues of speed and growth.  Luckily, I also came across two really thought provoking articles online that also help round out new visions of how economies and businesses can function in the years ahead... and it's far from the gloom and doom you'd expect. 

First, check out this article by Herman E. Daly that was featured on The Oil Drum.  He naturally has to spend some time describing what's going wrong in our economic system, but then presents some really worthwhile solutions for how we can make some essential reforms.  It's a long article, but well worth the read and gives a brilliant "macro view" of the world economic system.

On the micro side, I came across this article on Treehugger by a business consultant.  He identifies how many "slow movements" (e.g. slow food, slow travel) are now making some people consider if one of the next "slow" pertains to business.  He describes slow business as follows:

• Who you are matters. Work should be a meaningful expression of individuals. And any job description that doesn't allow this should be rewritten.
• The rest of your life matters. When people bring their Blackberries everywhere and work until 10pm, it creates the sense that work is the most important aspect of our lives. When you slow down, you enable others to do the same.
• Relationships matter. Being businesslike doesn't mean being less human. Let's acknowledge work is a part of life and start savoring the opportunities we have to develop real friendships (beyond small talk).
• Joy matters. It's 2009, we're supposed to be evolving. Why should any humans be expected to spend large amounts of time not enjoying themselves?
• Love matters (i.e., let's stop letting money drive our experiences as human beings) Work is more than a means to an end -- it is part of how we relate to our lives. That's why it means something to buy a hammer at a neighborhood hardware store that's staffed by people who love fixing things. The only reason businesses that don't create their own products or provide their services with love survive, is by being cheaper.
• The planet matters. It's absurd that people acknowledge environmental threats like global warming as being real, then oppose remedies to fix them as being "too expensive." What the heck are we going to do with all our money come Armageddon? 

Seems like some pretty worthwhile insight.  I 

mean, if you're not in business to enjoy yourself, enjoy the people you work with, and not look after the world that gives you the opportunity for commerce to begin with, what is the point really?

Richard Heinberg, author of "The Party's Over" and "Peak Everything" has a really worthwhile newsletter I'd suggest subscribing to.  This month, he (surprisingly!) offers a lot of good news.  On the list:

World energy consumption is declining.

CO₂ emissions are falling.

Consumption of goods is falling.

Globalization is in reverse (global trade is shrinking).

The number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is falling.

There are fewer cars on the road.

The world’s over-leveraged, debt-based financial system is failing.

Gardening is going gonzo.

While many of these factors are due to recession, the positive side is that we're getting the opportunity to reconsider so many of the structures we have in our way of life, and have the opportunity to change them for the better.  Take a moment to check out the rest of what Richard has to say. 

As humans, we have a tendency to try and take a simplistic view of big issues like climate change.  There is no one fuel, one technology, or one fix that is going to get us out of this one.  The good news is: there are lots of solutions that can get us out of this mess, and many of them readily available today. 

Technology, while not a cure all that many proport it to be, certainly is part of the equation.  For someone coming to learn more about the climate change technology, it might seem daunting to learn all about the different approaches we can take. 

Well, thankfully the people at the Pew Center for Global Climate Change have come up with a helpful online guide called "Climate Techbook". It breaks down the different technologies available by industry sector, and discusses how each plays a part in reducing or eliminating greenhouse gas emissions.  It gives in depth information, but in layman's terms.  Whether you're planning policy or a term paper, this will be a cool resource to check out!

Details here for anyone interested.