Scanning the horizon

Some things I noticed this week...

Totnes Renewable Energy Society

I love the honesty in this article - but isn't this normal? We're simply learning how to do stuff an abundant energy society has allowed us to forget.. how to get along.

Nothing sets me off more than people who portray Transition town folk as a bunch of happy clappy, ‘we just vision it and it will happen’ eco activists. Last night’s EGM of TRESOC was a delightful, difficult, heart warming, and frustrating exploration of unknown territory; raw Transition in Action. It was a good example of what happens when a project moves from the great idea phase into real decision involving, in this case, significant sums of money, within a community. Suddenly emotions run high, and fragile relationships can become frayed. Although last night I think we emerged intact, more or less. It is what happens when a community expresses it’s will grounded in a positive vision- amazing things can happen. Read more...

Pure Advantage: New Zealand's new "Green growth" network

When business people come together to talk about what we need to change, it's a step in the right direction. Even if the end vision or approach doesn't entirely resonate with me, I'm happy to give them the thumbs up.

New Zealand was ranked 1st (out of 146 countries) by the 2006 Environmental Performance Index (EPI). In subsequent years we’ve slipped down the rankings to 7th (2008), then to 15th (2010). At the same time New Zealand was ranked amongst the 10 worst countries in the world in terms of its ‘environmental footprint.’(WWF-2006). The lie of our clean green myth is being exposed in the media both here and abroad (see NZ Herald: The dying myth of a clean, green Aotearoa) Read more...

Chaos, Transition and Opportunity

Here are some personal reflections on my recent trip to Dunedin and how to get the most out of the web.

Don Tapscott succinctly suggests that “This is not an economic downturn, but a turning point”. This makes sense when looking at the big picture of how energy production (particularly oil) and the economy are tightly linked. Since we past the peak of global oil production in 2006, according to the International Energy Agency, it’s logical that we will see a failure of the growth economy, as all the past debt (which the growth economy was conveniently taking care of) catches up to us. Are we in a period of increasing unpredictability, the present being a taste of things to come? Does this chaos provide an opportunity to be part of shaping the future, being a co-creator of the desired and plausible future? I believe we are. I also suggest that at the same time, we have a basket full of solutions, of a kind that will generate more and more. Read more...

Splashroom videos

Pick any of these inspirational stories, and be touched and uplifted by the powerful intentions, actions and visions of New Zealand's young people.

"Tena koutou katoa, Ko Hori Barsdell toku ingoa, He uri ahau no Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Te Whakatohea, Ngati Awa me Nga i Te Rangi. Ko Mataatua te waka. http://vimeo.com/25390172

We need to better the environmental health of Aotearoa. I realise the economy is important but at the end of the day you can't eat money and you can't drink oil." This is one film from a collection coming out of a project called Inspiring Stories – any one can get involved – www.inspiringstories.org.nz Watch the videos...

I'm also posting on my Facebook page with some regularity, in case you wanted to swing by there.