What’s So Unexciting about Being “Sustainable”? Consider the Alternative
One of my colleagues and associates, Roberta Fernandez (ISIS Academy USA), started an excellent discussion thread on ISSP/LinkedIn about the meaning of the word sustainability. It drew a lot of comments, as people proposed alternative “brandings” for sustainability and spoke for or against their favorite alternatives, such “Balanced Living” or “BaLi” for short (!). At … Read more
NEW: How I Created (Not) a UN Campaign
This article is about how I became obsessed with trying to create, or catalyze into being, an international campaign to dramatically increase renewable energy investment in the developing world — and why I now feel ready to let go of that obsession. The short version is this: The campaign is happening, and the UN is … Read more
Reflecting on Life, Sustainability, and Star Trek
How different would my life be if I had never seen Star Trek? The question occurred to me because recently — in a fit of nostalgia, or out of a simple desire to have something to watch on the TV at 11 pm, when I’m too tired to read, and not quite sleepy enough to … Read more
Labeling Sustainability: Is Certification Working?
The answer from this small seminar group of world experts on assessing the impact of sustainability standards — gathered by IVL, IISD, RFF and others to review the work of a big international research program called Entwined — is a qualified yes. The “Yes” is interesting (and thanks to Erika Svensson of IVL for inviting … Read more
Blogging from Balaton, Part 2: “Worth It”
Blogging at Balaton is always difficult. First, what is “Balaton”? I am referring to the annual meeting of the Balaton Group, a uniquely small annual gathering of sustainability researchers and networkers. We keep the meeting size to around 50, which creates intellectual critical mass and allows for fabulous diversity — over 30 countries, just as … Read more
Success, Failure, and Sustainable Development
I attending the 30th Balaton Group Meeting … and we are off to a roaring start. Big topics, big questions. What is a successful society? What is a failed state? What does sustainability have to do with all that? I’ve already tweeted a range of quotes from Dennis Meadows, who was typically provocative, realistic (if … Read more
How to Keep Doing Sustainability in an Absurd World
A professional colleague of mine recently resigned from the sustainability movement. Seriously ill from years of overwork, and despairing of the movement’s chances for success, this person had no choice but to quit. Trying to change the world’s destructive energy technologies, protect the rights of future generations to enjoy functioning ecosystems, and/or save the world … Read more
The Summertalker’s Moment of Revelation
In this country of traditions, which has captured my heart and caused me to set down roots as deep as a modern human can have (family with children, house, bank accounts, taxes, habits of behavior and mind), there is a tradition that is quite modern, as recent as radio. “Summertalkers” is not a beautiful word, … Read more
Blogging, Tweeting, Booking Face – Results & Survey
For the last month, I’ve done my best to write publicly (on the internet) about my professional life, with a personal voice, as often as I possibly could. “Daily” was the original ambition. It became “often” instead. What did I learn? Should I continue, with the same frequency? You know, that’s really up to you … Read more
What I loved about S. Korea
The shock of the car accident I had in Seoul (see previous post), and the more ordinary shock of being in a new country, have settled down a bit now, and I find myself thinking more and more about the week I spent in S. Korea. What am I thinking about? Not the car accident. … Read more
