7gen Bloc

I couldn't agree with you more. As an MBA applicant who is looking to do a dual degree in environment and business, I've been noting in my application my concern around the steep learning curve there is in order to become a conscientious consumer. How is Joe Sixpack supposed to now why organic cotton is better than regular cotton or what low VOC paint is? When does he have the time to learn about these things between fixing toilets, campaigning for politicians and not paying his taxes!

But in all seriousness, I am hoping to study how companies can get the mass market educated on positive consumption habits that are in the best interest of both the consumer and the planet. The 1000 lbs guerilla in the room that no one wants to talk about, is that we all need to consume less in order to keep this planet alive. But what will that do to our economy?

Thanks for this post. I am new to this blog but will continue to read!

I believe many people want to make positive change and know something is very wrong with our current system, but how do we change it, and how do we change it collectively, because let's face it we do. I live in Canada, where the government has literally had it's hands tied to some degree, because the Bush government was not willing to cooperate on any form of climate change regulation, now that Obama is in, it seems things are starting to change up here, I just hope we can get rid of this Conservative government soon, but we just spent 300 million on an election which pretty much resulted in the same scenario.

Business needs to be legally obligated to the triple-bottom line, and green-washing should be regulated as well, and it's not that I'm all about regulation, but for the time being this is how it has to be so we can make business change for the better and re-education people about as you say to inspire people to reframe life's purpose.

So personally I don't believe we have to be fearful of this "devil" if you will, it's time to stop the fear-mongering, that's also a big part of this whole problem, people here the word recession and the fear sets in and whether they have less more now or not, they stop and the recession is worse. This system were in is it's own worse enemy. One of the many reasons we need to change NOW!!

I completely agree with all. Countless articles, books and blogs urge us all to make a huge collective change, warn the paradigm shift is coming. The consciousness of all is changing-but how?
I've committed myself to volunteering with a small non-profit organization who's vision is to create a revolutionary kind of community; on that I believe will bring about this new world order! It's actually a bit retro and yet visionary!
Alpha Omega Miracle Home is creating intentional communities of orphans, single mothers, pregnant teens, and seniors. These communities not only offer affordable housing, but will include housing for homeless. Our first campus is scheduled to be fully complete by 2015. This campus will be designed to be "green". Everyone who lives there will be welcome to participate in lectures, seminars and open forums on "green" matters. There will be community gardens, as well as community kitchens to encourage conservation through sharing. It is my hope that the intergenerational community exchange that will occur in these communities will bring momentum to the coming, and much needed, paradigm shift and AOMH will be able to launch these communities across the nation and the world.
Pretty cool, huh?
This issue brings into sharp focus the need for all people to find a common base from which to commune, in order to preserve all or none in times to come. Perhaps we will be properly motivated to rediscover our brotherhood!

What's needed are simply more people, who are convinced of one thing or another that needs to be solved and are doing their all to solve it.

Working together always helps, because we can get more done that way. But what you seem to be saying is that you think people aren't working on the right things, and you want them to work on the right ones. But how do you propose to make them do that? And even if you could -- such as by passing legislation -- why on earth would you want to?

Maybe what would be best would be if we actively reached out to other people and agreed to set aside our differences, in order to work together on what is important to us. Maybe we could even continue to disagree about other things, and yet still work together on the areas in which we agree.

My personal belief is that all this doing isnt ging to make any huge fundamental shifs. People are stressed out, trying to make ends meat, save their communities, join communities, buy this, buy that. JUST STOP. For once, you dont need any more anything to get you anywhere. Sit a breath and take notice of your surroundings and start relaxing. were all going to die one day and you will look back on your life and wonder if you slowed down enough to really love the people around you. Did you love the food you ate today? did you smile at the stranger? did you let someone pull out in front of you when you were driving just to be kind? Im not talking about totally vegging out, but people need to really start paying attention to where they are in the moment. More organizations? UGGGG more structure??? for just a moment pretend this life~world is purfect and see how you feel. Now take that feeling out into the world. Stop trying to change crap and crap will stop needing to be changed.

In this world where everything is controlled by private companies, the sad truth is that advertising has become bigger than individuals. No matter what we try to do in small groups, information we try to spread to our families and friends, or people we try to rally, the fact remains that the companies who are able to spread the most information (whether factual or not), seem to have the largest number of blind followers.

Not only are so many companies doing harm to the earth and humanity, but they are spreading propaganda about why what they do is actually safe, earth-friendly, etc, when it actually isn't. So how do we compete against that? It takes convincing people that most companies are not serving their best interest, which a lot of people don't believe for some reason.

So what are we to do? I believe all we can do at this point to to convince the companies that they MUST start doing what is right for humanity and the earth as a whole, or we won't be around much longer.

Our lifestyle is based on consumption, yes, but any organism "needs" basic things to survive. The problem with humans is that we've let petoleum guide our consumption. Petroleum has allowed us to live like kings. It has allowed our technology to explode exponentially. It has globalized everything. We have cheap food, clothes, transporatation, and exotic goods. It would take 50 people on bicycles, day and night to create the energy to support the lifestyle of an average American (The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience by Rob Hopkins- Great book.)
Petroleum has also amplified the power of corporations. Corporations (generalized) pretty much control the planet right now and they are only going to do things that are to their benefit. They do not look for long term consequence or the health of this planet. They see extremely short term profit at almost any cost that doesn't directly affect them. And we all know how much they influence our politicians.
We have bought into the idea that corporations are good for our economy/society. (What about the jobs, man!) We have aided and abetted the rape of our planet, in part because we benefit with ipods, computers, and cool cars.
Trying to convince the average consumer that we can't live like this indefinitely is impossible. Yes, I've tried to talk to people, but no one wants to hear it. Everyone is afraid of losing the lifestyle. Morbidly afraid. And that is what we are facing. Like or not, fossil fuels will not support us much longer. Globalized anything will be a moot point.
While we have the "energy" we must move forward. It is imperative we move now. Time is out.
We must localize communities, economies, food production, and smaller scale industry. All must be fortified with renewable energy sources, and lower energy dependent transportation, housing and appliances.
Be a voice at your local city council meeting, attend other meetings, start a movement, get to know your neighbors. Write to your officials, constantly. Without pressure, they will do nothing. As time goes by, we will lose whatever power we have left from petroleum use to make the transition less painful.
And cfl's aren't going to save us, a bunch of bandaids won't help an amputated limb( And they have mercury in them, a neurotoxin as does the flu shot, think LED instead).
Its time we take the fantastic possibilities of the future in our hands, this is our watch.

Here's a great quote from Speth's book:

"When the crisis occurs, the actions taken depend on the ideas lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies and to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable."

Our actions, no matter how small, may lead to great things.

Van Jones book, The Green Collar Economy, ties the green revolution with jobs for the poor, raising them out of poverty and greening our world at the same time. It can be done. Obama is poised to start this revolution. He needs our support. Write him and all your elected representatives, telling them the time is now to invest in the green revolution and not in bailing out big business.

GJ

We all need to develop "metta", Metta or loving kindness, a universal love, respect and concern for the happiness and peace of all living things. And we need to send our metta to ourselves and then to all beings including people and animals we fear and don't like. Everyone is worthy. Keep deepening your metta. A universal love given equally to all including our home organism, Earth. Love to the trees. Love to the seas. Love to the bees. Love to the "me"s. And give Vipassana Meditation (S.N. Goenka) a trial too. It's the work of purifying the mind of all it's negativities. And then there's the rain forest....

I think, i know how you feel, Jeffrey. I give to the Sierra Club, NRDC. Greenpeace, etc. etc. And sometimes it just seems too little, too late. And like someone wrote of this blog, we're all going to die sometime, so just make best use of what time is remaining to love all and keep on purifying the mind. Love to you today. donM

It’s good when authors end their pieces with a question as Jeff did. Makes your juices flow...

So, "what can we do?"

In my humble opinion, the first thing we can do is to stop pretending that there are millions of organizations consisting of hundreds of millions of people that actively work towards the change we need. The actual numbers are vastly smaller, since most "activist" organizations consist of just a few self-selected functionaries pretending to lead either non-existent or largely passive membership base (regular recipients of semi-hysterical e-mails from ACLU headquarters may recognize this model.)

To save the human race we need action not just by a few bleeding hearts but by all six billion of us, and fast. The InspiredReader above singled the core of the problem: how do you make normal people, Joe Six-packs, to act and hopefully think without using Weapons of Mass Mobilization like charismatic leaders who almost inevitably lead us into another ditch of history (think of Castro, Khomeini, Mussolini, etc.)

Here are three options I see (although there might be more out there):

1) Voluntary campaigns of "informing" and "educating people sometimes work, but even when they do, they work painfully slowly and precociously. Shove too much "information" down the people's throats, and it'll come across as manipulation which will provoke a backlash: you just saw me sneering at ACLU "educators", didn't you?

2) Forcing people through government action works faster. Indeed, Singapore quickly became a livable place through massive use of bureaucratic compulsion and red tape. But the process is still quite slow, plus few would willingly submit themselves to its unpleasant side-effects.

3) A better way is to make it interesting for people to be responsible, both individually and collectively. I believe somewhere on this blog I wrote about the concept, so I won't repeat myself, but here is the gist: most people are either busy or bored or both; we can make it truly interesting and profitable for them to be involved in workplace- and neighborhood-based responsible democracies (key word - responsible) using immediate self-interest (sometimes known as greed) as motivating factor. Indeed, have you thought what would happen if every day you would explicitly profit - emotionally, intellectually and, yes, materially - from your participation in the network of small responsible democracies that was spread across the country and around the world? Curiously, not long ago Jeff commented on the article by Traci Fenton of World Blue who promotes similar types of democracies in the workplace. I am not sure if she and other advocates of workplace democracy know how to sweep the world off its feet with this organizational concept (which is surprisingly easy), but at least they are trying.

I hope that people smart enough to ask global questions will look into the potential of workplace/neighborhood democracies as infectious cure from what is ailing us. Hence my parting question: what do YOU know about responsible democracies? And please, don't confuse them with irresponsible political democracies that let us down much too often...

Andrei Vorobiev