Login

Consumerism

Are "More Jobs" Sustainable or Necessary in the Post-Peak Oil World?

Jan Lundberg, Culture Change

What was required for a growing economy, that was supposed to uplift all of modern humanity, is at root a false notion for the manipulated public: the overwhelming majority must work for others to enrich the few so that all of society benefits through unlimited expansion. This problematic profit-scheme is failing to hold up, what with general economic uncertainty on the rise (apart from “Hope”) and the advanced depletion of easily extracted, cheap oil.

archived March 11, 2010
	

The Story of Transition Tales

Simon Robinson, Transition Culture

This is the story of Transition Tales, a small group within Transition Town Totnes. One of the aims of this project is to raise awareness within Primary and Secondary School children of the transition solution of community led response to the twin challenges of Peak Oil and Climate Change by creating positive stories.

archived March 8, 2010
	

Forty Shades of… “Less Brown?”

Brian Czech, The Daly News

Various subjects compete for this week’s Daly News, coming on the heels of the Eastern Economic Association conference in Philadelphia. “Forty Shades of Green” comes to mind, with all that we hear these days about “greening” the economy. Green jobs, green technology, green sectors… even “green growth.”

archived March 8, 2010
	

Requiem for a dying city

Damien Perrotin, The View from Brittany

Unions, very much like the bulk of the population, are still trapped in this ideology of perpetual progress, yet cannot help noticing the continuous degradation of most people's living conditions. The result of this cognitive dissonance between the grandiose expectations of the ideology of progress and the bleak reality, is a curious combination of helplessness, despair and anger..

archived March 6, 2010
	

The last days of economic growth

Daniel Pargman, Life After Oil

Björn Forsberg writes about the fundamental and unavoidable conflict between the environment and the (growth-based) economy in "The last days of economic growth: Green clash over worldviews" (2007). His basic tenet is simple - it is impossible to win legitimacy for any measures that threaten economic growth, are financially burdensome, require sacrifices or are perceived as troublesome for the individual.

archived March 3, 2010
	

Economics - Mar 2

Staff, Energy Bulletin

-Consumerism 'doomed', investment forum told
-A Titanic Budget in an Ocean of Icebergs
-Growth and Consumerism: Nature or Nurture?

archived March 2, 2010
	

Tim Kasser on Consumerism, Psychology, Transition and Resilience. Part Two

Rob Hopkins, Transition Culture

Here is Part Two of an interview I did with Tim Kasser a couple of weeks ago while he was at Schumacher College. He is a psychologist, author of the seminal High Price of Materialism, as well as other useful writings such as a great chapter in the State of the World Report 2009 about consumerism and climate change. The interview raises some fascinating areas for research and thoughts about Transition and psychology, and I think you’re going to enjoy this one….

archived March 1, 2010
	

Efficiency and resilience: after Jevons paradox, the Piggy Principle

Marco Bertoli, The Oil Drum

The Piggy Principle and the Jevons paradox lead us to the conclusion that energy efficiency issues are extremely sensitive. The simplistic solutions based on technology changes ALONE can prove to be a real boomerang.

archived February 27, 2010
	

Economics, civil unrest, and more reasons for banking disgust - Feb 25

Staff, Energy Bulletin

-Rehearsals for a Civil War
-Athens: The First Domino?
-Our world balances on a sea of debt
-Joseph Stiglitz: Bankers Made Reckless Bets on the Economy, Knowing Taxpayers Were Going to Pick up the Tab
-Finger on the Scale
-Secret AIG Document Shows Goldman Sachs Minted Most Toxic CDOs

archived February 25, 2010
	

Toward the Collapse: Growth-Economy = Climate Disaster (interview with Keith Farnish)

Alex Smith, Radio Eco-shock

...The Culture of Maximum Harm tries to achieve its journey by taking as much as it possibly can, and by doing as much damage as it possibly can. And the reason it does this is because it has one primary goal, which is achieve continuous growth – and that’s economic growth, in terms of the word “growth” – and economic growth cannot be sustainable. So, this culture, which I believe is unique in human history, is doing something that is uniquely destructive. In other words, it is the Culture of Maximum Harm – it is the most harmful way that humans can exist.

archived February 25, 2010
	

Tim Kasser on Consumerism, Psychology, Transition and Resilience. Part One

Rob Hopkins, Transition Culture

Here is the first part (Part Two to follow tomorrow) of an interview I did with Tim Kasser a couple of weeks ago while he was at Schumacher College. He is a psychologist, author of the seminal High Price of Materialism, as well as other useful writings such as a great chapter in the State of the World Report 2009 about consumerism and climate change. The interview raises some fascinating areas for research and thoughts about Transition and psychology, and I think you’re going to enjoy this one….

archived February 25, 2010
	

Revisiting Slow Clothing

Sharon Astyk, Casaubon's Book

Since this fashion week, despite its sponsorship by the Mercedes Benz company, is supposed to be "green" people want to know what I think of the green fashion movement. And the answer to that is that I think it is all very interesting, and I'm delighted that people are trying to deal with the enormous impact of our clothing - and that reminds me to go hit my local Goodwill for some more second-hand t shirts to go with my sweats. Meanwhile, here's a lightly revised version of the original article which appeared first at Groovy Green Magazine in 2006.

archived February 24, 2010
	

Transition - Feb 21

Staff, Energy Bulletin

- Diversity
- Solidarity
- A former urbanite puts down green roots
- The easy pleasures of a simplified living space

archived February 21, 2010
	

Viral collapse

Guy R. McPherson, Nature Bats Last

At this juncture in the industrial age, we have two tired, one-armed lifeguards and a handful of victims. All eyes are on Greece -- fittingly, the birthplace of western civilization -- but Greece, which naturally turned to Goldman Sachs to try to hide its debt, is one tiny canary in a coal mine the size of Earth.

archived February 15, 2010
	

Products and services for the permanently unemployed consumer

Dmitry Orlov, ClubOrlov

As a matter of public policy, it would make perfect sense to provide seed money for what is bound to become a new high-growth industry segment: serving the needs of the permanently unemployed.

archived February 13, 2010