By Jim Selman | Bio
Jerry Mander is a kind of technology prophet.
As an ex-advertising guru he ‘got religion’ and in 1977 began to herald
the dangers of technology in Four
Arguments for the Elimination of Television. In his 1992 book, In
the Absence of the Sacred, he shows how the introduction of
technology takes on a life of its own and leads to untended
consequences—from potential environmental disasters and economic
upheaval to unlawful and inhumane control and manipulation of others. He
also asserts that, while new technologies can be extremely positive, at
least initially they almost always have a strong negative impact as
well. Mander’s prognosis is gloomy—with consequences ranging from
environmental degradation (such as climate change and catastrophic oil
spills), quality of life issues (such as permanent gridlock in traffic
and increased pressure to respond faster), the assault of media overload
on our consciousness, the growing threat of ‘super bugs’ on our health,
or long-term threats to civilization from uncontained nuclear waste or
some as yet unnamed cyber virus. He says, "Technological evolution is
leading to something new: a worldwide, interlocked, monolithic,
technical-political web of unprecedented negative proportions."[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action
Tagged with:
creating_life
environment
gulf_of_mexico_oil_spill
jerry_mander
technology
The National Coalition of Organizations has declared February 1-5,
2010 to be Clean Energy Week, as organizations from across the U.S.
hold a variety of events to encourage and support the passage of clean
energy and climate policies now pending in Congress. The objective is
to engage the Administration and Congress in taking action on the top
environmental and economic priorities of the American people:
- Climate
solutions
- Renewable energy
- Energy efficiency.
Check out the wide range of activities taking place on Capitol Hill and across Washington,
DC to bring attention to the policies needed for a clean energy economy.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at News
Tagged with:
clean_energy_week
climate_change
environment
renewable_energy
 By Lauren Selman | Bio
Do you want to get lean while
staying green? Whether you're a runner, a competitive cyclist, a
recreational yogi or a vacation skier, there might be a more
sustainable way for you to exercise. Recently, I was inspired by LuluLemon’s blog posts considering not only what we wear on our bodies but also how
we wear our clothing. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Health
Tagged with:
cycling
environment
exercise
olympics
run
sustainable
yoga
 By Lauren Selman | Bio
“Sarah…just saw Avatar, it was great!” “Mark…wants you to see Avatar!”
The facebook status updates of my friends keep pouring in. Not
interested in another blockbuster blow-em-up movie, I looked to my
various communities to see what people think and sure enough the
reviews are there too. Young and old, Democrat or Republican,
Eco-Conscious and Eco-Hating, the status updates had a clear message,
to see Avatar. Okay, fine! I’ll see it. I had been told it was an “environmental
justice” movie while other friends described the movie as a work of
“art,” so I didn’t know what I was in for.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action
Tagged with:
activism
avatar
environment
fiction
movie
storytelling
 By Shae Hadden | Bio
Perhaps as a reaction to the annual peak of
consumerism (the pre and post-Christmas holiday season sales), I’m
thinking these days of ways of alternative non-material gifts for my
friends. What comes to mind are the types of things we, in our
technology-driven world, may be taking for granted as everyday
conveniences. Yet, in many parts of the world, these are considered
luxuries. It’s easy enough now to[ Read More]
Written by eldering at The Great Turning
Tagged with:
consumerism
creative_commons_licence
environment
gift
 By Rick Fullerton | Bio
While I don’t have any quick fixes to offer, here are a few ideas that may have potential:
1. As within, so without. All change begins with me.
Recognize that who we are and what we stand for is the starting
point for all significant change. Looking inside ourselves to clarify
what is important is an essential step. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action
Tagged with:
commitment
copenhagen
environment
intergenerational_conversations
post-kyoto
responsibility
sustainable_future
 By Rick Fullerton | Bio
I continue to
be struck by the environmental challenges facing planet earth. With
signs of increasing public awareness about the deepening climate
crisis, it is gratifying to sense a noticeable shift taking place in my
own and others’ behaviour. For instance, I see more and more people
supporting recycling programs, choosing Energy Star appliances, and
driving fuel efficient cars. And we change our light bulbs! Yet is it
enough?[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action
Tagged with:
al_gore
an_inconvenient_truth
carbon_dioxide
david_suzuki
environment
learning
By Shae Hadden
According to Dr. David Suzuki, “it is not
progress to use up the rightful legacy of our children and
grandchildren.” He opened the first Elders and the Environment Forum
on Monday in Vancouver, Canada with a keynote address that focused on
the role of elders in the environmental movement and how we can make a
difference:[ Read More]
Written by eldering at News
Tagged with:
david_suzuki
elders
environment
future
generations
relationship
By Jim Selman | Bio
The conventional wisdom in Alcoholics
Anonymous is that alcoholism is a ‘disease’ of the
ego—self-centeredness. Basically the alcoholic becomes trapped in his
or her own point of view and denies any other perspective on ‘reality’.
The alcohol is a symptom of a loss of control and choice—a condition of
cognitive blindness and a self-destructive pattern of behavior. I have
distinguished that culture works the same way. That is, the ego is to
the individual what culture is to an organization or society—a
self-referential structure of interpretation (a worldview) that blinds
us to possibilities, robs us of any semblance of choice, and eventually
results in some form of ‘hitting bottom’. The belief in AA is that no
one really ‘gets it’ and does what needs to be done to sober up until
this happens. The only question is where is the bottom?[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action
Tagged with:
action
aging_population
david_korten
economy
environment
wisdom
 By Shae Hadden | Bio
Today is the day after the Canadian federal elections. It's also
Blog Action Day on Poverty. Admittedly, poverty is an important issue,
and so are politics. But there is an intractable problem we all face
that is the context for poverty, economics and politics. And that
is the environment. Our elected leaders in Canada and the U.S. will not
only set the course for
North American environmental and economic policies for the next few
years, but will also impact our long-term future as well. And we all
(developed and developing countries alike) need to transition to
clean energy economies if we want to avert global disaster. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Leadership
Tagged with:
economics
election
environment
politics
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