Star Stuff Connectedness : a video excerpt

An extraterrestrial visitor examining the difference among human societies would find those differences trivial compared to the similarities. Our lives, our past and our future are tied to the sun, the moon and the stars…We humans have seen the atoms which constitute all of nature and the forces that sculpted this work…and we, who embody the local eyes and ears and thoughts and feelings of the cosmos, have begun to wonder about our origins…star stuff contemplating the stars, organized collections of ten billion billion billion atoms, contemplating the evolution of nature, tracing that long path by which it arrived at consciousness here on the planet earth…Our loyalties are to the species and the to the planet. Our obligation to survive and flourish is owed not just to ourselves but also to that cosmos ancient and vast from which we spring.

We are one Species. We are star stuff harvesting starlight.     -Carl Sagan

Excerpt on symbiotic living systems from a controversial movie Zeitgeist: Addendum by Peter Joeseph.

Download full movie through the Zeitgeist Movie site, or watch on google video.
WARNING – Full movie may be offensive to some of certain established religious beliefs.

ecopsych 101

ec-o-psy-chol-o-gy n.
1. The emerging synthesis of ecology and psychology
2. The skillful application of ecological insight to the practice of psychotherapy
3. The study of our emotional bond with the Earth
4. The search for an environmentally-based standard of mental health
5. Re-defining “sanity” as if the whole world mattered

Principles of Deep Ecology

1. All living beings have intrinsic value.
2. The richness and diversity of life has intrinsic value.
3. Except to satisfy vital needs, humankind does not have the right to reduce this diversity and this richness.
4. It would be better for human beings if there were fewer of them, and much better for other living creatures.
5. Today the extent and nature of human interference in the various ecosystems is not sustainable, and the lack of sustainability is rising.
6. Decisive improvement requires considerable change: social, economic, technological, and ideological.
7. An ideological change would essentially entail seeking a better quality of life rather than a raised standard of living.
8. Those who accept the aforementioned points are responsible for trying to contribute directly or indirectly to the realization of the necessary changes.

from The Trumpeter (.pdf)

Sustainable Consumerism? there’s strength in numbers

Sustainable Consumerism sounds like an oxymoron… but buying certified products makes good social, economic and ecological sense. It cuts out intermediary buyers and guarantees small producers prices that exceed their production costs. It also helps protect the environment. Purchase items that benefit the environment and producers in developing countries – how and where you spend your money matters!

Make.Me.Sustainable. =>starting now

Mission

We live in a period of profound environmental crisis, but it is not too late to change the course. The future of our planet hinges on the choices we make everyday. MakeMeSustainable is unique in our capacity to provide individuals and businesses with the tools necessary to identify and accomplish sustainable goals. We will help you track your energy consumption and environmental impact, allowing you to see the effects of strategies as simple as changing a light bulb. As a community we can realize an environmentally responsible and economically rewarding future. Together, we can change the course.

How MakeMeSustainable Can Help

MakeMeSustainable was created to fill the void between how we feel about our environment and what we do about it. We bring you the tools to take action. Our Carbon and Energy Portfolio Manager enables you to visualize and contextualize your individual impact. MMS’ sustainable solutions empower you to act upon your knowledge. We can help you to become a more environmentally conscious and efficient individual or business. MMS empowers you to spread the word and encourage friends, family, and co-workers to join the collective effort.

Building the MakeMeSustainable Community

As individuals it is difficult to visualize our impact on a larger scale. MMS wants to create a community of people concerned with their environmental footprint in order to network, spread the word and effectively mitigate their individual and communal impact. The MMS Community is a forum for discussion, a means for disseminating information on sustainable living and a virtual space to network with other concerned individuals and businesses on a local, regional and national scale. The MMS Community’s functionality continues to increase every day and with every user that signs up.

http://makemesustainable.com

It’s another morning in the empire of consumption… connecting dots?

On July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter gave a nationally-televised address in which he identified what he believed to be a “crisis of confidence” among the American people. This came to be known as his “malaise” speech, although the word never appeared in it:

I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy… I do not refer to the outward strength of America, a nation that is at peace tonight everywhere in the world, with unmatched economic power and military might. …

The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation.

In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we’ve discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning.

I’m asking you for your good and for your nation’s security to take no unnecessary trips, to use carpools or public transportation whenever you can, to park your car one extra day per week, to obey the speed limit, and to set your thermostats to save fuel… I have seen the strength of America in the inexhaustible resources of our people. In the days to come, let us renew that strength in the struggle for an energy-secure nation.