Category: Discussions

The Tragedy (and Hope) of the Commons — Clifton Ware, Editor  

The goals, circumstances, and opportunities that benefit both individual citizens and the larger community are often in conflict. Since a primary democratic goal is to create equality for all citizens, one of the most challenging issues of our species is creating a synergistic balance between individualism and the common good.

In 1968 Garrett Hardin, a human ecologist professor at the University of California Santa Barbara, published a paper in Science magazine that modified the way economics is viewed today by enlightened people. The title, “The Tragedy of the Commons”, addressed the many converging crises the world has been experiencing over the past 150 or so years, with climate change topping the list today.

In simple terms, Hardin was rebutting the economic views of economist Adam Smith, who proposed in his 1776 treatise, Wealth of Nations, that an individual seeking his personal needs and wants was effectively improving the common good, whether or not he had an altruistic motive for doing so. In other words, an individual, in pursuing his own interests, more effectively promotes society’s interests in the process of serving self-interests. Capitalism has adopted this view–and capitalized on it.

As an illustration, Hardin uses the story of village herdsmen who historically have shared a pasture for grazing their sheep for sustenance. Over time, recurring weather patterns, disease, poaching, and community needs manage to keep the number of sheep in balance with resources provided within the pasture.

Eventually, as farming practices and conditions improve, losses of sheep are minimized and overall stability is created. At this high point, both the individual and the common good are beneficiaries. But, alas, just as everything is going well, individual herdsmen begin desiring even better outcomes, wondering how much better off they’d be by adding another sheep to the pasture. In time the pasture becomes overcrowded and overgrazed, leading to a downgrading of overall environmental and economic conditions, both to the detriment of herdsmen and their community.

A similar type of catastrophe occurred in the 1920s-30s, with the historic Dust Bowl in the U.S. plains states. Encouraged by unwise government promotions and unstable wheat prices, farmers acquired more land and equipment in their eagerness to plow up greater amounts of prairie grass for planting. Unfortunately, a multi-year stretch of drought created unbearable living and farming conditions, destroyed much of the formerly durable prairieland, and demoralized a once-proud and hard-working citizenry.

The moral of these two stories is this: In order for civilization to continue existing and prospering in a finite world, attention must be given to balancing the needs of individuals with the needs of the larger community (common good). Some examples of individual behaviors that affect other people negatively and need regulating include: unhealthy personal habits (smoking, drinking, drugging); polluting the environment (air, water, and land); consuming and wasting natural resources (water, energy, etc.); taking unnecessary risks that endanger the lives of others (texting when driving, not using seat belts; trill-seeking activities); and so on.

I think most responsible citizens agree that, if we wish to avoid potential socio-economic-political problems caused by “contemporary herdsmen”, we’ll need to promote sensible, equitable regulations and laws that benefit the common good. Only by balancing the needs of the individual with those of the greater community can we can create a healthy living environment that benefits all citizens.

ECONOMIC AND ENERGY NEWS-VIEWS

The Anniston Star: Insight: Plutocracy Trumping Democracy. A disquieting paradox is increasingly apparent. Americans hope for the self-respect and happiness that arise from a hearty sense of earned merit. Yet, we simultaneously desire greater wealth and advantages than deserved by any prudent measure of social responsibility.

Peak Prosperity: Money Creation: The Fed – Crash Course Chapter 8. As a follow-on to the two previous chapters — one explaining the nature of fiat money, the other showing how money is loaned into existence through our fractional reserve banking system — this week’s video details the Fed’s near-magical ability to create money out of thin air (literally!).

KCSG. Com: U.S. National Debt Now Stands At $1.1 Million Per Taxpayer. Forbes reports the total amount of unfunded U.S. liabilities at $126 trillion, or $1.1 million per U.S. taxpayer. The U.S. National Debt Clock may calculate that every man, woman and child owes $55,346 in funded liabilities, but tax payers will end up paying over $1 million in both funded and unfunded liabilities to pay back this debt.

MinnPost: Earth Journal: Nuclear Is Generating Less Of World’s Power; Renewables Are Accelerating. At best, nuclear power accounted for only 10.8 percent of the world’s electricity last year (down from a peak of 17.6 percent in 1996) and faces a difficult future because the world’s reactor fleet is aging, while new projects are burdened by high costs and construction delays

Resilience- Prosperous Way Down: Stop Growing Or Meet The Four Horsemen? Americans are now receiving unsubtle messages from the universe that perhaps we have reached our limits, and it is time to stop trying to grow the economy. The four horsemen—pestilence, famine, war, and death—are emerging on a global basis, as energy inputs wane and the global economic system slows down.

Common Dreams: ‘Our Economic Model Is At War With Life On Earth’. A new video trailer previews thesis of anticipated new book by Canadian writer and activist Naomi Klein titled This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate.

CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS-VIEWS

Resilience-Archdruid Report: Dark Age America: The Rising Oceans (John Michael Greer).  As time passes, the resources needed to do the necessary work [of mitigating and adapting to climate changes] become increasingly scarce; and, as time passes, the uncertainties about what needs to be done become increasingly large.

Climate Progress: Keystone Xl’s Climate Impact Could Be Four Times Greater Than State Department Claimed. Depending on how much the pipeline increases oil production, its climate impact could amount to anywhere from zero to 110 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, the study showed—an emissions range of 1 million and 27 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Climate Progress: False Balance Lives: Media Biased Toward Fringe Climate Scientists Who Reject Global Consensus. A new study of climatologists finds: 1) widespread agreement that global warming is predominantly caused by human greenhouse gases, 2) this consensus strengthens with increased expertise, and 3) self-reported media exposure is higher for those who dispute a significant human influence on climate.

Environmental Leader: MIT: UN Climate Talks Likely To Fail. Talks at next year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris are unlikely to result in the goal of slowing climate change and keeping global temperatures below two degrees Celcius, according to MIT Study.

The New York Times: The Threats To Our Drinking Water. Twice this year the water supply for a major American city was interrupted for days by water pollution. When we ignore the weaknesses in our current approaches to safeguarding our drinking water supplies, we take a significant risk

Center for Biological Diversity: #CrowdedPlanet.
There are nearly 7.2 billion people on the planet today. That means more crowds, more traffic, more pollution… and less room for wildlife. We want to know what living in a world of 7 billion looks like and feels like to you. Submit your photos to our Instagram campaign.

Center for Biological Diversity: Heading Toward 10 Billion People. The planet hosts more than 7 billion humans, with 227,000 added daily. Our expanded Population and Sustainability Program — the only one of its kind — tackles what it means for us and wildlife.

On Earth: Six Surprises About The State Of The American Farm. If you really want to know about the current state of farming in the U.S.A. (as opposed to merely knowing the current state of this summer’s heirloom tomatoes), you’ll need some real, hard facts.

Twin Cities Daily Planet: Community Voices: Dead Zones Ahead, From Great Lakes To Gulf Of Mexico.  The dead zone created by phosphorous run-off into Lake Erie is like the dead zone growing in other lakes, including parts of Lake Huron and Canada’s Lake Winnipeg. It’s like the gigantic dead zone growing in the Gulf of Mexico, fed by the phosphorus flowing from our farm fields down the Mississippi and out into the Gulf.

Post Carbon Institute (Richard Heinberg): Blame The Environmentalists.  CEOs of companies engaged in shale gas and tight oil drilling are undoubtedly aware of what’s going on in their own balance sheets; hype is an essential part of their business model.

LOCAL, STATE, AND REGIONAL NEWS-VIEWS

Twin Cities Daily Planet: Twin Cities Farmers Want City Officials To Do More For Urban Farms. Urban agriculture may be a growing trend, but some Minneapolis farmers believe the movement may become stagnant if city officials don’t make active pushes to support it.

MPR: Minnesota Starts To Think About Re-Using Wastewater.  Treated sewage water is getting used again in a few places–watering golf courses, washing trucks, and sweeping streets. The Economics in a water-rich state make for slow change, but those who have tried it think it could be a way of the future.

Blue & Green Tomorrow: Canada Faces Environmental Disaster As 1.3 Billion Gallons Of Mining Waste Flows Into Rivers. Citizens of British Columbia awoke to the thunderous noise of over a billion gallons of mining wastewater cascading through Hazeltine Creek earlier this week, polluting the state’s fresh water supply. 

MPR: Twin Cities Oil Train Traffic Jumps; Safety Worries Rise. The state is also finalizing a plan to train emergency responders and determine how best to share special firefighting equipment. Christianson estimated that only about half of Minnesota communities along the oil routes have been trained to respond to a catastrophe involving the highly flammable crude oil.

MPR: “Beneath The Surface” Series. MPR’s ongoing project “Beneath the Surface,” shines a light on the pressures on Minnesota’s groundwater and how residents, businesses and officials are being asked to adapt. The latest story by MPR’s Elizabeth Dunbar investigates a growing interest in reusing wastewater due to concerns about the availability of groundwater. Read more » 

SUSTAINABLE IDEAS AND PRACTICES

MPR: U Of M Flushes Toilets With Rainwater.  The system collects stormwater from the roof of the new student housing, and a cistern can hold up to 35,000 gallons of water to serve the building.

Yes! Why Banking At The Post Office Could Be A Better Option Than Payday Loans—And Wall Street. USPS used to offer financial services. Proponents say that bringing them back could buffer us from financial meltdowns and alleviate poverty. Here’s why it just might work.  READ MORE »

Shareable: How Cooperation Jackson Is Transforming The Poorest State In The U.S. Cooperation Jackson is a network of interconnected yet independent institutions including an incubator and training center, a cooperative bank, and a federation of established cooperatives. Together, they’re exploring the potential of cooperatives to transform local communities.

Twin Cities Daily Planet: This City Bus Will Soon Be A Mobile Grocery Store. The Twin Cities Mobile Market will provide affordable food to people who otherwise would have to travel one or more miles to obtain it.

Peak Prosperity: A New Opportunity For Investing In Productive Farmland. Podcast, featuring Craig Wichner, managing partner of Farmland LP, discussing how to create value by improving the land.

Environmental Leader: Report: Circular Economy Makes Economic Sense. The concept of a circular economy is not new, with certain principles of it based on the well-known “cradle to cradle” model.

Environmental Leader: Hog-Waste-To-Energy Plant Under Construction. This 80M structure will convert hog waste into methane. Residue material can be used for fertilizer and water for irrigation.

Resilience: Zero Vision: A Plan To Make Our Roads Safe. Campaigns to reduce pedestrian, bicyclist and motorist deaths to zero are now taking shape around the country from Philadelphia to Chicago to Oregon.

CFS UPCOMING EVENTS

CFS PLANNING- BUSINESS MEETING: Sat. Aug. 16, 3-5 p.m., SAV City Hall Council Chambers. Open to anyone  interested in CFS. Ministers of two local churches will meet with us to discuss potential collaborative initiatives.

CFS BOOK CLUB: Sat. Aug. 23, 3-5 p.m., St. Anthony Village Library (SAV Shopping Center). Books: Decline and Fall: The End of Empire (John Michael Greer; The Five Stages of Collapse: Survivor’s Toolkit (Dmitry Orlov). Open to public.

NOTABLE UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: Eco Experience: Minnesota Goes Green. “Best Attraction 2013”. Also, Renewing the Countryside: Healthy Local Foods Exhibit at MN State Fair.  

Aug. 21-Sept. 1, MN State Fair, St. Paul; Info: http://www.ecoexperience.org.

Alliance for Sustainability- AfroEco: Cooperative Solutions: A Convergence For A Just And Sustainable Economy. Sat., Aug. 23, 9am-6pm, Laura Jeffrey Academy 1550 Summit Ave, St Paul, MN. Registration

SAV Chamber of Commerce: Touch-A-Truck. A fun, educational, “hands on” experience for kids of all ages! Saturday, September 13, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 39^th Ave NE,  Silver Lake Village. Info: Tony Fragnito (tfragnito@lillienews.com; 651-748-7860), or Jan Fillmore (janfillmore@q.com; 612-788-1675).

Sustainable Cities Institute: Midwest Convening On Climate Resilience, Sep. 21-23, Saint Paul Hotel – 350 Market St, St. Paul, MN. Register by August 31st >>

Clif Ware, Editor 

Opinions, Facts, and Four Common Beliefs

As we know, many opinions and beliefs are not founded on facts (reality), but more commonly on hearsay, the media, and irrational, illogical thinking that result in personal opinions (views, interpretations), which may or may not be founded on factual evidence. Labeling something as a fact, when it is really an opinion or falsehood, is a gross misuse of human intelligence. Unfortunately, it’s a common occurrence in the political arena, when proponents of any idea or behavior desperately seek credibility.

Most of us know people who make up their “closed minds” on controversial topics, and refuse to be confused with any facts. We observe such responses when the media features persons spouting extremes views, left and right, holding fast to beliefs that are unsupported by factual evidence. Unproven beliefs are very powerful determinants of behavior, and when founded on half-truths (cherry-picked), complete falsehoods, or wishful thinking, they exacerbate human conflicts that lead to lose-lose outcomes, as evidenced by the deep growing gulf between progressives and conservatives.

Based on the facts and evidence I’ve gathered, I, along with many other truth seekers, have developed this prime belief: “For the first time in history, the human race must confront the physical limits to growth on a finite planet”. In connection with this belief, let’s consider four popular beliefs (myths) that are seldom questioned:

1. Material Growth creates Prosperity. Thanks to plentiful cheap energy and pro-growth business and political forces, we’ve grown very comfortable with a weakly regulated free-market economy that encourages extravagant consumerism, and a financial system founded primarily on creating massive debt. Growth in non-material dimensions, such as happiness, is mostly overlooked.
2. Expanding technologies and increasing complexity can solve our problems. The long-term “external costs” of technological advances tend to be overlooked, notably the chemical pollution of air, water, and soil that eventually makes its way into the bodies of all living creatures, in addition to the ongoing depletion of finite carbon-based energy resources.
3. The economy is independent of nature. This disconnect is perhaps the most insidious of all, as we have become increasingly dependent on a global economy that provides goods and services by unknown numbers of people worldwide. Nature is viewed in three principal ways: as a utilitarian commodity to be exploited for human good; as a source of beauty, inspiration and recreation; and as an integrated, interdependent ecological bio-system capable of supporting existing life forms. The view of nature as a utilitarian commodity is largely responsible for the many challenges we’re experiencing.
4. Common sense serves us better than critical thinking & factual evidence. Perhaps it would be more useful to replace common sense with good sense, which relies more on the use of critical thinking and factual evidence.

      So, if we don’t always rely on good sense, how did we get this way? This is a question for a future exploration.  Meanwhile, please look over the following articles and read those that attract your attention.

ECONOMIC AND ENERGY NEWS-VIEWS

Weathering the Storm: Management By Crisis (Michael Conley). Any hope of responding effectively to the perfect storm will require a thoughtful and strategic approach – the antithesis of what’s happening in Washington today. The current Highway Trust Fund insolvency battle is a good case in point. Free “Weathering the Storm Guide” www.weatheringthestorm.net

Peak Prosperity: Money Creation: Banks – Crash Course Chapter 7.  As a follow-on to the previous chapter explaining the nature of fiat money, this week’s video details one of the two methods by which it is created: fractional reserve banking.

Post Growth: The Circular Economy And The Access Economy.  In managing resource and waste management, a lot of muscle-building effort has gone into strengthening the Circular Economy muscle, and the Access Economy muscle is one we’ve only just discovered we can build.

Resilience-Resource Insights: Bubble Time: Friends And Relatives Act As If We’ve Returned To Business-As-Usual. There is no more long-term in the stock market or any market. The relentless, if zigzag, rise in financial markets for the past 150 years has been sustained by cheap fossil fuels and a benign climate. We cannot count on either from here on out.

Humanity’s Test: Energy & The Financial System: Presentation To Energy Systems Conference (June 2014). This informative 12-minute Vimeo presentation by Roger Boyd discusses the financial system as an accelerator and multiplier of the economic and social impacts of energy depletion.

CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS-VIEWS

The New York Times: 
Shattering Myths To Help The Climate.  Each new climate-change study seems more pessimistic than the last. This May and June, for example, were the hottest ones on record for the planet. Why aren’t we demanding more forceful action? One reason may be the frequent incantation of a motley collection of six myths, each one rooted in bad economics.

Climate Progress: At EPA Hearing, Religious Leaders Call Carbon Pollution ‘An Affront To God’.  The recent EPA hearings were not the first time that religious groups have rallied to fight global warming. Earlier this month, The World Council of Churches announced that it would pull all of its investments in fossil fuels, saying it had determined the investments were no longer ethical.

Climate Progress: Delaying Climate Policies Could Cost U.S. Economy $150 Billion Each Year, Report Shows. The thesis for the Council of Economic Advisor’s report is this: policies are needed to  curb the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere. Carbon will continue accumulating, raising temperatures, and increasing the negative impacts of climate change, including economic costs.

New Economics: We Can’t Have Social Justice Without Environmental Sustainability. The interests of people and the planet are bound together and depend on each other. Yet social and environmental policies are too often stuck in separate silos, as though it barely matters how deeply they affect each other.

Peak Prosperity: Michael Klare: Finite Resources And The Geography of Conflict.  Ukraine. Iraq. Nigeria. Libya. Tunisia. Syria. All are hotspots of conflict in different regions of the world, yet the same underlying cause behind each can clearly be seen when looking through the lens of finite resources.

Aljazeera: Report: World Faces Water Crises By 2040. Globally, there has been a three-fold population increase in the past century and a six-fold increase in water consumption, the report said. If trends in population and energy use continue, it could leave a 40 percent gap between water supply and demand by the year 2030.

National Geographic: Groundwater Depletion In Colorado River Basin Poses Big Risk To Water Security.  We have two choices: continue flying water-blind into the future and leave the consequences to the next generation, or get our heads out of the sand and take action to monitor, manage and balance our water books.

Resilience-Eco Watch: California Experiencing Most Severe Drought Ever Recorded. One of the worst North American droughts in history could be getting a whole lot worse. According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Map released on Tuesday, more than 58 percent of California is in an “exceptional drought” stage.

LOCAL, STATE, AND REGIONAL NEWS-VIEWS

Star Tribune: Minnesota Crossed By 50 Oil Trains A Week. Fifty oil trains, each loaded with more than 1 million gallons of North Dakota crude oil, pass through Minnesota each week, and almost all of them go through the Twin Cities, according to the first detailed reports on the state’s crude-by-rail traffic obtained by the Star Tribune.

MPR: Charting Minnesota’s Future Water Supply. The Metropolitan Council has outlined options for restoring water levels in White Bear Lake. The Legislature asked the Met Council to study possible solutions both to White Bear Lake’s low water and to concerns about unsustainable groundwater pumping in the region.

MPR: Researchers To Conduct First Survey Of Minnesota’s Native Bees. This summer DNR researchers are traveling the length of western Minnesota to conduct the first population survey of native bees. Minnesota has a list of native bees, but it was written in 1919 and is missing many of the state’s more than 350 different species of native bees.

Finance-Commerce: Sustainable: B3 Guidelines Are MN’s Alternative To LEED. The “Buildings, Benchmarks and Beyond” guidelines are aimed at collecting energy data and helping architects and builders to create more efficient buildings.

SUSTAINABLE IDEAS AND PRACTICES

Transition Voice: Transition To A World Made By Hand (Lindsay Curran). “Say what you will about whether anybody’s personal efforts makes a damn bit of difference in a world hurtling toward climate hell and energy crisis, but I remain in the camp that would rather being doing something positive that builds resilience and community than helplessly awaiting the end”.

Star Tribune: Building Efficiency: The Invisible Clean Energy Strategy. Most energy experts agree that energy efficiency in buildings is the low-hanging fruit for reducing the production of deadly greenhouse gases. Buildings account for around 70% of electrical consumption and 40% of carbon emissions in the U.S.

Catholic Free Press: Build A Straw-Bale House. an Ohio religious order is hoping its energy-efficient straw-bale house will sprout ideas in the minds of visitors to reduce fossil fuel consumption and even invest in renewable forms of energy for heating and cooling their homes.

ENSIA: Is Sharing Really Green? Many have sung the sharing economy’s environmental praises, but the evidence may not be there to back up their claims. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t embrace sharing. We should. Read more…

ENSIA: Has Meat Met Its Match? Bugs. Test-tube burgers. 3-D food. Are you ready for the future of meat? Read more…

Shareable: 20 Urban Food Forests From Around The World. The concept of a food forest has its roots in permaculture, a philosophy that advocates for managing agricultural landscapes in harmony with nature. The practice emphasizes perennial, low-maintenance crops that leverage natural nutrient inputs, drainage patterns and climate to achieve a self-sustaining, food-producing ecosystem.

Yes! Indigenous Seed Savers Gather In The Andes, Agree To Fight Climate Change With Biodiversity. As climate change makes it more difficult to practice agriculture in their ancestral homelands, indigenous communities are exchanging seeds in hopes of finding the hardiest varieties.

Organic Consumers Association: Regenerative Agriculture: Sowing Health, Sustainability And Climate Stability.  The World Wildlife Fund estimates that since 1960, a third of the world’s arable land has been lost through erosion and other degradation, caused largely by increased demand for GMO crops used to feed factory farm animals, produce subsidized biofuels, and make processed foods.

CFS RECENT AND UPCOMING EVENTS

CFS—SAV VILLAGEFEST ACTIVITIES REPORT: Several CFS participants walked and biked in the VF Parade last Friday evening, and several managed CFS related booths at the VF Fair on Saturday. 2 CFS members managed the VF Recycling Project. Thanks to all who participated!

CFS PLANNING- BUSINESS MEETING: Sat. Aug. 16, 3-5 p.m., SAV City Hall Council Chambers.

CFS BOOK CLUB: Sat. Aug. 23, 3-5 p.m., St. Anthony Village Library (SAV Shopping Center). Books: Decline and Fall: The End of Empire (John Michael Greer; The Five Stages of Collapse: Survivor’s Toolkit (Dmitry Orlov). Open to public.

NOTABLE UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS

Waite Park Community Gardens: Stroll and Strum. Sat., Aug. 9, 6:30-8:30 p.m.,3601 Lincoln St. NE, Mpls. Featuring garden samples and acoustic folk music by Skunk Hollow Band. Info: http://www.waiteparkcommunitygarden.org/

Lutheran Coalition for Public Policy in MN & Citizens’ Climate Lobby: “A Call to Climate Action: America’s New National Purpose“– featuring Iowa State Senator Rob Hogg. Thurs., Aug. 14, 7 p.m., at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 8600 Fremont Ave S, Bloomington.  Invite friends (https://www.facebook.com/events/564891456953783/)

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: Eco Experience: Minnesota Goes Green. “Best Attraction 2013”. Aug. 21-Sept. 1, MN State Fair, St. Paul; Info: http://www.ecoexperience.org.

Renewing the Countryside: Healthy Local Foods exhibit at MN State Fair.  Aug. 21-Sept. 1
MN State Fair, Saint Paul

SAV Chamber of Commerce: Touch-A-Truck. A fun, educational, “hands on” experience for kids of all ages! Saturday, September 13, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 39^th Ave NE,  Silver Lake Village. Info: Tony Fragnito (tfragnito@lillienews.com; 651-748-7860), or Jan Fillmore (janfillmore@q.com; 612-788-1675).

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Clifton Ware, Editor

We’re Robbing the Bank

Ever since we humans began using earth’s resources for sustaining life, we have been withdrawing from The World Nature Bank, figuratively speaking. In ancient times people relied mostly on materials that were renewable, such as trees, rocks, plants and animals for most of life’s needs. Gradually, extraction of metals from the earth made it possible to create better tools, weapons, and body decorations, while fossil carbon provided fuel for heating buildings and making things.

With the Industrial Revolution in full swing—thanks primarily to the extraction and use of coal in the 18^th century, followed by the discovery and production of oil in mid 19^th century—the seemingly endless supply of carbon-based energy propelled civilization into a frenzy of ongoing development. It’s no happenstance that most statistics of relevantly measurable events and activities began to escalate along with a growth-oriented economic paradigm, resulting in both positive and negative outcomes. Not surprisingly, as the world economy expanded, the human population also increased, virtually in lockstep with economic growth. Material prosperity became the principal motivation for increasing numbers of people living in developed countries, especially during the go-go 20s, between the two World Wars, and accelerating in the postwar period following WWII.

Metaphorically, the Earth as a World Nature Bank (WNB) containing humanity’s primary wealth is in direct opposition to our contemporary economic system’s commitment to ongoing consumption and growth. The World Nature Bank started out whole, full of great natural wealth, but around fifty thousand years ago humankind learned to make increasingly effective use of many natural resources. For the past two thousand or more years human population remained relatively stable—until the mid 19^th century, when the discovery and use of plentiful, cheap energy enabled exploitation of resources on a massive scale. Even so, for a few decades the WNB remained relatively full of natural riches.

The problem of course is that, with the minor exception of reforesting in places and attempts to restore land and ocean habitats, the great store of wealth drawn out of the WNB is not being replaced. All easily found fossil carbon sources and most of the minerals, metals, wildlife, water, and other vital resources have been withdrawn from the WNB, so much so that, increasingly, withdrawals must be made from hard-to-penetrate vaults located deep in the bowels of the WNB.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that humanity is creating a natural debt that dwarfs any existing and projected worldwide money-based debts. Rather than conserving some of the natural resources for future generations—and to use in building a bridge to renewable energies—the existing Plan A seems to be “take it while the getting’s good, before anyone else can get it”. Unfortunately, the “anyone else” includes future citizens who will learn to either hate us, or have pity on us for our appalling ignorance, shortsighted vision, and lack of compassion.

In sum, we’re not borrowing from the WNB, with the intention of paying back our withdrawals. Nope, we’re just willfully robbing it. It seems that we’ve become extravagant spenders rather than thrifty savers. Although we’ll never pay back all of our debts to the WNB, we might at least seek ways to conserve what wealth remains in its vaults. Maybe we need a Plan B, one that is based on such values as thrift, conservation, resilience and sustainability, serves the Common Good, and demonstrates moral concern for the needs and rights of future world citizens.

ECONOMIC NEWS-VIEWS

Market Watch: U.S. Risks Fiscal Crisis From Rising Debt: CBO. In its new long-term budget outlook, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said federal debt held by the public is now 74% of the economy and will rise to 106% of gross domestic product by 2039 if current laws remain unchanged. Read the 2014 long-term budget outlook.

Market Watch: We’re In The Third Biggest Stock Bubble In U.S. History. U.S. stocks are now about 80% overvalued on certain key long-term measures, according to research by financial consultant Andrew Smithers, the chairman of Smithers & Co. and one of the few to warn about the bubble of the late 1990s at the time.

Peak Prosperity: Compounding Is The Problem: Crash Course Chapter 4.  Chapter 4 of the Crash Course is now publicly available. It includes Chris’ famous “magic eye dropper” example of how the compounding nature of exponential systems speeds up over time, often in ways very non-intuitive to the human mind.

Pacific Standard: The World Is Getting Less Peaceful Every Year. And it’s costing the global economy about $1,350 per person. The GPI report includes a section on trends in peacefulness from 2008 to 2014, which demonstrates that what the IEP calls “internal peacefulness” is getting worse.

Environmental Leader: ‘Sharing Economy’ Will Save Our Economy and the Environment. The Sharing Economy blends the world of profitability and sustainability. Fixed costs are low, marginal costs are near zero, the need for additional capital-intensive infrastructure is diminished, and more people are sharing fewer resources.

CLIMATE, ENERGY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS-VIEWS

Climate Progress: Parents Blast Climate Denial In Schools: ‘You Have To Teach Real Science’. New national standards for teaching science in public schools have sparked backlash in several states, particularly from officials who want teachers to teach climate change as a scientific debate, rather than accepted science.

Climate Progress: No False Choices: To Preserve A Livable Climate, We Need To Slash Both CO2 And Methane ASAP.  The bad news is that humanity has dawdled for so long that our only realistic chance to avoid multiple, irreversible, catastrophic climate impacts is to slash both carbon dioxide and the “super pollutants” like methane sharply starting as soon as possible.

Climate Progress: Group Representing Half A Billion Christians Says It Will No Longer Support Fossil Fuels.  A large umbrella group of churches representing more than half a billion Christians worldwide announced Thursday that it would pull all of its investments in fossil fuels, saying it had determined the investments were no longer ethical.

Minn Post: Earth Journal: Climate Change Is Visiting Fire, Floods And Other Harm On U.S. Military Bases. A Government Accountability Office report provides an interesting blend of security-minded imprecision about exactly where among the Pentagon’s 7,500 installations certain climate impacts are showing up, coupled with photos and videos to document the damage.

ENSIA: The End of Sustainability. The time has come for us to collectively reexamine — and ultimately move past — the concept of sustainability. Read more >

Resilience.org:  Sustainability vs. Resilience.  William E. Rees writes a rebuttal to the article above, claiming that resilience thinking is a complement to sustainability, not a substitute.

Resilience.org:  Orwellian Newspeak And The Oil Industry’s Fake Abundance Story (Kurt Cobb, Resource Insights). If you want to corrupt a people, corrupt the language. Once it becomes impossible to say the truth with the language we have, it will ultimately be impossible for us to adapt and survive. See also ASPO-USA: Oil Abundance? Not So Fast – Drilling Holes In The Energy Boom Story and Peak Oil Review – July 14.

Associated Press-MPR: ND Pipeline Leaks About 1M Gallons Of Saltwater. North Dakota produced 25.5 million barrels of brine in 2012, the latest figures available. A barrel is 42 gallons. There were 141 pipeline leaks reported in North Dakota in 2012, 99 of which spilled about 8,000 barrels of saltwater. About 6,150 barrels of the spilled saltwater was recovered, state regulators said.

Sierra Club-Green Life: How Much Paper Does One Tree Produce? What is the environmental impact of office paper use? Mr. Green finds out!

Christian Science Monitor: Google Searches For Natural Gas Leaks, Finds A Lot Of Them. Google is teaming up with an environmental group map methane leaks from natural gas pipelines in US cities. Methane contributes to global warming, and Google hopes its new maps will encourage utilities to patch and replace old pipelines

LOCAL, STATE, AND REGIONAL NEWS-VIEWS 

Minn Post: Will Copper/Nickel Mining Be Minnesota’s Bakken Fields? Not So Fast. If industry-favored projections are correct, copper and nickel mining would, right away, provide a modest boost for Minnesota’s economy, while potentially leading to bigger gains in later years. But those estimates, rosy as they might be, produce not even one-tenth the jobs Bakken has created in North Dakota. 

Twin Cities Daily Planet: Research Funding Boost To Help New University Bee Lab Facility In Battle Against Waning Honeybee Population.  In addition to the state funding, Bee Lab Director Marla Spivak said an $864,000 Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund grant will go toward hiring a new pollinator habitat ecology professor and providing new sources of nectar and pollen for Minnesota’s bees. 

MPR: Quest To Save Groundwater Aims At Love For Lush, Green Lawns. Fresh doubts about groundwater supplies are testing long-held assumptions that water is both cheap and plentiful. New technology, more aggressive pricing structures and shifting attitudes are beginning to change how some Minnesotans view and care for their lawns. 

Minn Post: Earth Journal: Map Shows Areas Most At Risk As Rail Shipments Of Oil Continue To Rise.  The route through the TC area passes through NE Minneapolis, including St. Anthony. For interactive US map, see Oil Train Blast Zone at : http://explosive-crude-by-rail.org/

SUSTAINABLE IDEAS AND PRACTICES

Transition US: Taking Resilience To The Streets. This fall, neighbors across the U.S. will be meeting in each other’s homes to support each other in reducing their reliance on fossil fuels, building social cohesion, and strengthening their community’s resilience.

Modern Farmer: When the Well Runs Dry, Try Dry Farming. Fifteen miles north of Santa Cruz and 2 miles east of the Pacific’s crashing waves, Jim Curry is tending to his tomatoes. The powdery soil is fertile, but looks as dry as a sand dune. Curry has been growing tomatoes here since 1982 — entirely without irrigation.

Resilience.org: Resilience Food Growing: A Multibook Review. Four books reviewed, each briefly.

Minnesota 2020: Blog: A Case for Urban Ecosystems: What is a Biophilic City? A Biophilic city is a place where plants, animals, and people can thrive together in a dense, nature-rich, urban metropolis. The concept harmonizes biodiversity with daily city life.

CFS RECENT AND UPCOMING EVENTS

CFS JULY 12th FORUM-REPORT: PROMOTING HEALTHY LOCAL FOOD SOURCES. 
Sat., July 12, 3-5 p.m., SAV Council Chambers. Speaker—Amy Fields, Manager of Eastside Food Co-op, gave a very informative presentation about our local food co-op and its expansion plans, also about the local food movement in the T.C. area and nationally.

CFS—SAV VILLAGEFEST ACTIVITIES: Parade–Fri., Aug. 1, 7 p.m., SAV, coordinated by CFS Bike-Walk SAV. Exhibits—Sat., Aug. 2, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., CFS-related groups participate. More info: http://www.stanthonyvillagefest.org/

CFS AUGUST FORUM: SUSTAINABILTY BOOK CLUB–Decline and Fall: The End of Empire (John Michael Greer), and The Five Stages of Collapse: Survivor’s Toolkit (Dmitry Orlov), Sat. Aug. 23, 3-5 p.m., Place TBD.

NOTABLE UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS

2014 Eat Local Farm Tour. Sat., July 19 (all day, variable times). Visit farms in TC area, Stillwater, Northfield, and St. Peter.  Info: https://www.facebook.com/EatLocalFarmTour.coop

Minnesota Citizen’s Hearing On The Clean Power Plan. Tues., July 22, 10 a.m.-noon, Rm. 400, North State Office Bldg., 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

Focus On The Economy: An Afternoon With Charles Eisenstein. Fri., July 25, 1:30-4:00 P.m., Wellstone Center, Room 272, 179 Robie St. E., St. Paul, MN 55107 View Map

Citizens for a Safe Railroad and Climate. Wed.,July 30, 2014, 12:00 p.m., St. Anthony Bridge, 201 St. Anthony Pkwy, Mpls. Info (Matthew0tt@yahoo.com/)  Click here to view event details

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> REDUCE > REUSE > RECYCLE!

To unsubscribe, reply with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject title. 

Thanks!  Clif Ware

http://www.clifware.com/ 

CFS News-Views Digest is published weekly (with some exceptions)

 

Clifton Ware, Editor

CFS RECENT AND UPCOMING EVENTS

CFS JULY 12th FORUM: PROMOTING HEALTHY LOCAL FOOD SOURCES. 
Sat., July 12, 3-5 p.m., SAV Council Chambers. Speaker—Amy Fields, Manager of Eastside Food Co-op. Learn about our local food co-op and its expansion plans, also about the local food movement in the T.C. area and nationally.

CFS—SAV VILLAGEFEST ACTIVITIES: Parade–Fri., Aug. 1, 7 p.m., SAV, coordinated by CFS Bike-Walk SAV. Exhibits—Sat., Aug. 2, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., CFS-related groups participate. More info: http://www.stanthonyvillagefest.org/

CFS AUGUST FORUM: SUSTAINABILTY BOOK CLUB–Decline and Fall: The End of Empire (John Michael Greer), and The Five Stages of Collapse: Survivor’s Toolkit (Dmitry Orlov), Sat. Aug. 23, 3-5 p.m., Place TBD.

EDITOR —From Shadows to Light

As an undergraduate philosophy major—prior to majoring in vocal music and pursuing it as a career—I was fascinated with the many ideas expressed by philosophers through the ages, beginning with Plato. I particularly recall discussions in class about his “Allegory of the Cave”, a parable format Plato used to illustrate how mental deceptions can distort interpretations of reality.

The story is about some cave dwellers who have been shackled their entire lives, with their backs turned toward the cave entrance and their faces toward an interior wall. A fire behind them casts shadows onto the wall that the prisoners interpret as reality.

Eventually, a prisoner is freed, so he turns around and discovers the fire, which he cannot accept as the source of the shadows seen on the wall. Only when dragged to the cave opening to experience the bright daylight does he begin to accept the fact that the visions on the wall were only shadows of reality (which may be interpreted as false or misrepresented belief, concepts, things).

Plato used this parable to emphasize his belief that the freed individual (who has seen the light) has a moral obligation to return to his fellow prisoners in the cave, with the intent of helping them change their minds about what constitutes reality. Presumably, all they need to do is to turn around, see the source of the shadows, and move into the light (of truth or reality).

And here I direct you to the first article below—“The Rich and the Gilded Cage” by Roger Boyd (BSc, MBA, MA), a member of the B.C. Alberta Social Economy Research Alliance (BALTA), which studies the linkages between issues of sustainability and models of ownership and finance. His most recent book—Energy and the Financial System—is soon to be released by Springer.

In brief, Boyd sees parallels between the prisoners in Plato’s cave and the ultra wealthy of this world, those who are largely isolated from the unpleasant realities most people experience. [Note: The cage metaphor may also apply to anyone whose worldview is narrowly focused, as found with fundamentalists of all types, including conservatives and liberals.] Cocooned in their figurative gilded cages, where they move about in the safety and security of their pampered lives, the ultra wealthy are simply incapable of empathizing with the problems experienced by a majority of world citizens, especially the poor. Consequently, because their self worth is associated primarily with their material wealth, which includes great economic and political power, they have little understanding about the undergirding principles and values that provide meaning and purpose in living a good life. Thus, their ability to change is constrained by a superficial ideology that supports their elitism. Boyd quotes Charles Redman: “Humans react not to the real world in real time, but to a cognized environment filtered through traditional expectations and a worldview which may or may not value close tracking of local environmental indicators. Humans are also not always willing or able to forego short-term personal advantage for long-term common benefit.”

I am compelled to insert here that those of us who enjoy middleclass lifestyles may also be leading sheltered lives, illustrated in part by the steps some of us take in avoiding contact with poorer citizens and their neighborhoods. Can we empathize with the poor, the disenfranchised, the persecuted, and the incapacitated—if we ourselves have not experienced poverty, persecution, or mind-body incapacity? For certain, empathy isn’t an easy skill to acquire, as it requires making extra efforts to gain insight and understanding, possibly by walking in another’s shoes for a while.

Please continue this line of thought by reading the following article by Roger Boyd.

ECONOMIC NEWS-VIEWS

Humanity’s Test: The Rich And The Gilded Cage (Roger Boyd) The majority of First World citizens are able to separate themselves, both spatially and temporally, from the consequences of their way of life. The gilded cages they live in, both shield them from consequences and imprison their minds.

Peak Prosperity: Reality-Optional Economics—Cockamamie Stories Infecting the Body Politic (James H. Kunstler). The total tonnage of economic malarkey being shoveled over the American public these days would make the late Dr. Joseph Goebbels (Nazi Minister of “Public Enlightenment and Propaganda”) turn green in his grave with envy.

USA TODAY: What It Costs To Live the American Dream. Would you believe it takes $130K? http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2014/07/04/american-dream/11122015/

Weathering The Storm: The Perfect Storm Countdown: 1^st Half 2014. The biggest game-changers have occurred on the economic and geopolitical fronts, and they’ve exploded in rapid-fire order – almost too fast to digest. Interconnected, these events have accelerated the timeframes and escalated the potential fury of the storm. The spillover has also sharpened the energy and climate change trajectories.  

Peak Prosperity: Exponential Growth: Crash Course Chapter 3. This video lesson explains the exponential function, which most people don’t understand. In sum, amounts of anything (population for example) speed up over time when increasing at a steady percentage annually. We see this in the history of population growth, where, at 1% annual growth, each million of additional people occur in increasingly shorter time spans, and the same goes for debt, resource extractions, etc.

Peak Prosperity: The Approaching Inevitable Market Reversal. Though financial pundits and the Federal Reserve constantly reassure us that the stock market is not a bubble, and that valuations are fair, there is substantial evidence that suggests the contrary. The market is dangerously stretched in terms of valuation and sentiment, and it does not accurately reflect fundamentals such as earnings and sales growth.

Our Finite World: Debt: Eight Reasons This Time is Different. We live in a much more tightly networked economy now, so the situation is very far worse than what happened in the past. This time, our problems are tied to the need for cheap, high quality energy products. We experience as sense of false comfort from the economy having worked out problems in the past. 

Yes! Gar Alperovitz on Why the New Economy Movement Needs to Think Big. His new book, “What Then Must We Do?” imagines how a new economic system might actually emerge, from the bottom up, in the next few decades.    READ MORE ».

CLIMATE, ENERGY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS-VIEWS

The Guardian: What Really Annoys Scientists About The State Of The Climate Change Debate? From misinformed politicians who should ‘shut up’, to a failure of large parts of society to grasp reality, climate scientists reveal their bugbears.

Twin Cities Daily Planet: Community Voices: Polymet Supporters Spread Misinformation Concerning Efficacy Of Iron Amendment For Minnesota Waters. If the grossly underestimated calculations for water flowage, water seepage, and mercury levels discovered in PolyMet’s SDEIS are any indication; the sulfide mining industry is planning to do the same. While PolyMet supporters are busy spreading misinformation.

Environmental Leader: Water Industry Outlook Reveals Major Challenges.  Infrastructure and capital needs are the most significant challenges facing the water industry, according to WeiserMazars’ 2014 US Water Industry Outlook. 

ENSIA: Endangered Elements.  It’s time we conserve the building blocks of life.
Achieving sustainable use of elements will require re-visioning our interaction with rural and urban environments, our concept of mining, and our attitudes toward waste. Consumption will need to be seen as a continuous cycle: a cycle with no off ramps for trash, junk or waste.

Star Tribune: Nature’s Dying Migrant Workers. Bees at the Brink is a Star Tribune occasional series examining the mysterious decline of the honeybee and its consequences for the American consumer. Explore the online report at: http://www.startribune.com/local/264929101.html

Environmental Leader: Plastic Holds Recognizable Value. We need to use plastic in an environmentally sustainable way, rather than as a disposable material. We need to treat plastic as a valuable resource, which is kept in use, benefiting us all, rather than being wasted and letting nature pick up the bill.

LOCAL, STATE, AND REGIONAL NEWS-VIEWS 

Star Tribune: Waterlogged Fields Wash Out Minnesota Corn, Soybean Crops. Minnesota farm fields have a serious water problem, and it’s not drought. More than half of the state’s farm fields — 53 percent — have surplus topsoil moisture, and 49 percent have surplus subsoil moisture, according to a weekly U.S. Department of Agriculture report on Minnesota crop conditions released Monday.

MPR: Flood Damage Tally For Minnesota So Far: $32 Million And Rising. Flood damage from last month’s storms affected nearly half of Minnesota’s 87 counties and initial estimates indicate $32 million in damages to public roads, bridges and other structures, state emergency managers report.

Pioneer Press: As Oil Shipments Soar On Rails, New Minnesota Regulations Take Effect. On average, nine trains pulling crude oil pass through Minnesota cities every day. The number of trains is estimated to double within the next year. 

Minn Post: Minnesota’s New Recycling Law Means Business. In May, Gov. Mark Dayton signed the first major overhaul of the state’s recycling rules in 25 years: a law that will raise goals, expand funding, and — most significantly — require businesses to follow similar recycling rules as homeowners.

Star Tribune: Editorial: A New Threat To Twin Cities Water Quality. Add all of that together, and you get sewage overflows, filthy lakes and unsafe beaches. If, as climate experts predict, extreme rainstorms are to become a more normal occurrence, then it’s time to fix the storm water intrusion problem.

SUSTAINABLE IDEAS AND PRACTICES

Carbon Nation: Soil-Carbon Cowboys. North Dakota, Mississippi, and Saskatchewan, home to hundreds of thousands of cows. A few bold ranchers are using rotational grazing to raise hormone- and antibiotic-free cattle, to protect pollinators, to reduce pollution from herbicides and to combat global warming. Watch the official trailer>

Duluth News Tribune: Saginaw Organic Farm Sows Seeds On Other People’s Property. Most people would assume the first thing a farmer needs is land. But a visit to Rising Phoenix Community Farm near Saginaw and a conversation with its founder, Heather-Marie Bloom, a “gypsy farmer”, quickly turns that notion on its head.

Duluth News Tribune: Ideas For Getting Kids Outside To Explore The Outdoors. Sometimes, the simplest interaction with the natural world can unlock a child’s curiosity and unleash a lifetime of outside exploration.

On The Commons: How to Inspire Millions More People to Bike. Bike lanes of the future can be seen on the streets right now across North America, as communities from Fairbanks to St. Petersburg transform their streets into appealing places for people, not just cars and trucks.

Shareable: 11 Affordable Housing Alternatives For City Dwellers. After World War II, white, middle-class Americans flocked to the suburbs from the city. Today, that trend is reversing. As post-suburbanites move back into cities, escalating housing costs are forcing low and middle income folks and people of color out to the suburbs.

CERT-MN Dept. of Commerce: Five Tips For Saving Energy At Home When On Summer Vacation.  Before leaving town, there are several simple steps you can take to save energy in your home—and save money.

NOTABLE UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS 

MN350: Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement. Wed., July 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Bryant Square Park, 3101 Bryant Ave. S., Mpls. Information: Patty@MN350.org.

Citizens for a Safe Railroad and Climate. Wed.,July 30, 2014, 12:00 p.m., St. Anthony Bridge, 201 St. Anthony Pkwy, Mpls. Info (Matthew0tt@yahoo.com/)

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> REDUCE > REUSE > RECYCLE!

To unsubscribe, reply with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject title. 

Thanks!  Clif Ware  http://www.clifware.com/ 

CFS News-Views Digest is published weekly (with some exceptions)