I love Professor Yunus’s advice – “Whatever the banks did, I did the opposite. And it worked!” Prof. Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, an institution that provides microcredit to help its clients establish creditworthiness and financial self-sufficiency. In 2006 Yunus and Grameen received
Continue readingTag: Sustainability
The Disaffected Lib: I’ll Get On To That Right Away
A UN report examining population increase concludes that, by 2030, just 18 years from now, we’ll need 50% more food, 45% more energy and 30% more water to meet humanity’s needs. Secretary general Ban ki-Moon said “We need to chart a new, more sustainable course for the future, one that
Continue reading350 or bust: Gerald Amos Of Haisla First Nation To Stephen Harper and Joe Oliver: No Apology Forthcoming
This letter is reprinted from the Terrace Daily, where it was first published on January 8th, and then republished last week: Recently there has been a lot of criticism by supporters of the tar sands, and oil industry front groups, of Canadian non-profit organizations who have concerns regarding the proposed
Continue reading350 or bust: Take Time To Renew Your Spirit
“It is evident that many wars are fought over resources which are now becoming increasingly scarce. If we conserved our resources better, fighting over them would not then occur…so, protecting the global environment is directly related to securing peace…those of us who understand the complex concept of the environment have
Continue reading350 or bust: Meatless Monday Musings
It’s Meatless Monday, and here in Northwestern Ontario we’ve just come through a January cold snap (which some people complained about, but which was reassuring for a climate activist!). It’s the time of the year that it’s great to curl up in front of our pellet stove with a good
Continue reading350 or bust: Take Time To Renew Your Spirit
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction. ~Albert Einstein
Continue reading350 or bust: Martin Luther King: If You Don’t Stand Up For Justice, You Die Even If You Live To Be 90
Today in the United States it is Martin Luther King Day. Reverend King delivered this rousing sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta in November, 1967, less than 5 months before he was murdered. Now, 45 years later, Reverend King continues to inspire people of conscience. In this day,
Continue reading350 or bust: Musical Medicine
Feel in need of some healing in these turbulent times? I know I do, and this video does that for me. Enjoy, and take these words to heart: Live by example. Live your truth. Sing loud. Be heard. Medicine for the People is a non-profit organization working with every kind
Continue reading350 or bust: 2011 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 51,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 19
Continue reading350 or bust: Happy Hogmanay
Tis the season for ‘best of” lists. So, to quote Julie Andrews, here are a few of my favourite things of this past year: Best book on the coming paradigm shift in “business as usual”: Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by architect William McDonough & chemist Michael
Continue reading350 or bust: Spring is Radical, And It’s Just Begun
Here’s a Solstice message from Reverend Billy, from the Church of Earthalujah, from Zuccotti Square in New York City: What did I learn this year. We are the 99%. I learned that. So we’re not divided into separate causes anymore who pass like ships in the night – we are
Continue reading350 or bust: Planetize The Movement
Like many of you, my focus these days is on Christmas preparations – cooking, traveling, feasting, and spending time with friends and family. 350orbust will be getting less attention than usual for a while. But I have a collection of videos and photos that I’m going to share during the
Continue reading350 or bust: An Advent Conspiracy – Mending the World
As this is the season for traditions, here is a reposting from last December: There is a Hebrew phrase, Tikkun Olam, which means mending or perfecting the world. For many of the Jewish faith, Tikkun Olam has come to connote social action and the pursuit of social justice. Yesterday was
Continue readingopenalex: New Sustainable Cities Research Program – New Job, Exciting Prospects
Vancouver-based NGO Sustainable Cities International is an excellent outfit that runs a network of cities focused on green urbanism that spans the globe. The research that I’ve been able to do in South Africa, Canada, the States, Senegal (and other spots in between) has been in part thanks to their help.
Continue readingopenalex: Montreal’s Collective Push for Urban Agriculture
We are all still trying to figure out what a sustainable city is. Yes, we’ve got some good ideas. But to go beyond marginal changes and begin retrofitting, or building, cities in a way that truly responds to the challenges ahead requires ambitious changes. What type of neighbourhoods do we
Continue reading350 or bust: Saturday Movies
This is just cool – a “permaculture” house: Learn more at Simondale.net
Continue readingopenalex: Is Toronto Lost?
Has Toronto lost its way? That’s been the word on the street, and pretty much everywhere else, since Mayor Ford took office a little less than a year ago.But as colourful as his first 11 months have been, it’s a bit disingenuous to lay all the ci…
Continue reading350 or bust: Mark Ruffalo On Opposing Keystone XL Pipeline: I Look At My Kids and I Say I Can’t Betray Them
I’m looking out the window of my home office today, rejoicing at the sprinkling of snow on the ground. Yesterday rain fell outside, while a confused fly that should have been hibernating buzzed around inside. Both are examples, along with the tem…
Continue reading350 or bust: Now For The Real Scary Stuff
All Hallow’s Eve is over for this year and tomorrow, in many countries, is the Day of the Dead or All Souls’ Day. So today might be a good day to focus on what is really alarming: the Climate Zombies that hang around year-round in Washington an…
Continue readingArt Threat: Engaged devotion and care – The terrariums of Paula Hayes
It might be because I just started paying attention, but it seems to me that terrariums are on the rise. These delicate glass globes filled with tiny gardens are like nature sent to earth from space. As we become more aware of our impact on the environment, it’s almost as through we have taken a […]
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