"Nearly 150 global leaders are gathering in Paris amid tight security for a critical UN climate meeting. The conference, known as COP21, starts on Monday and will try to craft a long-term deal to limit carbon emissions. Meanwhile Parisians have been placing hundreds of pairs of shoes at the Place de la Republique in the French capital. Emma Ruby-Sachs of the Avaaz campaign group explained the reasons for the gesture." Read the full story and watch the video clip.... Continue reading
Trailer | City Living, Nature Calling: New ‘ecomythic’ film inspires creative adaptation
‘City Living, Nature Calling’ is a film that tells the new story of becoming better ecological citizens in light of the very old story, which reminds us we have always been at home in nature. It challenges the dominance of endless economic growth models by pointing out the mythic nature of modern life. Watch the trailer and donate to the crowdfunding campaign.... Watch video
The planet’s future is in the balance. But a transformation is already under way.
"As the world prepares for the UN Paris climate summit, the world is at a tipping point. But a political and scientific revolution could yet save it.... "Remarkably, 2015 is the make-or-break year and all the signs are there that we are changing course – a great transformation is not only within sight, it is under way. Here’s why. First, world leaders met in New York recently to agree the sustainable development goals – applying equally to all nations. This is a paradigm shift in thinking; it … Continue reading
Legal Recognition of the Sacredness of the Earth: Rights of Nature
"Under Rights of Nature, the Earth and its ecosystems are viewed as living beings with rights. “The natural world is … an equal stakeholder in maintaining the wellbeing of the planet — an active participant that is worthy of our respect.” Nature is protected based on its intrinsic value instead of for its monetary value as a consumable resource. ".... in 2010, the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature was founded by a group of 20 people, including Bill Twist, co-founder of the Pachamama … Continue reading
Paris 2015: Why COP21 matters, and why I’m going | Rob Hopkins
A positive take on the upcoming climate talks from Rob Hopkins, Findhorn Fellow and co-founder of Transition Town Totnes and of the Transition Network.... "On Monday we launch our new book '21 Stories of Transition' and today we begin our build up to COP21 in Paris which starts at the end of the month. Often our default setting as people who are motivated by climate change is to lobby, demonstrate and campaign to try to bring pressure to bear on those decision makers to make the best deal … Continue reading
Join 24 Hours of Meditation for the Earth on the 1st of November
A worldwide project on the 1st of November! Everyone can join and organize their own meditation for our planet on that day. The aim is to reach the negotiators of the COP21 which will be held in Paris in December. Please join us on November 1, 2015 everywhere around the world, for 24 hours of meditation for the Earth, with 24 eminent witnesses who will lead 24 hours of meditation and prayers. Organize meditations, sit-ins, prayers, silent marches, celebrations of all kinds, secular or … Watch video
Sønderborg: the little-known Danish town with a zero carbon master plan
"Denmark joins more than a hundred places around the world making business-friendly zero carbon commitments as they transition away from fossil fuels.... "Almost completely surrounded by water, the little-known Danish town of Sønderborg is no stranger to flooding from both seawater rising along its coastline and heavy rainfall. With climate change ensuring more of both, Sønderborg is learning to tackle the immediate problems of adapting to a warming world while becoming part of the broader … Continue reading
Epic Change by Kenny Ausubel
"Everything is up for grabs and everything is at stake. As Paul Gilding has observed, our normal human response is to be late and then fast. As the world has plunged from urgency to emergency, emergency responders are coming out in force. "The invisible hand of the climate is trumping the invisible hand of the market. We're at the start of the biggest, fastest cultural, economic and industrial transformation in history. "The decline and fall of the fossil fuel regime is at hand. Coal is in … Continue reading
Portrait Project Looks at the Carbon Footprints of People Living in the UK
Thank you to our own Roger Doudna, who is also featured in the portrait project, for sharing this post. Roger is a long term resident of the Findhorn Community, an ecovillage in the north of Scotland. He lives in a self-built house made from a whiskey barrel. "We all know about climate change in a sweeping and abstract way; we understand that sea levels are rising, that coastlines are in danger, that animal populations are dwindling, and that we can no longer tame weather patterns and natural … Continue reading
Activists promise largest climate civil disobedience ever at Paris summit
"Thousands expected to take part in ‘red line’ blockades of Paris climate summit, after two weeks of colourful protests that have been dubbed ‘the Climate Games’.... “The redlines idea strikes just the right balance between ‘shut it down’ and ‘do your job’,” the author and campaigner Naomi Klein told the Guardian. “I also think that it is strong enough to grab the narrative, which will be critical if governments try to sell a bad deal as a success.” "On the last day of the summit - 11 or 12 … Continue reading
