Extraenvironmentalist

Even though our global environmental challenges have become dramatically more severe over the last several decades, our understanding of ecological processes have significantly deepened. Permaculture approaches offer a unique toolkit to address problems of desertification, poisoned landcapes, impure water supplies and more. Yet will low-tech solutions that work with nature be able to capture a […]

The post [ Episode #58 // Permaculture Possibilities ] appeared first on Extraenvironmentalist.

Despite the massive destruction our species has wrought on the earth, we've also learned a tremendous amount about ecological systems in the process. As our old narrative of domination crumbles, an understanding of how to work with nature is emerging. Can we apply the ideas of permaculture to society when facing energy depletion, climate change […]

The post [ Episode #57 // Permaculture Convergence ] appeared first on Extraenvironmentalist.

// Duncan's Photos From His Canalers Adventures [nggallery id=2 width=400] Maintaining the complexity of our civilization requires a consistent input of net energy and a stable climate. We've already experienced the first few years of a long emergency through economic stagnation and contraction, financial fraud and a lack of meaningful political momentum. Can we expect […]

The post [ Episode #56 // So Much Magic ] appeared first on Extraenvironmentalist.

Decades of material growth have left us with a limited imagination for alternatives. Now that we've hit the point of diminishing returns for additional economic growth, can we decolonize our mind? In the developed world, is it possible to improve our quality of life while decreasing our standard of living? Could it be possible to […]

The post [ Episode #55 // Degrowth ] appeared first on Extraenvironmentalist.

Our cultural institutions face such immense challenges from economic and environmental factors that even our assumptions about love and marriage on the table. What does recent research into early human sexuality say about our ideas of love as practiced by our early ancestors? In hard times, did our predecessors practice fierce egalitarianism to ensure group […]

The post [ Episode #54 // Love + Marriage ] appeared first on Extraenvironmentalist.

The global economy is searching for growth and choosing austerity when it can't be found. Is it possible to manage an economy, obtain full employment, and provide social equity without economic growth? Can we develop a dialogue about our economy that recognizes the human enterprise as a subset of biophysical processes? In Extraenvironmentalist #53 we […]

The post [ Episode #53 // Without Growth ] appeared first on Extraenvironmentalist.

The monstrosity of capitalism gains new strength as political leaders fight for a return to growth by dissecting society. Though many nations are rising up against the monetary elite, most North Americans are still zombified. Could some of our monster stories describe the feeling of living in a capitalist system? Will the failure of capitalism […]

The post [ Episode #52 // Market Monsters ] appeared first on Extraenvironmentalist.

The globally dominant culture is suffering from an economic, ecological and social crisis that has deeper roots than failing budgets and environmental degradation. Do we have a role to play if our culture is headed towards its eventual death? Though our economic system has trained us to be needy, can we approach these challenges as […]

The post [ Episode #51 // Culture of Dying ] appeared first on Extraenvironmentalist.

Developed nations find themselves stuck in economic quicksand as the status quo is maintained through debts on sovereign balance sheets. Over the last few decades of rapid economic expansion, each country bet on the continued story of globalization that narrates Tom Friedman's dreams each night. As the developing world sees our folly, will they choose […]

The post [ Episode #50 // Markets By Other Means ] appeared first on Extraenvironmentalist.

Central banks are undertaking unprecedented actions to keep the monetary system from unraveling. Despite unlimited Quantitative Easing and wealth transfers between Europe's economies, growth has yet to return and debt is demanding to be serviced. This process is stretching the banking system to its limit. What happens when the pretense is dropped and money loses […]

The post [ Episode #49 // Developing Breakdown ] appeared first on Extraenvironmentalist.