Rethinking Sustainability - a community project




The genesis of the Rethinking Sustainability occured at the November 2023 NENA conference, where we pitched the idea to an enthusiastic audience.

That drew quite a few people who are keen to contribute episodes. The heart of Rethinking Sustainability is that it is a community project, bringing together many people and many voices. The idea of commnity activism is central to the book (please excuse the plug) that Mark Diesendorf and I wrote, The path to a Sustainable Civilisation.

Often when people talk about 'sustainability', they're referring to the environment, but it's far bigger than that because it encompasses a vast range of possible topics. Podcasts could also be on economics because - not suprisingly - this drives so much of our economies...and politics. 

Crucially also, we should talk about society because ultimately, it's people who drive decision making. But also - and contrary to neoliberal thinking - we do not have a sustainable future without a sustainable society. Margaret Thatcher's line 'there is no such thing as society' is tragically and grotesquely misguided. There can be no such thing as an economy without a society.

If you would like to record a podcast episode, you'll find the details you need here.  

We'll be launching the series in early 2024, stay tuned.

Rod Taylor, Dec 2023

Popular posts from this blog

Fernando's dichotomy

Image
When somebody makes a statement that is foreign to your thinking, how do you react? In this episode, Rod Taylor recounts a conversation with the Brazillian, Fernando. What does it mean to raze the Amazon jungle, why should somebody like him care? Why should anybody care? The answer of course, is that it this cannot be sustained. While we hear that word thrown around so often, we should remember the end point of something that is unsustainable - is literally - the end. If you would like to contribute to these podcasts, please get in  touch .
Read more

Episode 7: Deep Listening to Nature

Image
In his book  Deep Listening to Nature  Andrew Skeoch asks: What does listening reveal about how the living systems of nature function? Why do birds in particular negotiate their interactions in such lyrical and extraordinary ways? At a time when most people live in cities, listening to nature is listening to ourselves. Because, much as it becomes hidden from ourselves, we are still part of nature.  Ultimately, it is nature that is the foundation of our existence. Money, stockmarkets, smartphones and cars are only possible because nature provides them for us. And, as we lose that connection, our world becomes unsustainable. If you would like to contribute to these podcasts, please get in  touch .
Read more

Episode 8: Growth and the Parasitic Economy

Image
  Today's episode  should  prompt us to ask, how should we measure the success of our society? Is it the growth, consumption, GDP and the size of our armies? Or perhaps it should be about  opportunity, the strength of our communities and how we care for people less well off. Michael Bayliss from Sustainable Population Australia looks at what growth is really doing to social equality. Michael invites you to sign the Position Statement on Population . If you would like to contribute to these podcasts, please get in  touch .
Read more