As the Club of Rome celebrates this year the 50th anniversary of “The Limits to Growth”, many tragic circumstances converge to outline the limitations in our capacity to learn what we already know. This inspires us to revisit the Club of Rome report “No Limits to Learning”, published in 1979, and deal again with the essential question: when will we learn?
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Aligning Values of Place
On January 5th, 1914, Henry Ford disrupted the entire United States and the world’s industrial economy when he announced manufacturing wages in his factories were now $5 a day. While flawed in application (the full wage was only available with a moral prudence standard outside of work as well), the wages gave Ford a competitive […]
Meat the Future, a solution for humane and climate conscious animal agriculture
Liz Marshall (Liz Mars) and Bullfrog Films As someone who chooses plant-based foods in order to lessen the climate and environmental impacts from conventional meat production, I am encouraged by Meat the Future, directed by Liz Marshall. This documentary highlights a hopeful advancement in food science and a possible solution for inhumane greenhouse gas producing large-scale […]
Reflections on Regenerative Urban Park Development
Last month, I was invited to participate in a panel discussion related to the development of Parque Intraurbano Jurica in Querétaro, Mexico. It was an honor to join my colleagues Drs. Javier Carillo (The World Capital Institute), Cathy Garner (University of Lancster), and Patrizia Ingallina (University of the Sarbonne) to share reflections on harmonizing ecology and […]
NFTs As Climate Solutions: How Changes In Crypto Are Thrilling Activists and Artists Alike
According to Maya Frost, there are non-art NFT projects that are contributing to everything from regenerative agriculture to ocean plastic removal, rainforest protection to forest carbon sequestration.
Reckoning GDP by Counting Chemical Bond Exchanges
Dollar values assigned to economic activity, through ignorance or design, can be misleading. There is an objective, scientific currency that can serve as a check on money-based reports on how much a nation has produced.
Investing in Nature to Transform the Post COVID-19 Economy. A 10-point Action Plan to create a circular bioeconomy devoted to sustainable wellbeing
Introduction In the last 50 years, the biosphere, upon which humanity depends, has been altered to an unparalleled degree[i]. The current fossil-based economy is putting at risk not only life on our planet, but also the world’s economy. The coronavirus pandemic is yet another wake-up call to stop exceeding the planetary boundaries. After all, deforestation, […]
Complaining Can Shrink Your Brain
Everyone either knows a complainer or is a complainer. With the pressing issues facing our society, it’s easy to fall into complaining. However, complaining is not as innocent as it appears. In fact, according to a study from Stanford[1], complaining actually shrinks your brain! Complaining for 30 minutes or listening to someone else complain for that amount […]
Eating with the Earth, a Great Win-Win
This article features topics discussed in the 50th Anniversary Edition of my book, Diet for a Small Planet, released September 2021. This version features a brand-new opening chapter, simple rules for a healthy diet, and updated recipes by some of the country’s leading plant- and planet-centered chefs. We are so excited to share this with you; order your […]
Living Machines as a Possible Treatment for Ibuprofen in Wastewater
Historically, wastewater treatment has focused on disinfection and reducing nutrient concentrations, but there is now growing concern over the increased concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds in agricultural and human wastewater. More comprehensive conventional wastewater treatment, however, leads to increased resource and energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Living Machines are alternative, decentralized ecological wastewater systems that have been successful at disinfecting and reducing nutrient loads in wastewater with lower capital and operating costs and improved energy efficiency. We conducted preliminary experiments using small-scale Living Machines to test their effectiveness at reducing a common pharmaceutical, ibuprofen, which is increasingly used in the agricultural sector and for human health. We found that these Living Machines were efficient and effective in reducing concentrations of ibuprofen in wastewater, even at input levels much higher than reported in the literature, and hence show promise for a range of possible applications.