27
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Jan 19, 2007 (Fri)
2 - 6 pm
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"Organizations and Environmental Sustainability" by Rajinder
Raina, India (More of this in the NewsFlash here)
So exactly how many earths would we need to sustain everyone if we all
used resources like the way you do? Find out in this link - take a 3 min quiz
and discover your Eco Footprint - www.royalsaskmuseum.ca. Also check
out the pdf document on Foodmiles. Have fun!
The Forum is to:-
a) First understand "sustainability" more clearly;
b) Understand deeply more fundamental laws of living and;
c) Look at options that we have.
What do we understand by the word "sustainability"? Are we talking
about we human beings wanting to live a few more years or are we talking
about 'survival of life'? We feel that this earth has lived for more than 4
billion years and it probably would live for ever-irrespective of human
species existence. Anyway we as homo sapiens have only been around for
just over 100,000 years! Putting that into perspective, out of those 100,000
years for over 90,000 years we lived one with nature. So that means we
knew the subject of sustainability too well.
What exactly happened in the last few years? Why did we land up in
the mess we are in? We feel that somewhere down the road, a part of us
(Sumeer and Olduvai communities) started moving away from fundamental
laws of nature - we started building and nurturing communities of humans
rather than communities of living - man was considered to be the master of
nature - somewhere man started feeling insufficient and insecure, religion
was a big contributor to that - we became a species of "More". Everything
we wanted more-more food than we could consume, more wealth than we
need and more desires than we could satisfy.
In the meantime the four or five fundamental laws of nature were violated
with reckless speed. That gave us progress (defined in a limited way) and
we all got sort of "drunk in that frenzied activity" called 'Life of wanting
more' rather than 'Life of living more'!
Come and explore:
1) Discussion on why sustainability? For whom? Why have we got into this
mess in the first place? Most of us oscillate our focus between
'sustainability for human survival' to 'sustainability of living'. These are two
different paradigms. One coming from fear, insecurity and survival of just
humans at the cost of everything else and the other bringing life and living
into the picture of which humans are a part;
2) Evolve the fundamental laws of nature in an open space format which
are universal and which need to be respected-now and forever;
3) Evolve various ways in which living can honour the fundamental laws.
Here we would like to share what many people have already started doing
as a response-living in communities of practice in conformance with the
fundamental laws-(in fact we are about to create one here)
We invite you to an 'open space' and a 'conversation' on the subject of
Sustainability. Let us all put our heads together and see:
1) Why is it so important to talk about it now?
2) Why have we forgotten what we knew for 90,000 years?
3) Where exactly did we go wrong?
4) What are the options in front of us-given that the structures around us
are dictating our behaviours in spite of our understanding of what ought to
be done!
5) What are those fundamental laws that we will have to adhere to?(refer
Daniel Quinn's writings!)
Readings:
1) www.neweconomics.org
2) www.zeri.org
3) www.feasta.org
4) www.isec.org.uk
5) www.ecovillage.org
6) www.gen-europe.org
7) www.cnvc.org
8) www.icaworld.org
9) www.oekodorf.or.at
10) www.livingroutes.org
11) www.ecovillage.wikicities.com
12) www.ecologicalsolutions.com.au
13) www.villagedesign.org
14) www.redefiningprogress.org
15) www.communityatwork.com
Notes on participant reflections here:
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/LOPN/message/316
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Rajinder Raina
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Kembangan
Community Club.
The location is just a
5 mins shaded walk
from the Kembangan
MRT station. The
club can be seen
from the MRT
station. Proceed to a
café located on the
ground floor (is
brightly lighted).
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Register by Jan 15
(Mon). Click here to
register.
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