"The future is neither unseen nor unknown. It is what we make of it." King Khesar, The 5th Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan

Ever stop to think how many collective years we have applied to the belief that no matter how bad the world was getting, it would some how or other be solved by some one else? When i was a child growing up in the '80's, this ideal that all the problems increasingly evident-- pollution, then-global warming, over-population, world hunger, the AIDS epidemic, water shortages, desertification, to name a few-- would be magically taken care of by some unknown figures in cloistered halls of government or scientific communities. Now that I am older I can't help but wonder at what point do we all just need to step and refuse to be passive anymore about our world, our lives, our collective sufferings?! Mayhap some of the solutions to these problems aren't giant country or world-wide solutions, but merely small impacts that every individual or or community can make! Be it a change in our actions, reactions, perspectives, or beliefs... but I think all of us can agree that some change is still desperately needed in this world.

With that in mind, I have been brainstorming a few ideas for what my small dent in this world might look like. While I may still be contemplating that future goal, what follows here is a list of random concepts introduced throughout my searching years that could collectively make this world a better place. What are some of your ideas?

--Permaculture!
This concept of food production begins to address the problems that arise with agriculture, a system which will never be sustainable. The movement's founder Bill Mollison defines it in his book, Introduction to Permaculture thusly:

The aim is to create systems that are ecologically-sound and economically viable, which provide for their own needs, do not exploit or pollute, and are therefore sustainable in the long term. Permaculture uses the inherent qualities of plants and animals combined with the natural characteristics of landscapes and structures to produce a life-supporting system for city and country, using the smallest practical area.

Edible forest planting, urban permaculture designs, edible landscaping, chicken tractors, sustainable architecture and design, etc. are all different pieces of the permaculture whole!





-- Gross National Happiness!!
This resounding rethinking of industrialized nations economists' most basic measuring stick, Gross Domestic Product. A preliminary step towards new concepts of what makes a people or country prosperous and thriving! A brilliant overview of it can be found here: http://www.grossnationalhappiness.com/PowerPoints/gnhppt.pdf



--Feminist Economics!
Speaking of breaking away from old standards! Think in economics tis time for a shift, or in the words of Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice and The Blade:Our History, Our Future, "...we need to shift the conversation." This is the economic vantage point of finding value in more than just supply and demand or total output of goods.



--DIY [do it yourself]

This movement moves people beyond believing that you require some one trained/ qualified to do many things that we, ourselves can do... from changing the oil in one's car to building a solar panel, to repairing your clothes, and so much more. All these tasks serve as reminders that we are the source of our empowerment. Also doing such tasks raises one's awareness, for tis difficult to remain completely ignorant of a car's mechanics when one crawls under the hood to fix or maintain something. Similarly, building a structure or publishing a 'zine reinforce our connectivity to each other and things outside ourselves to progress towards completion.

Food for thought folks!