What it All Means This Week:
Relocalization Movement Gains Momentum...: The Post Carbon Institute has created a global relocalization network
with a substantial toolkit and speakers' group behind it. They're
thinking way ahead of the curve, and their program is daunting, as this
one-hour video by the network's founder reveals. Thanks to Elisabeth Frankish of the network's Karamea NZ chapter for the link.
...And There's a New Wiki for Those Trying to Make the World a Better Place...: Appropedia
is the site for collaborative solutions in sustainability, poverty
reduction and international development. Thanks to my friend Lugon of
the Fluwiki for the link.
...And Entrepreneurship Has a Role to Play Too: A new study by SustainAbility (free registration required to download report) says social and environmentally responsible, sustainable enterprise is on a roll.
The report is encouraging, a good summary of what's happened so far and
worth the read, but it's devoid of imagination and innovation, with too
much preoccupation on getting funding and political support. Just as we
need to stop thinking of 'the environment' as something apart from
human culture, we need to stop thinking of 'social entrepreneurs' as a
separate, altruistic class of entrepreneurs. There is no reason why
leading-edge socially and environmentally responsible, sustainable
enterprises can't be joyful, profitable, natural ways to make a living. Thanks to Innovation Weekly and Joel Makower for the link.
Chronic Auto-Immune Diseases and Oxidative Stress: The medical community is starting to learn approaches to complex system issues. In a recent Canadian-Iranian study, researchers have found a strong correlation
between inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn's and ulcerative colitis,
which I suffer from) and oxidative stress. If the oxidative stress is a
cause, then anti-oxidants might be a preventative or treatment, but
what causes the oxidative stress? And if it's just a symptom, what's
the cause and why is oxidative stress a consequence? You know my hypothesis (illustrated above), and this is an encouraging sign that it's plausible.
Selecting Compact Fluorescent Bulbs: Popular Mechanics rates 'em all and finds them better made than incandescents
as well as more energy efficient. Best buy: Philips Marathon at $3.
Strategy: Buy in bulk, and as each old incandescent gives out, replace
it with a compact fluorescent. The old magazine is looking a lot
greener these days: Here's their advice on weaning your lawn off artificial, toxic chemicals.
Failed States Index:
The map above shows the Fund for Peace's failed states index scores for
2006. The site has full details of the methodology, which gauges political and economic stability, but arguably not environmental/energy sustainability. If Canada were listed as 'sustainable' on that score, we're all in big trouble. Thanks to Dale Asberry for the link.
Join Us Thursday April 26 for the Innovation Bloggers Virtual Forum
I'm one of eight bloggers in Jeff De Cagna's annual online Innovation Forum.
Here's the line-up:
This is a really extraordinary group, and I'm honoured to be a part of
it. If you'd like to listen in, e-mail me or say so in the comments
below, and I'll send you the dial-in details. Also, let me know if
you're going to the SLA Conference in Denver in June. The best stuff at these conferences happens at the edges.
I Need Some Technical Help:
I've been trying to import my Thunderbird E-mail Address Book into my
Google Mail account. I've vetted every line of the .csv file I created
but Google still rejects it, without telling me why. Anyone grappled
with this? Anyone actually exported their entire Thunderbird inbox to
Google Mail? And... I notice a lot of bloggers have added Snap
(snapshots of their link pages when you scroll over) to their sites --
anyone know what would happen to page load time if I added it to my
pages with a 400+ line blogroll?
Thought for the Week: From my work colleague Marie Muir: Spanish Flu is only Spanish if you're not. |
5:11:54 PM 
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MADE IN CANADA
trust your
instincts 
