All-You-Can-Learn Buffet

16 weeks of 16 gourmet dishes! That is how I see Sustainability curriculum. Not everyone is going to like every dish, but there are so many distinct flavors and ways to serve Sustainability that each semester becomes a buffet of topics.

I like to try new recipes and new ingredients in an effort to continuously improve. My students are like my tasters. From them I learn how to make the topics tasty. To them I am grateful.

Thinking about the Future

Today was a good day for thinking. I met with my marketing advisor and together we pondered some good questions. His specialty is personality traits so we discussed if there were radio talk shows in Europe that influenced the politics and science. The one that stumped me was "can a far right wing conservative known to be low on openness ever become a sustainability advocate?" I'd like to say everyone can hold their exact beliefs, maintain their lifestyle choices, and just snap their fingers and become sustainable. But I don't think that is possible.
Can I overspend daily and build a savings account?
Can I eat like a pig and remain slim?

No, we probably can't ask people to change but I predict a gradual evolution across society will occur over the coming decades that will create a more widespread mindset rather than the polar opposites that paralyze progress today. I think our children will be as ashamed of our ignorance as we are of our ancestor's discrimination.

CO2 per minute of fun

On Friday night I saw the new movie "Transformers" and on Saturday night I attended an outdoor wedding at the lake followed by a band and dance at the picnic pavilion. Reflecting on my weekend entertainment choices I had to ask myself how much CO2 was emitted in the production of this multi-million dollar film vs. how much the simple little country wedding created. Like MPG, maybe there should be a carbon-per-unit of fun measurement. I'm pretty sure I had more fun watching real people sing and dance and hug under the moonlight than watching computer animated robots explode for two hours.

A low-carbon economy might just be a high-fun society to live!

The Edge vs. the Top

It is NOT lonely at the top, it is lonely at the edge -- the cutting edge. At the top everyone wants to be your friend, at the edge you stand alone. They also call it the bleeding edge which is the second clue it is a painful place to be. When I spoke in front of the city council tonight I was bringing mainstream global thinking to mainstreet middle America where it is viewed with great suspicion as cutting edge risky propositions. Ironically the sustainability knowledge I shared with my local government officials is not even cutting edge in other parts of the country. Opportunity doesn’t keep knocking until we are ready, it moves on to receptive people willing to open their doors.

My friends tell me I am once again too far ahead of the curve and that I should not waste my time. Dress rehearsals are important. Citizenship is rarely a waste of time; it is a privilege and responsibility. Some people confuse this as leadership, but that is not accurate. An innovator invents for the love of creation; followership is not required. The innovator sees a way to make the world a better place and expressing that vision is an absolute joy. I have special knowledge I shared with my city tonight. They may have to hear it ten times before it becomes familiar and acceptable. And I really don’t mind paving the way for that tenth person who will be heard. Who knows, I may even get back in the queue and be that tenth person. The point is to persevere toward progress because it doesn’t happen by accident or apathy.

One Room School House of Sustainability

Each semester a new class begins and offers an array of students with varied backgrounds and different levels of environmental savviness. My goal is to offer challenging topics while not overwhelming newcomers to the field. The one room school house is my favorite analogy; it is a place where everyone helps everyone else. The wise teach the new. The young eyes bring fresh perspectives. It becomes a community of sustainability. 

Everyone is still learning. Everyone. That includes world leaders, CEOs, professors, and me. Nobody was born knowing this material and no one knows it all. Trust me. Sustainability is like a door into another world. Some people walked through their doors years ago, some days ago. Some were pushed like I was. Nevertheless, eventually we all will find our door and follow the path that is right for each of us. 

Brand on Your Radar

Be personally optimistic and globally pessimistic... Stuart Brand

Before the Wikipedia, The Internet, Apple's Hypercard or even the J. Peterman catalog...there was The Whole Earth Catalog.

Learning Composting

I teach myself as I teach others. I have had very little experience with composting table scraps. I found this used compost barrel for $25 and considered it an expense no worse than a textbook. I am still making my first load of dirt and not sure I'm doing it entirely right. It has attracted gnats. I mistakenly included my eggs shells and that may be the problem. My gardening consultant now tells me the round style compost makers of wire that sit on the ground are better and easier. Turning this handle every day SEEMED like a good idea at the time but summer vacation plans have prevented me from turning it properly everyday. I'm not giving up. Yet. But I'm not persevering forward anymore. I stopped saving food scraps until I figure it out. I'm learning too. I would probably sell it for $20 in a heartbeat.