Sustainabilty Success Requires a Win-Win Understanding

Sustainability can only be the solution, the antidote to our current economy’s interlinked and multiplying ecologic-economic crises, if people understand that sustainability is about creating a “win-win” solution -- an environmentally regenerative or “friendly” global economy that is more powerful, secure, and prosperous than our current fossil fuel-based economy ever could be, and doing so within the few short years remaining for an effective response before accelerating trends foreclose the opportunity.  This is a critically important point because so much of the policy proposals and media nattering about sustainability, the environment, and the response, is couched in the failure-breeding win-lose concept of trading off economic wealth for environmental benefit. Unless this twin, win-win concept of sustainability, achieved within the few short years remaining, is the conceptual basis for all economic development activities, and all international agreements, such as the daughter of Kyoto, we will fail ourselves and our children. We do this by embedding the central concepts of the economy of nature at the heart of the human economy so that human economic processes enhance the environment (the economy of nature) while simultaneously producing the life-support (wealth) that humans need. This is the direction of success, of wealth, of economic security and prosperity, of jobs, hope, and a real future. We must take it. 

As clear and simple as this concept is, how to accomplish it becomes the next question.  There are no simple answers, but simply asking the question and beginning to answer it is the first step, one which the international dialogue has rarely approached, let alone pursued aggressively and whole-heartedly.  Fortunately, other actors, from individuals, to firms, to not-for-profit organizations, to various levels of governmental organizations have an accumulating 20+year track record of asking this question and navigating the response. This base of experience would be a good place to start. (so the accumulated sustainability experience of humanity is relevant to inventory, assess, and distill into knowledge products (what’s a knowledge product).

A Mestizo Planet - to mix or not to mix?

An exhibition at the Musee du quai Branly, Paris FRANCE, from 18 March 2008 to 19 July 2009. " 'An honest man is a man of mixed origins,' wrote Michel de Montaigne. The worlds around us intersect, collide and blend together day after day, right before our eyes. What was once far away and unknown now lives among us, sometimes even within us, though we are often unaware of it. The mixing of human beings, ways of life, ways of believing and thinking has swept us up in an incessant movement that contemporary technologies have only accelerated. However, isn't every living society an ever-evolving organism, constantly transforming and mixing itself on contact with others? . . . The Planet metisse exhibition is centered on the period from the end of the Middle Ages to the dawn of the 21st century because this era demonstrates the progressive hesitant, but irreversible construction of the common environment in which we live today.  Mestizo objects are inseparable from the globalization process and can only be understood in their multiple forms, if we place them in a setting of western expansion and domination. They are at the heart of that period of the planet's history, which began in the 15th century.  Thus, with this idea of mixing [as a good, positive, capacity expanding, humanizing force]  we must explore our history and our memories. Mestizo objects encourage us to think of the world and its cultures in terms of movement and links, and to go beyond a dualist or Manichean vision which imprisons and isolates "others" in a remote, outer sphere. They highlight flows and movements, communication and conflicts, clashes and blending, boundaries and crossing of boundaries. Finally, they invite us to place communication and confrontation at the heart of creative ability which has taken root in universality."

This concept of the goodness of the intractable, irreversible mixing and transforming at the heart of the human history and experience -- often invisible in the moments of conflict, survival, and domination that seem to be associated with much of the mixing -- is an important concept for effectively rising to the 21st century global sustainability challenge.

www.quaibranly.fr

http://modules.quaibranly.fr/metis/

http://www.quaibranly.fr/uploads/media/CP_A_Mestizo_Planet.pdf

Global Warming Time Bomb - James Hansen Testifies

The curious part about these dire warnings for urgent action is how the language used suggests that the disaster will affect all EXCEPT human beings, instead of making the obvious connections and implications: disrupted/collapsing food chains, the normalization of extreme weather and associated agricultural production and industry crises, dislocations, and devastation, etc. 

Today (062308), Hansen, 67, plans to testify at a House committee hearing that it is almost, but not quite, too late to start defusing what he calls the "global warming time bomb." He will offer a prescription for cuts in emissions and also a warning about the risks of further inaction.

"If we don't begin to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the next several years, and really on a very different course, then we are in trouble," Hansen said Friday at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, which he has directed since 1981. "Then the ice sheets are in trouble. Many species on the planet are in trouble."

SFGATE: Scientist hasn't cooled crusade against warming, Andrew C. Revkin, New York Times, Monday, June 23, 2008.  http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/23/MNI311DGDL.DTL&type=science

Use a google search for other resources for James Hansen.

John Todd, Jaime Snyder and Hunter Lovins interviewed on Democracy Now!

Buckminster Fuller Institute Announcement:  Dr. John Todd was awarded the first annual Buckminster Fuller Challenge prize at a conferring ceremony at the Center for Architecture in New York City on Monday, June 23rd.  Democracy Now!, a fantastic New York-based independent radio/TV news broadcast, caught up with Dr. Todd, Challenge juror Hunter Lovins, and Jaime Snyder to talk about Fuller's legacy, Dr. Todd's visionary work in Appalachia, and the foolish plans for a nuclear power revival in the United States.

http://bfi.org/our_programs/the_buckminster_fuller_challenge/john_todd_jaime_snyder_and_hunter_lovins_interviewed_on_democracy_now

Democracy Now Interview:     25 Years After His Death, Visionary R. Buckminster Fuller Continues to Inspire Efforts for a More Sustainable Planet.  New York’s Whitney Museum is opening an exhibition this week bringing together the work of architect and visionary, R. Buckminster Fuller. More than two decades after his death, Fuller continues to inspire efforts for a more sustainable planet in the twenty-first century. From his famous geodesic dome to his shunned electric car, Fuller employed design to tackle problems including homelessness and environmental degradation.

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/24/two_decades_after_his_death_visionary

Burning Up the House - The Last Gasps of Big Oil & Nuclear?

No need to burn up the house to heat one room -

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/23/MNEV11CIVI.DTL&hw=will+voters+go+for+drilling&sn=001&sc=1000

Backyard Farming!

Supplemental, distributed, local agriculture -- could be one component of a protective strategy to increase local life support capacity, urban resiliency, food security, and bridge future disruptions to the food system, transportation system, water supply, and energy.

Urban Agricultural Resources:

S.F. firm harvests potential of unused land, Tara Duggan, Chronicle Staff Writer,
Monday, June 23, 2008, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/06/23/MN8R118AR4.DTL

Guerrilla gardening. Visit guerrillagardening.org. Click on Community and navigate to San Francisco.

Free Farm Stand. This volunteer-run organization offers produce grown in local backyards free to the public, especially to low-income people. Sundays 1-3 p.m., Parque Niños Unidos at the corner of 23rd Street and Treat Avenue. freefarmstand.org.

MyFarm. For more information, visit www.myfarmsf.com.

People's Grocery. Nonprofit with programs to increase access to healthy food in West Oakland, including urban agriculture. peoplesgrocery.org.

Quesada Gardens Initiative. Community of Bayview residents who tend a vegetable garden on a city median. quesadagardensblog.blogspot.com.

Three Stone Hearth. A Berkeley cooperative that sells nutrient-rich prepared meals for pickup or delivery, following the principles of Weston A. Price. threestonehearth.com or e-mail info@threestonehearth.com.

Victory Gardens 2008+. A San Francisco pilot project to create more vegetable gardens in backyards, parks and rooftops: sfvictorygardens.org.

E-mail Tara Duggan at tduggan@sfchronicle.com.  This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Nuclear - Why Go the Wrong Way? We're out of time and resources!

And the never-ending argument continues:

“However, he added that the global nuclear power industry needed to find convincing answers to a number of challenges, including the sustainability of uranium resources; safety and economics; waste management and the fuel cycle; public acceptance and non-proliferation.”

There is an answer. It’s called solar, wind, and other renewables PLUS economic innovation in the best human tradition of creativity to invent settlement patterns, transportation systems, and a market economy that is based on renewable energy and that would produce enduring economic security and prosperity in contrast to the finite horizon of the current carbon-based economy. The earth has been doing it for a long time. Humanity might want to try it!

Nuclear is the wrong direction, the wrong mode, and has truly insurmountable issues. Why does any sane and intelligent person continue to say otherwise?  See statement by UN nuc official below.

_____

From: news17-admin@lists.un.org [mailto:news17-admin@lists.un.org] On Behalf Of UN_NEWS
Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 4:45 PM
To: news17@secint00.un.org
Subject: UN DAILY NEWS DIGEST - 19 June

Excerpt:  UN DAILY NEWS from the
UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE
19 June, 2008 =========================================================================

PROMISING FUTURE FOR NUCLEAR POWER BUT CHALLENGES REMAIN, SAYS UN OFFICIAL

The number of nuclear power reactors around the globe is estimated to increase by 60 per cent by 2030, but the industry still needs to deal with a series of challenges, according to a top official with the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Addressing an event in Seoul to mark 30 years of civilian nuclear power in the Republic of Korea, the Deputy Director General of the IAEA, Yuri A. Sokolov, said that decades of experience in constructing, commissioning, operating and maintaining nuclear power plants would be a crucial help to bring newcomers into the nuclear field.

“The way in which nuclear power has developed in Korea is a clear demonstration of how the challenges can become opportunities,” Mr. Sokolov said, speaking at the event which occurred earlier this month.

However, he added that the global nuclear power industry needed to find convincing answers to a number of challenges, including the sustainability of uranium resources; safety and economics; waste management and the fuel cycle; public acceptance and non-proliferation.

The Republic of Korea now has 20 nuclear power units in operation, six units under construction and two units in planning stages.

According to figures released by the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power company, over the last 30 years in Korea nuclear power has generated a total of 2 trillion kW/h of electricity, saving the Asian country an estimated 2.94 billion barrels of heavy oil worth $96 billion.

Sustainable Insight Periodical (kpmg.cz)

KPMG in the Czech Republic

Latest KPMG studies:  http://www.kpmg.cz/index.thtml/en/index.html

Sustainable Insight - new research and analysis (see below):  http://www.kpmg.cz/index.thtml/en/library/Otherpubl/SustainableInsight/index.html

Other News:  http://www.kpmg.cz/index.thtml/en/library/Otherpubl/index.html

Sustainable Insight -- Our quarterly 'Sustainable Insight' offers new research and analysis on emerging sustainability trends.

Sustainable Insight March 2008

Our quarterly Sustainable Insight offers new research and analysis on emerging sustainability trends. The second edition is about Managing your Carbon Footprint. Download

Sustainable Insight October 2007

Our quarterly Sustainable Insight offers new research and analysis on emerging sustainability trends. The first edition explores the link between innovation and sustainability. Download

Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions: March 10-12 2009

Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions: March 10-12 2009 Copenhagen, Denmark. Registration and further information: www.climatecongress.ku.dk

The Congress will bring together thought leaders and industry professionals like yourself. The Copenhagen Congress on Climate Change, organized by ten universities in the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) (www.iaruni.org) will be a unique congress aiming to identify and synthesise the science, technology and policy advances required in order to ensure sustainability of global communities in the current and coming decades.

The Danish Government as host of the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP15) to be held in Copenhagen at the end of 2009 supports this Congress organised by IARU as part of the run-up to the COP 15. An executive summary with the main findings of this Congress will, after agreement with the Danish Government, be handed over to the participants at the COP15.

We are delighted to have secured the participation of Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Chairman of the IPCC and Mr. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission as keynote speakers at this historic event. The following leading international figures are confirmed plenary speakers and more will become part of the programme.

* Professor Thomas Homer-Dixon, University of Toronto
* Professor Amanda Lynch, Monash University
* Professor Diana Liverman, University of Oxford
* Professor Nebojsa Nakicenovic, The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
* Professor William D. Nordhaus, Yale University
* Professor Stefan Rahmstorf, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
* Professor John Schellnhuber, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

The main aim of the congress is to provide a synthesis of existing and emerging scientific knowledge necessary in order to make intelligent societal decisions concerning application of mitigation and adaptation strategies in response to climate change.

The congress aims to identify and synthesise the science, technology and policy advances required in order to ensure sustainability of global communities in the current and coming decades.  Please let us know if you would like further information on the programme and, most importantly, we eagerly anticipate your participation. 

Buckminster Fuller Challenge - Movie & 2009 Competition

(cross posting from http://www.bfi.org/our_programs/the_buckminster_fuller_challenge/the_buckminster_fuller_challenge_see_the_movie

Well, if this isn't sustainably cool, i'm not sure what is.  Very catchy movie of Bucky's essential vision, questions, mission, and purpose connected to the recently launched (2008) Buckminster fuller challenge:  access to 2008 winner and top picks. Read on . . .

Bucky had it right. “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

That’s why we’re awarding a $100,000 prize each year for comprehensive solutions that radically advance human well-being and ecosystem health. The 2008 prize will be conferred June 23rd in NYC.

The 2009 Challenge begins this fall. Stay tuned...

If you would like to receive email updates about the 2009 Challenge, please send a request to challenge (at) bfi (dot) org with the word “subscribe” in the subject line.

The Winner of the 2008 Challenge

• Comprehensive Design for a Carbon Neutral World: The Challenge of Appalachia

The 2008 Runners Up

• The Barefoot College
• Promoting the Use of Biogas and Training Bedouin Women

Other entries featured in this movie...

• A Nutrient Management System for Small Dairy
• The Water Bullet
• Lunar Resonant Street lights
• The Carbon Balancing Act Road show (link coming soon...)
• The Urban Turbine
• Vertically Integrated Greenhouse

Peak Oil Dilema - High Price Will Kill the Economy Long Before We Run Out

The peak oil dialogue is miscast around when the absolute supply of oil will peak and or be used. The couple of forecast lines in the good summary in National Geographic of infinite supply leave out one key piece of information -- price; at what price is the supply infinite? At no price that a robust economy can afford is the answer!!  Long before oil supply peaks or is exhausted, price increases will cause dramatic economic dislocation and disruption, and begin to finally send the price signal to society via the free market that oil is not the energy of the future; that the economy built on cheap oil is over and never coming back. Unless a cheap substitute is found, the golden goose of free enterprise will increasingly be able to provide less and less to more and more.  With a roughly 50% increase in the global population forecast by mid-century, that is an increase of 2.5 billion people, the transition to a renewable energy economy of abundance within the next 10-20 years is one of the critical-path sustainability challenges. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/world-oil/roberts-text

The Next City--NYT Magazine 6.8.08 Architecture Issue

 An interesting foray into urban futures.  http://www.nytimes.com/magazine/

Questions for Enrique Peñalosa,Man With a Plan, Interview by DEBORAH SOLOMON,The former mayor of Bogota, Colombia, talks about the world’s best-designed cities, the problem with private waterfronts and why sidewalks are essential for democracy.

 

Phenomenon,The Exigent City,By JIM LEWIS,Increasingly, refugee camps have become de facto cities, and cities have become extended refugee camps. Is there a place here for architects?

From the Archive, Arthur Lubow on the architecture of Curitiba, Brazil, and developments by the firm Herzog & de Meuron in China.

 

Crowded House, By DARCY FREY,A firm based in Rotterdam solves the problem of too many people on too small a planet by tunneling down, packing tight and making pigs fly. Slide Show

 

The New, New City, By NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF,Shenzhen and Dubai may have outstripped Paris and New York as civic models. But can an instant city ever feel like the real thing? Audio Slide Show

 

Guerrilla Gardening, By JON MOOALLEM,Reclaiming green space one anarchic, get-your-hands-dirty, grab-a-flat-of-perennials-and-a-trowel act at a time.

 

And more. . . http://www.nytimes.com/magazine/ 

 

Sustainable Urbanism Webinar Series

New Webinar Series Led by Author and Practitioner Doug Farr, June 19th, 2008, 2-4PM Eastern (1-3PM Central, 12-2PM Mountain, 11AM-1PM Pacific).  The task of implementing sustainable communities will require the participation of the next several generations of development and planning professionals. New tools and techniques can greatly assist in the adoption of Sustainable Urbanism as a dominant pattern of human settlement over the course of the next few decades. Farr Associates, in partnership with PlaceMatters and the APA Technology Division, has put together this convenient and affordable series of online workshop to teach planners about the principles and practices of Sustainable Urbanism.  Register Now, Early Bird Rates End June 13 >>  http://www.placematters.org/webinars

Peter Head - New Aurp Business Unit: Planning and Integrated Urbanism.

  Google Search:

Peter Head | Arup

Peter is a Director of Arup and heads up the newly integrated business of Planning and Integrated Urbanism. www.arup.com/sustainability/people.cfm?pageid=6008 - 8k - Cached - Similar pages

Arup unveils plans for world’s first sustainable city in Dongtan ...

Peter Head, Director, Arup said: ''Arup is delighted to be working with SIIC on such an ambitious development that could well prove to be the template for ... www.arup.com/newsitem.cfm?pageid=7009 - 12k - Cached - Similar pages More results from www.arup.com »

Peter Head

John Elkington interviews Peter Head of Arup on his involvement in ... Peter Head of the UK engineering group Arup — motto: ‘We shape a better world’ — is ... www.sustainability.com/network/global-influencer.asp?id=438 - 21k - Cached - Similar pages

Peter Head - Shangai-Dongtan eco city - ARUP

Peter Head is committed to creating design solutios that overcome these problems, to ensure urban environments are sustainable in the future. ... archiworld.tv/playmovie.php?movie=38_13p.rm&ident=947 - 8k - Cached - Similar pages

Peter Head

Apr 21, 2007 ... Peter Head is Director of Arup, a leading global firm providing design, engineering, planning and business services, and the creative force ... www.holcimfoundation.org/T428/PeterHead.htm - 46k - Cached - Similar pages

Holcim Forum 2007 - Peter Head

"Urban transformation in the policy context", Peter Head, Director of Arup and Independent Commissioner on the London Sustainable Development Commission. ... www.holcimfoundation.org/T564/F07PixHead.htm - 41k - Cached - Similar pages

[PDF]

Peter Head, Director, Arup

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML Peter Head, Director, Arup. Peter is a champion for developing global practice that demonstrates that the way we invest public and private ... www.cfsd.org.uk/events/tspd12/Biogs/Peter%20Head.pdf - Similar pages

Future Player: Peter Head - CNN.com

Peter Head is Director of urban design and development at Arup, the global design and business consulting firm. www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/04/01/peter.head/index.html - 68k - Cached - Similar pages

Peter Head « Ecocity Media

Feb 8, 2008 ... Peter Head is a Director of Arup, the English design and ... (CNN) — Peter Head is Director of urban design and development at Arup, ... ecocity.wordpress.com/tag/peter-head/ - 52k - Cached - Similar pages

Peter Head on Day 3 « Ecocity Media

May 1, 2008 ... Peter Head is a Director of Arup, the English design and engineering firm, and head of their project for Dongtan, a planned ecocity on an ...
ecocity.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/peter-head-on-day-3/ - 42k - Cached - Similar pages
More results from ecocity.wordpress.com »

Schumacher College - Transformative Learning for Sustainable Living

Schumacher College, one of the world's preeminent and pioneering colleges of sustainability, offers a variety of short courses (days to a month) as well as an education certificate and a one-year MSc in Holistic Science. Their catalog says, "Participants come to Schumacher to identify tools and skills that will work for them at the cutting edge of their practice. The College is open to any individual with an enquiring mind, from any background. Previous participants have included business consultants, educators, artists, and designers."  Check out their web site, Email them, or Call +44 (0)1803 865-934.

Peter Head, a Director of Arup, one of the world's leading urban engineering and plannning firms, said of his experience, "It helped me become more deeply rooted in my commitment to developing sustainable cities. I recommend professionals spend time at Schumacher College as i know it is a place where future leaders are developed."

World Commitment Waning to Reverse Climate Change

The next generation of climate solutions needs to harness the innovative potential of sustainability to create a new, more prosperous economy that restores, enhances, and leverages ecological integrity, not simply agree to emissions targets. Next generation of solutions needs to sketch and pursue a collaborative research and development effort to create the technology, the capacity, that will allow countries to meet the emissions targets, and ultimately, to eliminate emissions with the transition to a carbon neutral economy. The current dialogue, as outlined below, is a start, but success will require much more. 

U.N. climate chief urges new emission targets

Joseph Coleman, Associated Press, Sunday, May 25, 2008

(05-25) 04:00 PDT Kobe, Japan -- The world is losing momentum in the battle against global warming, the U.N. climate chief warned Saturday, urging environmental ministers from wealthy nations to revive the effort by setting clear targets for reducing greenhouse gases.

The ministers gathered in the western Japanese city of Kobe for a three-day meeting as evidence mounted that rising world temperatures have been taking a toll on the Earth at a faster rate than previously forecast.

The officials from the Group of Eight countries, joined by representatives from other nations including China, were to lay the foundations for the upcoming G8 summit in northern Japan in July.

U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer told the Associated Press he is concerned about stalling momentum behind international talks to forge a global warming pact by December 2009 to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. Its first phase ends in 2012.

"Much of the enthusiasm and ambition that we saw in Bali with the launch of negotiations doesn't seem to be present," he said, referring to a meeting on the Indonesian resort island in December, when 190 countries decided on a timetable for talks on the new climate pact.

De Boer cited a recently announced U.S. climate plan that would allow an increase in emissions, Canada's indication that it will not meet its obligations under the Kyoto agreement, and European industry's skepticism about the EU goal of cutting emissions by 20 percent from 1990 levels by 2020.

To rejuvenate the talks, G8 countries - the United States, Japan, Russia, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Canada - need to decide on midterm targets for reducing carbon emissions by 2020, make a clearer commitment to helping poorer nations deal with climate change, and form a dialogue with top developing countries such as China to run parallel with the U.N.-led talks, he said.

"Certainly, my expectation is that ... the G8 leaders will now really take things to the next level, and I think need to take it to the next level, with December 2009 being just around the corner," de Boer said.

On Saturday, the ministers heard from environmentalists and business leaders before moving behind closed doors.

Environmentalists urged quick action to stem the effects of the rise in world temperatures, which scientists say threaten to drive species to extinction, worsen floods and droughts, and thwart economic development.

Bill Hare of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research warned that rising oil prices could exacerbate the effects by encouraging the use of cheaper coal - a much dirtier fuel.

"The recent developments in the energy sector, particularly high oil prices and coal intensive development ... are pointing toward the risk of higher emissions," Hare told the ministers.

The U.N. process has moved slowly, with nations clashing over how ambitious the world should be in stemming the rise in world temperatures, how reduction targets should be set, and how much rapidly developing nations such as China should be called on to rein in emissions of greenhouse gases.

This article appeared on page A - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Brazil Rainforest VS the Economy

Brazil Rainforest Analysis Sets Off Political Debate

By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO, Published: May 25, 2008, The New York Times

SÃO JOSÉ DOS CAMPOS, Brazil — Gilberto Câmara, a scientist who leads Brazil’s national space agency, is more at ease poring over satellite data of the Amazon than being thrust into the spotlight. A report produced by Gilberto Câmara, above, a scientist who leads Brazil’s national space agency, has been criticized for its heavy reliance on a relatively new measure of deforestation.

But since January, Dr. Câmara has been at the center of a political tug-of-war between scientists and Brazil’s powerful business interests. It started when he and his fellow engineers released a report showing that deforestation of Brazil’s portion of the rainforest seemed to have shot up again after two years of decline.

Since then, Dr. Câmara, who leads the National Institute for Space Research here, has found himself having to defend his agency’s findings against one of Brazil’s richest and most powerful men: Blairo Maggi, who is governor of the country’s largest agricultural state, Mato Grosso, and a business owner known as the “Soybean King.”

Environmentalism is not about the environment.

Environmentalism is not about the environment. SF Examiner, May 27, 2008. It becomes increasingly difficult to conclude that, for legions of politicians, bureaucrats and activists claiming the mantle of environmentalism, the goal is merely to clean the air and water. Rather, it is to add to the already massively overgrown federal Leviathan vast new regulatory powers of such magnitude and reach that hardly any daily activity will be exempt from bureaucratic oversight and supervision. . . .

Innovation Tools and Trends (BusWeek)

What comes next? BusinessWeek Innovation Editors Helen Walters and Reena Jana chronicle new tools for creativity and collaboration, innovation case studies in both the corporate and social sectors, and the new ideas that have the power to change the way things have always been done.  RSS Feed: Next: Innovation Tools & Trends

World Cities Summit (June 23-25, 2008 - Singapore)

World Cities Summit is a premier international conference series on effective public governance and sustainable development of cities. The inaugural event in 2008 will focus on urban development and environmental sustainability issues under the theme "Liveable and Vibrant Cities". The discussion topics will address the challenges of developing cities that are both liveable and vibrant. It will cover issues related to excellent urban infrastructure, clean environment, climate change, good quality of life and economic competitiveness.