In a recent blog post, I looked back on 2013 in optimistic terms. Good things happened last year, and positive trends were strengthened, despite the obvious shadows and sorrows that appear in the nightly news. Now I turn my attention to the year ahead. I take for granted that most of those good things (e.g. … Continue reading The world in 2014: six shocking trends to keep watching
Author: Alan AtKisson
Assessing 2013: Another sustainable loop around the sun
It’s New Year’s Eve, the end of the year. We traditionally think of December 31 as the “end,” though in reality, we are locked in an ongoing, all-but-eternal cycle of orbital loops around our mother-star, the Sun. These annual trips are expected to keep going for 5 billion years. Talk about sustainable transportation! We inherited … Continue reading Assessing 2013: Another sustainable loop around the sun
About “Sustainability is for Everyone” (new book)
One evening last May, lying in bed, I was wondering what to say at the induction ceremony for the ISSP Sustainability Hall of Fame. Suddenly I took up my laptop and started tapping on the keyboard. The result was a little text called Sustainability is for Everyone. I feel pretty about about this little book. … Continue reading About “Sustainability is for Everyone” (new book)
Big Visions, Grand Challenges and Nagging Controversies: Navigating into the Anthropocene
On 3 Nov 2013, I gave the opening keynote address to the combined annual conferences of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crops Science Society of America (CSSA), and the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) — over 3,000 researchers and experts from the US and around the world in attendance, and about 1,500 in … Continue reading Big Visions, Grand Challenges and Nagging Controversies: Navigating into the Anthropocene
“A Fresh Start for Sustainable Development”
Note: A different, chattier version of this post was sent to WaveFront newsletter readers. The eight-point summary is the same. To read WaveFront, sign up at http://www.AtKisson.com. The new issue of the leading journal Development, under the new editorship of Tariq Banuri, is finally out! Much food for thought there. I have an essay in … Continue reading “A Fresh Start for Sustainable Development”
An Essential Guide through Unavoidable Techno-Babble (Review)
Book review by Alan AtKisson, republished from CSRNewswire In a minute, I am going to tell you why Elaine Cohen’s DōShorts Understanding G4: The Concise Guide to Next Generation Sustainability Reporting is a must-read for anybody working in sustainability. But first I need to give you some background. I have been a keen observer, and … Continue reading An Essential Guide through Unavoidable Techno-Babble (Review)
My To-Do List, Fall 2013 …
This page from my notebook (see photo) sums up the headlines on my to do list for the coming year: launching a new music album, building a global volunteer campaign for sustainability, participating in a number of important scientific processes, publishing a little book, and all the while continuing to do the usual consulting, training, … Continue reading My To-Do List, Fall 2013 …
Why Smartphones are Worse than Refrigerators
Got a smartphone? Take a look at it. Think “refrigerator.” That’s because a smartphone consumes more energy than a fridge. When I read this, in an article on Grist.org, I had a hard time a believing it. (Grist in turn links to this technical report, The Cloud Begins with Coal.) What about all those functions … Continue reading Why Smartphones are Worse than Refrigerators
Reintroducing “Believing Cassandra: The Music Album”
In preparation for the release of my first new studio album in fourteen years, I have been going through my previous catalog of albums, produced on CD and even ancient cassette tapes, and updating what is available to the new digital world. Amazingly (to me), it seems that one of those albums has become a … Continue reading Reintroducing “Believing Cassandra: The Music Album”
Having Coffee with my Father’s French Horn
As I continue re-integrating music into my professional life (the upcoming release of my most ambitious album ever is starting to feel more real), there occasionally come unexpected moments of wonder. Consider this French horn, which I have brought with me to this cafe. (I’m taking it in for appraisal.) This was my father’s French … Continue reading Having Coffee with my Father’s French Horn
Alan AtKisson 