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
The Green Economy: Boosted, Busted, or Blasting Off?
This post is adapted from AtKisson Group's WaveFront, a free newsletter that Alan's company sends to clients, friends, and ... well, anyone who wants it! Sign up at http://www.AtKisson.com. This article refers to a free global strategy review from the AtKisson Group's Sustainability Intelligence Unit that describes the basic concepts of the Green Economy, maps … Continue reading The Green Economy: Boosted, Busted, or Blasting Off?
Summer: A Time for Measuring, Analyzing, Discussing — and even Experiencing! — Happiness
The following was originally composed as a set of notes for use by Junko Edahiro, who writes a monthly newsletter on happiness and wellbeing issues in Japan. See the website of her Institute, ISHES, for more info. My own summer vacation, spent mostly in Sweden and the United States, has been a happy one ... … Continue reading Summer: A Time for Measuring, Analyzing, Discussing — and even Experiencing! — Happiness
A Tale of Two Conferences (science & policy)
Recently I keynoted at two conferences in the same week that both reflected the state of European dialogue on sustainability -- from two very different perspectives. The first, on Global Systems Science, seemed to me a major step forward on how systems thinking can be applied to sustainability issues. Attending this conference were not just … Continue reading A Tale of Two Conferences (science & policy)
Indicators, MDGs, SDGs, and GDP
On Thursday 16 May, I attended an excellent public seminar on the power of indicators and numbers in the context of sustainable development. Hosted by UNDP and the Dag Hammarsköld Foundation, in Stockholm, it featured two powerful women speakers: Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, former director of the UN's Human Development Index and now a professor at the … Continue reading Indicators, MDGs, SDGs, and GDP
What Music Means (to Me)
This article describes how music came back into my life — again — and the process of recording my new album with some of Sweden's leading musicians. The album is to be released later this year (2013) . A few years ago, I heard someone ask the veteran global trend analyst Lester Brown — who … Continue reading What Music Means (to Me)
Knowledge and Sustainability: The Global State of The Art
Recently I had the honor — and the amazingly complex challenge — of preparing a report for the new United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD), based in Incheon, Korea. The title of the report signals its state-of-the-art global breadth: “Knowledge, Capacity Building, and Networks for Sustainable Development: A Review.” This report has been published … Continue reading Knowledge and Sustainability: The Global State of The Art
Alan AtKisson 