For politically centrist, ethically minded people, who prefer serious debate to trolling and twitterstorms, these are challenging times. As Frank Bruni recently wrote in the New York Times (see link below), extremism and outrage is the order of the day. We need antidotes. Here's one: would you like to see (and hear) an example of … Continue reading Celebrating a victory for ethics and eloquence
What I’m currently working on
Welcome to my website. If you are looking for a bio and background on my work, click here. I work as a consultant and advisor on sustainable development. That work takes many different forms, from giving keynote speeches, to facilitating or moderating large events, to developing strategic plans, to managing small teams of researchers to … Continue reading What I’m currently working on
Crowdfunding Success: a Personal Thank You and Update
In January, I launched a "lightning challenge" crowdfunding campaign to bring a noted international exhibition on plastic garbage in the seas to Stockholm. It was successful, and the exhibit will open this week. Here is the letter I just sent to everyone who contributed, in amounts that ranged from $10 to $3,000. You can get … Continue reading Crowdfunding Success: a Personal Thank You and Update
Crowdfunding 1-week challenge: help sponsor this exhibition!
Dear friends: We need your help. I’ve never tried crowdfunding before, or asking for donations for a project. But now I am. I and my friends in Stockholm are mounting a major and powerful exhibition here, on the problem of plastic garbage in our seas. But we need your help, otherwise it just won’t happen. … Continue reading Crowdfunding 1-week challenge: help sponsor this exhibition!
In Sweden, corporate sponsors did not “show up”
This is the original Facebook post from Jan 9, 2017, that made us realize we should try crowdfunding for our exhibit on ocean plastic waste. UPDATE 25 JAN 2017: WE ARE HALF WAY THERE! THANKS TO SWEDISH, JAPANESE, USA AND OTHER SPONSORS. Can you help? Click here to read more and contribute ... [Translation of … Continue reading In Sweden, corporate sponsors did not “show up”
Melting Polar Sea Ice: A story we ignore at our peril
I spend a lot of professional time reading about the Arctic (for an upcoming WWF report that my firm is developing). Conclusion: the media is practically ignoring one of the biggest stories on the planet. Consider the first graph, and the red line at the bottom, which combines the data for all of 2016 on … Continue reading Melting Polar Sea Ice: A story we ignore at our peril
For 2017: Short video about the long term
For New Year 2017: short video thoughts about the long-term nature of the challenges and opportunities we face. Five minutes, please watch, and feel welcome to comment. It was a pleasure to be interviewed by Natalie & Mikkel of Thought Leader Global. They do an excellent job of bringing out deeper issues in a gentle … Continue reading For 2017: Short video about the long term
Letter to Santa Claus 2002: The 2016 Update
In 2002, before the Age of Social Media, I wrote a regular column called "Find/Replace." The following "Letter to Santa" went sort-of-viral, which means it got copied and sent out on various people's email lists (including science fiction writer Bruce Sterling's list, which was an important list at the time). I thought about that article … Continue reading Letter to Santa Claus 2002: The 2016 Update
An Open Letter to the Sustainability Community
After reflecting on the US presidential election, the Brexit vote and other recent political events, I put my thoughts into an open letter, published on my company website. You can read it here.
To the President-Elect: A Confidential Briefing
To the President-Elect of the United States: Considering who your closest advisors are, it is a fair guess that no one else is going to give you a briefing on sustainability. So I offer you one. I will keep it short, because you have a lot of information to absorb now. (People say that you … Continue reading To the President-Elect: A Confidential Briefing
Alan AtKisson 