Unfortunately, I was deeply affected by the poetry I loved and/or studied as a university student -- Rimbaud, Tagore, Elliot, and so many others. Wallace Stevens was perhaps the most difficult to understand, and I loved his work all the more for that, just as I loved Wittgenstein or Hegel. I really understood very little … Continue reading Why I Wrote “Purging Wallace Stevens”
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Flummoxed About My Music (plus, a free song)
Update 12 Apr 2013: I wrote this about six months ago, but now, I am no longer feeling so "flummoxed." The musical path forward is getting much clear. See What Music Means (to Me). I confess: I am flummoxed. (Translation: deeply puzzled about what to do.) Why? Because I don’t know how to reach my … Continue reading Flummoxed About My Music (plus, a free song)
Announcing Two New Books from Alan AtKisson
Now available for purchase online, or for ordering through your favorite bookstore: two new books by Alan AtKisson Because We Believe in the Future: Collected Essays on Sustainability, 1989-2009 is a greatest-hits selection of Alan's best articles, speeches, and blog posts over a twenty-year period. Woven together by personal commentary, these essays offer the reader … Continue reading Announcing Two New Books from Alan AtKisson
Is “Sustainable Development” Dying?
This short article's title does not refer to the upcoming Rio+20 summit, which even Ban Ki-moon is publicly worried about (see my piece about managing expectations for the summit, link below). But of course, it could. Nor does it refer to the general, spreading sense of malaise felt by many sustainability activists and professionals — … Continue reading Is “Sustainable Development” Dying?
Stockholm+40: Dreaming about revolution
I thought I would write blog entries throughout the Stockholm+40 conference. Instead, I listened – not so much to the formal presentations and speeches, though there were a few good ones. I listened to my friends and colleagues. "What are you working on?" I wanted to know. "How is it going?" For me, the sustainability … Continue reading Stockholm+40: Dreaming about revolution
NEW: Green Economy + National Happiness = ?
Can we create “happiness for all” while preserving the planet? Will humanity manage to create “green economies”, and convert our current economic systems from destructive forces to sustainable and indeed restorative processes, in time? The new report Life Beyond Growth — issued on March 1, 2012, by the Tokyo-based Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy, … Continue reading NEW: Green Economy + National Happiness = ?
Why Russia Should Invest in Sustainability
Seven Reasons why Russia Should Invest in Sustainability — Three of Them Unconvincing by Alan AtKisson CEO, AtKisson Inc. & Author, The Sustainability Transformation On Wednesday, 10 February, I made the second keynote presentation (after Ashok Khosla's opening) to a conference in Moscow called "Innovative Russia: Responding to Global Challenges." The other participants on the … Continue reading Why Russia Should Invest in Sustainability
How I Created (Not) a UN Campaign
This article is about how I became obsessed with trying to create, or catalyze into being, an international campaign to dramatically increase renewable energy investment in the developing world — and why I now feel ready to let go of that obsession. The short version is this: The campaign is happening, and the UN is … Continue reading How I Created (Not) a UN Campaign
Reflecting on Life, Sustainability, and Star Trek
How different would my life be if I had never seen Star Trek? The question occurred to me because recently — in a fit of nostalgia, or out of a simple desire to have something to watch on the TV at 11 pm, when I’m too tired to read, and not quite sleepy enough to … Continue reading Reflecting on Life, Sustainability, and Star Trek
Labeling Sustainability: Is Certification Working?
The answer from this small seminar group of world experts on assessing the impact of sustainability standards -- gathered by IVL, IISD, RFF and others to review the work of a big international research program called Entwined -- is a qualified yes. The "Yes" is interesting (and thanks to Erika Svensson of IVL for inviting … Continue reading Labeling Sustainability: Is Certification Working?
Alan AtKisson 