Finally, my friend John de Graaf’s marvelous documentary film “Econoclast,” about the life and thought of pioneering ecological economist Herman Daly, has been released. John is an icon himself in the sustainability and documentary world, so it was entirely fitting that he make this movie. The world needs this film, especially now. Thank you, John! … Continue reading New Film a Fitting Tribute to Economics Icon Herman Daly
Sustainability
The science and philosophy of maintaining human and natural systems
TO: Donella Meadows, FROM: Alan AtKisson, SUBJ: Return to Balaton
Dear Dana, I know you are dead, but I thought I would write to you anyway. Because, well, you never know. The view from the café, Csopak, Hungary. Low water in Lake Balaton. September 2026. The 44th meeting of the Balaton Group, that network of sustainability researchers and systems thinkers that you and Dennis Meadows … Continue reading TO: Donella Meadows, FROM: Alan AtKisson, SUBJ: Return to Balaton
The climate march went backwards. Stood still. Then surged forward. Symbolic?
I do not like being in marches or demonstrations. They make me nervous. But I forced myself to join the 50,000 people marching in Stockholm yesterday to call attention to climate change. It was uncomfortable — but it also felt good. Waiting for the climate march to begin in Stockholm. We had to move back … Continue reading The climate march went backwards. Stood still. Then surged forward. Symbolic?
Foreign aid began to disappear. The world blinked.
In Yoko Ogawa’s haunting novel The Memory Police, ordinary things — whole categories of things, such as birds, hats, and boats — begin to disappear from an island community. The few people who try to preserve those things, and who still have the capacity to remember them, are rounded up and interred. Most people, however, … Continue reading Foreign aid began to disappear. The world blinked.
I have Seen “The Odyssey”. I’m Furious.
I knew the movie was going to be infuriating. I made a prophecy to that effect. “The Odyssey is going to make me really mad,” I said to my wife, in the car on the way to the local cinema. Not because of what’s in it. The film turned out to be a relatively faithful, … Continue reading I have Seen “The Odyssey”. I’m Furious.
A Thank-You Letter to ICAI, 34 Years Later. Who is ICAI?
You have (most likely) never heard of ICAI, the Institute for Cultural Affairs International. A relatively tiny outfit, but with branches all over the world, it is one of those pioneering non-profit organisations that has never gotten enough credit for its groundbreaking contributions to global sustainability practice, because we now take those contributions completely for … Continue reading A Thank-You Letter to ICAI, 34 Years Later. Who is ICAI?
The Art of Looking Away
Recently I declared a particularly pleasant, sunny day to be a “Day of Enjoyment”. I decided not to think very much about global problems: the “polycrisis” of climate, biodiversity loss, senseless wars, terrible political leaders and the like. I listened to birdsong. Messed around in the garden. Watched grebes parenting their young in the local … Continue reading The Art of Looking Away
Earth Day is So Yesterday. Or Is It?
Yesterday, April 22, was Earth Day. I forgot about it completely, until I was reminded of it by doing a word puzzle in my New York Times app, late in the evening. Of course the puzzle had some classic, now almost ancient environmental words in it, like reduce, reuse, and recycle. The whole experience was … Continue reading Earth Day is So Yesterday. Or Is It?
“A Lifetime of Rejoicing”: Remembering Donella Meadows
On the 13th of March, 2026, Donella “Dana” Meadows might have been celebrating her 85th birthday. But Dana passed away exactly 25 years ago (plus a few weeks). Not quite 60 years old at the time, she was taken in the full flower of her career by a sudden bacterial illness. The randomness of her … Continue reading “A Lifetime of Rejoicing”: Remembering Donella Meadows
Keeping the Earth in the Center — Especially When That’s Extremely Difficult
We live in a living planet. Notice I wrote “in” where your mind was expecting “on”. That little word “on” can lead us astray, mentally. We do not live “on top of” but rather inside a sphere of pulsing, dynamic systems, a colorful, evolving kaleidoscope of life that is the most wonderful and visible characteristic … Continue reading Keeping the Earth in the Center — Especially When That’s Extremely Difficult
