Remember the 17 Sustainable Development Goals? The SDGs, also known as the Global Goals? I do not mean to imply that the SDGs have been forgotten. In fact, Internet search data tells us that interest in the SDGs has steadily and continuously grown since they were first adopted in 2015. But we need to remember … Continue reading The Future of the Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainability
Explaining a book explaining a poem that needs explaining
There has been a massive uptick of interest in my poetry. When I say “massive,” I mean a 600% increase in people visiting the website where I published my absurdist poem from 1997 about systems thinking and the nature of time. The poem is called “Chronosphere.” Of course, that massive increase was starting from a … Continue reading Explaining a book explaining a poem that needs explaining
New Film a Fitting Tribute to Economics Icon Herman Daly
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
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?
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?
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
After the Shock Fades
What happens after our shock fades? That was the question asked by an old friend and colleague of mine, Robin DiAngelo, and her writing partner Delta Shelby Larkey in an opinion article published in the Minnesota Star Tribune a few weeks ago. For those of us who count as ordinary people, and who were glued … Continue reading After the Shock Fades
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
