I went to the Prairie Festival over the October 6-8 weekend, held at the Land Institute in Salina, Kansas. Matt worked there for a summer a few years ago, and he told me about it.
I tried to get some interest in our environment/social/justice club, but it ended up being a couple of friends and I that went. Here's a little summary... We camped on the grounds, along with a couple hundred other people. The organizers estimated between 600-800 people in all. It was fun to people-watch, because there was a wide variety of age, backgrounds and styles of dress. Here are some of my notes from the speakers... (these were written in a hurry, so they might not reflect the speaker's intentions)
A speech from Jakob von Uexhull on "Countering the Culture of Global Greed"
The idea of "taxation without representation" can be expanded from people who have no voice today (the poor and undereducated) to future generations.
Market societies undermine their own foundations, because competition cuts through society and natural resources. Quoted a British entrepreneurial billionaire; "I've found that I've won a game of poker on the Titanic"
Moral and Security issues must include the poor, the local and the long term.
Ray Anderson, President of Interface Inc. (Carpet Manufacturers)
Described his company's focus on environmental sustainability, including their 2006 announcement called "Mission Zero" ... to eliminate any negative impact the company may have on the environment by 2020.
Went over some of the steps that his company has laid out for re-designing their products and production lines.
Eliminate Waste
Reduce Production Emissions
Energy Efficiency
Closed Loop Material Flows
Transporation
Sensitivity and Cultural Awareness
Redesign Commerce Itself
Laura Jackson, daughter of Wes Jackson, "Busting Leopold's Ethic"
Outlined some of the problems with the current system of agriculture.
There are problems in how individual farmers work, but even bigger problems in how the system itself is set up (ie. just four firms control 80% of US cattle). Both areas need attention, but individual farmers can't change the system.
Wendell Berry, A Reading He read an introduction he had written for one Sir Albert Howard's books, and it was good, but wasn't as interesting as his question and answer or "unscripted" time. He has an amazing command of words. Here are a few quotes from that....
When talking about the difference between industrial and ecologically sensitive agriculture, using the Amish as an example of scale: "How much dumb metal can we put between ourselves and the land? Working with a tractor is dull and boring; its like making love in boxing gloves."
A following question asked - if you promote a kind of agriculture (and life) tied to its surroundings and local conditions, then are you saying that we shouldn't care about distant/international events? Or we shouldn't be involved? "No I wouldn't say that at all. I think its a question of competence... A serious look at history will show that we have often done more harm than good with our missions, a kind of promiscuous humanitarianism... I think the point is that we're not very smart... [we can't anticipate every possible outcome, or even know the situation we're getting into] ...and if we have limited intelligence, I think we should have a limited territory to excercise it in."
A question asked - do you have any hope for the future?
(with the background of bad agricultural practises, mountain-top removal for coal mining, climate change and a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico) "I have hope. It is not just a groovy feeling... I think hope is something you're obliged to have and to feed... You can give yourself hope by 1) do something right, and 2) give up something wrong." [Gatherings like the Prairie Festival can act as an "ecological feeding grounds" to anyone looking for hope. If we come away energized and engcouraged then the event has been a success and feeds us ... in knowledge, social interaction, in faith, in time well spent and enjoyment, etc...]
What about the global economy? "There always has been one and probably always will... [But currently it is one way money transfers from poor to rich, uses all kinds of destructive practises and transportation, and it could never last] ...and I'm hoping that the rising cost of fuel will play hell with it."
Doug Thompkins gave a slideshow of work being done in South America to build ranches "Ready for the Post-Petroleum Era" and to expand National Park Systems. Both looked beautiful, but the ranches seemed over the top - We were wondering how much they spent on each one for the hundreds or thousands of acres, gardens, large buildings and perfect settings. It seemed a little impossible to spread that kind of planning to the level where everyone (the other 99.99% of the world) could participate.
David Orr - "The Last 30 Years"
History of the last 30 years, with major themes of
Intellectual Capital buildup. We have learned a lot, but it hasn't been applied yet.
Dividers who play on fears rather than hopes - Rush Limbaugh, Morning in America, Reagan Years, "Building Red America"....
Relentless and Remorseless Working Out of Large Numbers... Highed p.p.m. emissions ever recorded, billions of tons of topsoil lost, 200 dead zones....
Our situation is more serious that just "global warming" or "climate change." It is Planetary Destabilization -- in ecology, politics, fundamentalism, wealth and poverty...
He then outlined some ideas for the future
It must be political
(citizens over consumers)
Non-partisan third ways
(common partnership for common future)
Creative Solutions
(including government)
Posterity and future generations must be taken into account
Security by design, for everyone, for all time.
(bottom up, locally based)
Continuation of history and civic principles
(Bill of Rights, habeus corpus, due process)
Widen our sense of kinship
"Be angels of our better nature" not ideologues
Wes Jackson: "The Next 30 Years"
Non-Intuitive Realities, which we must face...
Momentum.
One quarter of all oil ever burned has been burned within the last ten years. Half of all ever burned was within the last 22 years. 90% was burned within the last 40 years. 99% was burned within the last 78 year - one lifetime. Just like a car travelling at higher and higher speeds needs longer and longer distances to break, we will need more time to ease out of our oil usage.
Scaffolding.
Almost all of our infrastructure has been created with help from oil. It will take a lot of adjustment to fix these when they wear down, especially when oil has become scarce or expensive.
Landscape and Energy.
If all American acres were turned over to switchgrass for biodesiel fuels, the fuels would only last about 250 days, annually. Not to mention that we wouldn't have any food. [Our consumption levels cannot be sustained currently. nor can they be shifted onto other energy sources]
Efficiency often leads to More Consumption Loose "saved" money will find a place to be invested, almost always a carbon-rich area, negating some of the benefits of efficiency. If you have energy to spare, you aren't required to think deeply about how you use it. This might be called Technological Fundamentalism, where greater and greater development of technology is blindly trusted to solve all of our problems.
"The majority never thinks of itself as fanatics" --Wendell Berry
Rigor Proportional to Specialization
In any area of study it is important to keep the large picture in mind, to avoid sinking so deeply into a specific subject that you become of no use to anyone. A pattern of "focus in, focus out ... repeat" would help our universities to really unite their disciplines..
Another interesting area in his speech was called "Transcending our Animal Nature". From the examples he gave, it seemed to mean exercising a kind of self-control, similar to Bill Mckibben's idea of saying "Enough" or taking long term planning into account.
The American Declaration of Independance, Bills of Rights, etc... were not just self-centered acts for personal gain in the short term ("animal nature"). Instead, they were long term, even idealistic plans.
England's major forests were basically gone by the 1700s. As a result the British had to go further for materials in any major project (ie.. Ireland, North America). In recent years, a major restoration at Oxford had to replace the beams in a great hall. But all of Englands great oaks had disappeared since the building had gone up 500 years ago. The problem seemed almost hopeless, until someone mentioned it to the maintenance and grounds staff, who basically said "Oh, we wondered when you'd be coming about that..." It turns out that the architect had enough foresight to require a small grove of oaks be planted during construction for such future needs.
Well, there was a lot more, but my notes can't recreate it by any stretch...
Hope you've enjoyed a little taste.
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