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Timeline Email Edition
September/October 2000 - No. 53
A Publication of the Foundation for Global Community
http://www.globalcommunity.org
timeline@globalcommunity.org
Phone: (650) 328 7756 Fax: (650) 328 7785
In this Issue:
Nobel Laureates on Our Global Future
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Donella Meadows: Achieving Freedom from the Distortions of the Anti-Tax Lobby
The Big Stick Approach
Fritjof Capra on the Coming Era of Ecoliteracy
The Gypsy Moth and the Tick . . . The Eagle and the Otter . . .
The World's Population
©2000 Foundation for Global Community
Nobel Laureates on Our through the fire of conflict and the
wasteland of searing loss--journeys that
Global Future have also taken them toward a greatly
increased awareness of both the
Book Review by Mac Lawrence interconnectedness of all humankind and
the negative consequences of violence.
Eight Nobel Peace Prize winners from They came bearing personal stories that
five continents met in 1998 for two days showcased the power of the human
to talk about what it will take to build a spirit."
world in peace. The highlights of their
conversations are presented in the book Cobban devotes a chapter to each of the
The Moral Architecture of World Peace: participants, relating their often heart-
Nobel Laureates Discuss Our Global rending stories, the actions they took,
Future by Helena Cobban. and what each sees is needed next.
Everywhere the passions that motivate
Some of the eight laureates were widely them come through.
known before they received the Peace
Prize: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the RIGOBERTA MENCHÚ TUM
Dalai Lama, former Costa Rican
president Oscar Arias Sánchez. Others Menchú's life was scarred by constant
were less well known: Bobby Muller, a violence against her peasant class.
paraplegic Vietnam veteran who co- Mother raped, tortured, killed; brother
founded the International Campaign to tortured, killed; father mowed down in
Ban Landmines (ICBL); Jody Williams, an assault by Guatemalan troops that
who led the ICBL campaign, gathering a violated every international norm of
network of 1200 supporting NGOs in 50 diplomatic immunity. Yet, as the
countries; José Ramos-Horta who chairman of the Nobel Committee
worked tirelessly for the independence declared: "By maintaining a disarming
of East Timor; Betty Williams, who co- humanity in a brutal world, Rigoberta
founded a grassroots peace movement in Menchú Tum appeals to the best in all of
Ireland; and Rigoberta Menchú Tum, a us, wherever we live and whatever our
Mayan from Guatemala involved in UN background."
activities on behalf of indigenous
peoples. A ninth invitee, the Burmese JOSÉ RAMOS-HORTA
activist San Suu Kyi, was kept in
Rangoon under military threat but was Ramos-Horta's passion came from the
represented by a colleague. Moderating injustice of having his tiny but mineral-
the conversations was Julian Bond, chair rich homeland of East Timor overrun by
of the NAACP and a history professor at "a strong, U.S.-backed Indonesian
the University of Virginia, where the military." Tens of thousands of his
event was held. people were massacred, starved to death,
and died of war-related disease, and a
In her introduction, Cobban notes: "They foreign language and culture forcefully
came at midpoints along personal imposed. Even so, Ramos-Horta realized
journeys that had taken each of them that if East Timor should achieve
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independence (as it just recently has), it or better and bigger ways to destroy
would need to have healthy, long-term each other!"
relations with Indonesia. "I still believe,"
he said, "that in the long run, beyond the OSCAR ARIAS SANCHEZ
band-aid type of diplomacy which is
peacemaking and signing treaties, you Sharing Williams' passion about weapons
actually need to go for community was Oscar Arias. In 1995, he proposed
dialogue." an International Code of Conduct of
Arms Transfers: Arms could only be sold
BETTY WILLIAMS or given to countries or parties that
complied with a long list of democratic
When asked why she started the peace and human rights standards. At the
movement in Northern Ireland, Betty conference, he also focused on other
Williams answered: "The truth is, I did it issues involved in moral architecture,
for purely selfish reasons. Their names including the impacts of globalization and
are Deborah and Paul, my children. I the disparities between rich and poor.
really didn't want my babies to be "There is," he said, "a need for global
brought up in a society that was citizens to demand a new ethics for the
destroying children. I believe that women new millennium. Human security goes
have a huge role to play in creating a beyond concern with weapons--it is a
just, nonviolent, and peaceful world." concern with human life and dignity.
Since moving to the U.S., she has When we demand peace, it must be not
continued to work worldwide to save only a peace which halts the bombing
and rehabilitate "the youngest survivors and gunfire [but] a peace concerned with
of man-made disasters," including the welfare and health of all people. For
founding an organization called the truly, when poverty and inequality remain
World Centers of Compassion for at such terrible levels, armed conflict will
Children. be inevitable."
"I have to sit in rooms with men who TENZIN GYATSO, THE
justify military budgets by telling me it's FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA
for defense. Do you know what I say?
`No doubt the dead and dying are very His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, focused on
grateful that you're defending them so non-violent action, on motivation which
well!' The insanity of what's going on he believes is "the prime mover," and the
militarily in the world has got to be need for "inner disarmament" and
challenged--not [only] by me or anybody dialogue. He also talked about "external
else who's supposed to have a `famous disarmament," not only in the sense of
name;' The insanity of that has got to be working for a totally demilitarized world
challenged by every single one of you, (a long-term goal, he admitted), but
every one of you! They call us idealistic confronting the problems of population
fools. That's the one name [they call me] and the environment. "These are not a
that I object to the most. It's not question of my nation's survival," he
idealistic to say that the world must begin said, "...[but] the survival of humanity!
to live together without guns or bombs, They are our common responsibility to
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tackle. Compared to these bigger things, amnesty. If you don't tell everything
small, small things within ourselves are you know, reconciliation is not possible.
minor." He concluded: "In spite of
difficulties, remain with optimism. These BOBBY MULLER
things can change, can be overcome.
That kind of determination and hope, I Muller and Jody Williams both received
think, is the key for a brighter future." the Nobel Peace Prize for their work to
ban landmines. Muller, a 130-pound
ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU college senior, was entranced by a 220-
pound "ultimate stud" recruiter, and
Bishop Tutu focused on how emerging joined the Marines. At boot camp he was
democracies can deal with, and get a typical "young guy...vulnerable and
beyond, grievances committed in the susceptible to being manipulated. I
past, a subject which resonated with all demanded infantry, and my own fear was
of the participants. that the war was going to end before I
got a chance to get over there and do the
He outlined four ways: One is revenge-- right thing. I lasted eight months before I
you clobbered me, I clobber you back. took a bullet through the chest."
To see how it works, he pointed to the
example of the Tutsis and Hutus. Paralyzed, he spent a year in a
dilapidated, overcrowded veteran's
A second possible response is a war- hospital whose atmosphere was one of
crimes trial like Nuremberg, which despair. Eight of his close friends from
followed a war in which there were clear the spinal-cord-injury department
winners and losers, "justice" could be committed suicide. Muller decided to
enforced, and after the trials, the judges fight the system and became a lawyer,
and prosecutors could pack their cases only to realize that to improve the lot of
and leave. But most situations are not Vietnam vets would take new laws. The
that clear cut, he noted, and judges, congressmen he could interest were too
prosecutors, victims, and perpetrators young to have any power, so Muller
alike have to stay and figure out how to "went grassroots," putting pressure on
live together. the system to get needed programs on-
line.
A third option is do nothing. Forget the
past; get on with the business of living. In 1980, Muller helped establish the
That option would not have worked in Vietnam Veterans of America
South Africa, Tutu argued: "It would Foundation (VVAF), aimed at fostering
only revictimize the victim by saying, reconciliation in war-torn societies and
`What happened to you doesn't matter.'" helping innocent victims of war. At its
VVAF clinics and rehab centers for
The fourth response--the one that did landmine survivors in Cambodia, the
work in South Africa--was setting up a victims were "typically women collecting
Truth and Reconciliation Commission, of firewood and kids playing or bringing
which Tutu is the retired chairman. Its animals out to graze. We went through a
principle: If you tell the truth, you'll get process of emotionally connecting with
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an issue that we intellectually understood traffic in antipersonnel landmines, and a
was devastating," said Muller, who, with year later, the U.S. Senate voted
his friends in the VVAF, decided to 100 to 0 to extend the ban for three more
tackle the politics of the landmine issue. years. In addition, of course, there is the
sobering reality of the daily killing and
In 1992, the VVAF and the German mutilation caused by the landmines still in
group Midico International formed the the ground world-wide, which ICBL
International Committee to Ban estimates may be as high as 90,000,000.
Landmines (ICBL), and hired Jody
Williams to direct it. A theme reiterated by all the laureates
was the importance of hope and the
JODY WILLIAMS power of actively envisioning the kind of
world you want to build. Cobban quotes
As author Cobban notes, "Williams was the Dalai Lama: "If we lose hope, and
ready for the challenge. She brought to remain with pessimism, that is the
the campaign her own network of greatest of failures," and concludes with
contacts, her commitment and other a plea for everyone to "imagine her-
talents as an organizer, and a seemingly himself as a capable actor, not just a
boundless fund of personal energy." Her powerless victim of the violence and
key strategy was to gather a network of inequity all around."
NGOs, which has grown from its initial
group of 40 NGOs at the first Author Helena Cobban has written four
International Conference on Landmines books on war and peace issues in the
in London to its present day total of over Middle East, sits on an advisory committee
a thousand. In awarding the peace prize for Human Rights Watch, and is a member
to the ICBL and Jody Williams, the of the International Institute of Strategic
Nobel committee noted the innovative Studies. She writes a regular column on
global affairs for the Christian Science
means the ICBL used, an effort Williams
Monitor.
described as "a new model of diplomacy
in the post-cold-war world that threatens
the status quo about how things are
done...making smaller and mid-sized
countries working together with civil
society a potential new superpower."
The Tipping Point: How
The ban-the-landmine effort as told by
Muller and Williams is high drama, Little Things Can Make a
particularly the less publicized roles Big Difference
played by Senator Patrick Leahy and the
Canadian government acting through
foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy. Also Book Review by
enlightening were the dynamics behind John L. Bennett
the U.S. refusal to sign the current treaty
when, ironically, seven years earlier, the Malcolm Gladwell's "tipping point" is
U.S. was the first country to outlaw the the point at which a phenomenon such as
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an epidemic, an emerging fad, or an idea, design something so "sticky" that we
reaches a moment of dramatic change. listen, remember, and act on it.
For example, when water reaches a
certain temperature, it turns to ice. When CONTEXT rather than being people
the number of people with AIDS reached with fixed and stable attributes, we are
a certain point, it became an epidemic. actually very sensitive to the immediate
When an advertising campaign convinced context. Thus we tend to overestimate
enough teens to buy a pair of Airwalk the influence of our supposedly stable
shoes, it became a sales bonanza. character and habits, and underestimate
the influence of a situation.
The author, a journalist well known for
his New Yorker articles, explores why it In his book, Gladwell mixes the three
is that some ideas or behaviors start types of people with the concepts of
epidemics and others do not, and what stickiness and context to present, in an
we can do to deliberately start and engaging and integrated way, examples
control positive "epidemics" of our own. of tipping point situations.
Gladwell identifies three movers in · To reduce the spread of AIDS in
reaching a tipping point: Baltimore, the city sent out a van stocked
with clean needles for free exchange on
MAVENS the experts who accumulate certain street corners at various times
knowledge, and influence a process by during the week. The workers observed
knowing what's important and what's after a time that, among the regular
current and are willing to share what they "customers," a small number of addicts
know. arrived with bags containing hundreds of
needles for exchange. Researchers found
CONNECTORS those with a rare set that these "super-exchangers" went back
of social gifts who know a lot of people to the streets and sold the needles for $1
in many different categories to whom when and where the other addicts needed
they can pass information along. them--a "24/7" kind of service. A first
reaction was that taxpayers should not be
SALESMEN people with personality, financing the habits of addicts. On
charm, enthusiasm, and likability whose second thought, it was recognized that
recognizable but undefinable skills the super-exchangers were on the spot
engage us and put us at ease, creating an when needles were about to be used.
emotional contagion that persuades us.
By distributing connector's information
Gladwell also uses the following terms: about health issues as they picked up
their needles, these connectors became
STICKINESS a brand name, idea, or trusted sources of information in their
message that, whether we like it or not, community (served as mavens and
becomes part of our life. Today we are salesmen) and furthered the program of
so overwhelmed by the clutter of AIDS reduction in a way that the city
advertising that it is a creative art to would never be able to do without them.
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· During the `90s, murders in New York this was not a context that worked. Her
City dropped from 2000 per year to inspired solution was to enlist hair stylists
1000; felonies dropped from 600,000 to at beauty salons. Women having their
300,00. People had official explanations: hair done are captive audiences, requiring
Police said their strategy improved, personal attention for several hours.
economists said the economy improved Women and hair stylists tend to develop
(but it did not in NYC), and special, long-term relationships, and
criminologists said the crack trade stylists are natural conversationalists.
declined (it did, but maybe not for the Sadler trained stylists to understand the
reasons that they thought). Gladwell information they needed, enlisted a
suggests that such seemingly minor folklorist to build on traditional ways of
activities as a concerted and sustained communication, and made sure that the
removal of graffiti from the subways as stylists had a constant flow of new
soon as it appeared, and a determined information and gossip to keep interest
program to stop subway fare-beating, up. She prepared laminated sheets that
played a major role in creating a new survived in the busy salons. She then set
environmental context. Criminals and up an evaluation program to see if
ordinary citizens are remarkably sensitive attitudes changed and if the number of
to small contextual details such as broken mammograms and diabetes tests
windows and graffiti as signals of increased as a result of the campaign.
disorder in their environment. A mass of
quality-of-life crimes serve as tipping This case study shows what can happen
points for violent crimes by sending a when you recognize (implicitly in this
message "no one cares." case) the role of mavens, connectors, and
salesmen in bringing about social change
This is a radical theory in the sense that it in a community.
goes to the root of a problem--but it
does not reflect conventional thinking These are only three examples of the
about the problem that assumes that stories the author includes to illustrate
large-scale, city-wide, expensive his main point that using small funds
programs are required. The change in intelligently and insightfully can result in
crime rates seems to be associated, at achieving big effects.
least in part, with the action taken by the
subway executives to break a pattern of I read this book from a perspective of
environmental destruction. Gladwell practical action, asking: What might we
offers this as a demonstration of the learn from Gladwell that could help
power of context, of how making influence the cultural changes required to
relatively small changes can make a big move towards a sustainable world, at
difference. least a world where human activities are
not destructive to life and the
· Georgia Sadler started a campaign to environment?
make women in the black community
aware of what could be done to prevent I found his concepts helpful.
diabetes and breast cancer. She started
with seminars after church services, but John Bennett is a consultant on
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teamwork and partnership in human- applied in public relations and advertising
computer interaction. He volunteers with today.)
the Foundation for Global Community
via the Internet from San José, CA.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BUYER BEWARE -- the Achieving Freedom
admonition becomes more and more
urgent as the stakes rise for consumers. from the Distortions of the
Available information is not always valid. Anti-Tax Lobby
CASE IN POINT: The July/August By Donella Meadows
issue of Timeline carried an article on
genetically modified food products, I'm not sure how or when our political
including a list of companies that do not arena became so infested with dubious
use genetically-modified ingredients. "facts." However it happened, we
Research for the article turned up a ordinary citizens don't have time to
number of sources citing Frito-Lay separate the truth from the barrage of
Corporation as one of these companies. falsehoods. So I am grateful for public-
But checking the facts caused us to interest research groups that watch the
remove Frito-Lay from the list at the last numbers for us.
minute when, after several requests, they
sent us a copy of the following "Media One of the best is Citizens for Tax
Statement": Justice (www.ctj.org). In the midst of
confusing rhetoric about unfair taxes, flat
"At the end of every year Frito-Lay taxes, tax surpluses, tax cuts, I turn to
advises its contract farmers which CTJ for tax facts.
varieties of corn and potatoes to plant. In
late 1999, we believed it was sensible not It put out an interesting sheet about "tax
to ask our farmers to provide genetically freedom day." That's the symbolic date,
modified varieties due to increasing we are told by those who foment
questions from our consumers." discontent about our burdensome taxes,
before which we all "work for
This convoluted statement implies that Washington," after which we get to
Frito-Lay is rejecting genetically- "keep our money for ourselves." They
modified ingredients. In fact, that is not give the impression that that day occurs
the case, but the statement was sometime in April, creeping toward May.
apparently confusing enough Soon, they imply, we'll be vassals of the
to mislead several reporters. government for half the year.
(See the November/December 1999 issue of One problem with that claim is that the
Timeline for an article about the science of
government is not some alien force
manipulation and obfuscation frequently
separate from us; we do live in a
democracy. Another problem is the
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implication that tax money goes down Your income tax freedom day is Jan.
some rat hole, instead of paying for 21; your total federal tax freedom day is
things we want and use, such as March 13. You pay on average $6,195 in
highways, national parks, toxic waste federal taxes, about 20 percent of your
cleanups, disaster relief, Medicare, or pre-tax income. Just over half of it goes
that defense contract that creates jobs in for Social Security and Medicare.
our district.
At this point we've covered 60 percent
(OK, since we're on a truth-sorting of taxpayers, and income tax freedom
mission here, let's admit that some tax day hasn't yet extended into February. It
money does go down rat holes, and that does so for the earners in the fourth fifth
our democratic representatives don't ($39,300 to $64,900). They would pay
listen to us nearly as much as they listen their total income tax by February 3,
to folks who give big campaign their total federal tax by March 27. They
donations. I always wonder why the anti- pay on average $12,047, about one
tax folks don't fix those faults in our dollar out of every four they earn.
democracy, instead of obsessing about
tax cuts.) So for 80 percent of us, income tax
freedom day comes no later than early
If, starting Jan.1, you had to pay the February. Most of our federal tax goes to
government every penny you earn, until Social Security and Medicare, a category
all your federal income tax was paid for the virulent cutters never talk about
that year, guess what day that would be. cutting. Of course the bottom 80 percent
is not the group they worry about. They
CTJ shows that the answer depends on are focused on, they themselves are part
your income. If you earn less than of, and they are funded by those who are
$13,600, you're in the lowest fifth of in the top 20 percent.
income earners, and you're free on
Jan. 1. You pay no income tax. You do CTJ splits this top one-fifth apart,
owe Social Security, Medicare, cigarette, because it covers such a wide range of
gasoline, and other federal taxes, which incomes. For the next 15 percent up the
you will pay off (on average $756, 8.8 ladder (incomes between $64,900 and
percent of your income) by February 1. $130,000) income tax freedom day
comes on Feb. 16; total federal freedom
If you're in the next fifth up (between day on April 8.
$13,600 to $24,400), your income tax
freedom day is Jan. 4. Your total federal It's only the top 1 percent (income of
taxes are paid by Feb. 24. On average more than $319,000) that have an
you are dunned $2,854, 15 percent of income tax freedom day as late as March
your income. Nearly all of that is for 30 and a total freedom day that reaches
Social Security and Medicare. into May. These privileged households,
average income $915,000, pay on
If you're in the literal middle class, the average $339,000 in federal taxes. This
middle fifth of taxpayers, you earn top 1 percent earns 18 percent of all the
between $24,400 and $39,300 per year.
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income in the country, and pays 25 The Big Stick Approach
percent of all federal taxes.
Article by Joel Bleifuss,
What we have, in short, is slightly
progressive taxation, somewhat higher excerpted from In These Times
for the rich than for the poor. It is based
on the classic economic principle of With little fanfare and scant notice in the
diminishing marginal utility. You spend U.S. media, Europe is fomenting an
the first dollars you earn on items of environmental revolution with a concept
highest utility--necessities. Being known as "extended producer
rational, as you earn more, you spend responsibility."
down your priority list, most important
things first, least important last. It makes In the near future, the European Union
sense and it maximizes national utility to will hold any company that enters the
finance public goods more from the low- European market responsible for the
utility dollars of the rich than from the environmental impacts of its products,
high-utility dollars of the poor. forcing manufacturers to change product
design, the kinds of materials used in
Maybe the loud tax-cutters honestly manufacturing, and how products are
don't know the facts. Maybe they disposed.
purposely distort the facts to keep us
from noticing that every cut they Extended producer responsibility, or
advocate undermines progessivity. EPR, got its start in 1991 when Germany
Whatever the case, 80 percent of us have passed a law requiring manufacturers to
no earthly reason to pay attention to take back and recycle all packaging
them, and the remaining 20 percent, if materials, boxes, cans, and bottles.
they see how they benefit from living in a Within two years, 12,000 companies,
society with educated children, research many of them U.S.-based, were
and development, law and order, and participating in an industry-funded
other public necessities, shouldn't pay recycling program, which shifted the
any attention to them either. costs of managing packaging waste from
taxpayers to the waste producers. It was
Donella H. Meadows, a systems analyst, wildly successful. Holland soon followed
author, director of the Sustainability suit, as did Sweden, France, Austria,
Institute, and adjunct professor of Finland, Spain, Belgium, and Canada.
environmental studies at Dartmouth
College, writes a syndicated article each The beauty of EPR is that by putting the
week to "present a global view, a connected financial burden on companies for the
view, a long-term view, an environmental environmental impacts of products
and compassionate view." Meadows can be throughout their life cycle, industry has a
reached at Sustainablilty Institute, Box 174, natural economic incentive to act in an
Hartland Four Corners, VT 05049. environmentally responsible manner.
When properly regulated, the market
does work. Writing in Beverage Industry
magazine, E. Gifford Stack of the
National Soft Drink Association,
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describes EPR as "a big stick EPR, Clare Lindsay, head of the
approach....Because the stick delivers a Environmental Protection Agency's
pretty good financial whack," he notes, extended product responsibility project,
"producers also have a financial incentive said the United States "stresses
to design their products to make less collaboration and partnerships over
waste." command and control....We have a
different philosophy here," she noted,
EPR has failed to take hold in the United "[which] acknowledges that producers
States, in large part because the Clinton play a central role in reducing the
administration has done everything it can environmental impacts of their products,
to block it. The President's Council on but recognizes that they can not always
Sustainable Development, established in do this alone." Elizabeth Cotsworth,
1993 to examine ways to encourage acting director of EPA's Office of Solid
environmentally sustainable growth, held Waste, told a May 1999 conference on
heated discussions about EPR. But in its EPR: "We are not going to simply follow
proposed program the council's industry- in the footsteps of Europe."
dominated task force substituted
"product" for "producer." Under the Nonetheless, any American-based
council's scheme of "extended product multinational that wishes to do business
responsibility," as spelled out in its 1996 in the European Union must conform to
report, "Sustainable America: A New its standards. Consequently, EPR in
Consensus," "manufacturers, suppliers, Europe is already forcing U.S. companies
users, and disposers of products share to assume environmental responsibility
responsibility for the environmental for their products. For instance, in
effects of products throughout their life February the European Union passed
cycle." This entirely voluntary program EPR regulations on vehicles, against the
will cost corporations nothing and wishes of the world automakers. By
achieve little. 2006, vehicles sold in Europe must
contain no heavy metals such as lead,
Despite protests from the United States, mercury, or cadmium, and be
the Organization for Economic manufactured from recyclable materials.
Cooperation and Development (OECD), In addition, automakers will be held
an association of the world's most responsible for final disposal of the car.
developed economies, is drawing up
guidelines on how countries can best This is good news for the U.S.
implement EPR. They see it as a environment, says Charles Griffith of the
"promising new public policy tool" that Clean Car Campaign, a coalition
could "minimize waste by transferring operating out of the Ecology Center in
substantial or complete financial (and Ann Arbor, Michigan. "Europe is driving
physical) responsibilities to private this and Japan is following fairly closely
enterprises for managing their products on what Europe is doing," he says.
at the postconsumption phase." "Consequently, U.S. companies are
basically gearing up to meet the
The U.S. sees it differently. At a European requirements. It will be hard to
December 1998 OECD conference on come up with separate designs for the
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European and U.S. markets, so the U.S. percent of all computers ever purchased
automakers are going to seek to meet the in the United States are currently stored
European Union phaseouts across the in people's attics and basements, and by
board." 2004, an estimated 315 million obsolete
computers in the United States will end
Understanding that EPR threatens the up in landfills or incinerators. Already,
corporate bottom line, the office of the consumer electronic products account
U.S. Trade Representative has teamed up for about 40 percent of lead found in
with U.S. business interests to attack landfills, where it can leach and
Europe's EPR regulations as unfair trade contaminate drinking and water supplies.
practices. The current battle focuses on
E.U. plans to implement EPR regulations A number of trade associations, led by
for all products that contain electrical the American Electronics Association
circuits. The proposal, known as Waste (whose members include Microsoft,
from Electrical and Electronic Equipment IBM, Motorola, and Intel), and including
(WEEE), would phase out the use of the American Plastics Council, the
toxic metals (lead, cadmium, mercury) in International Cadmium Association, and
the production of consumer items like the Lead Industries Association, are
refrigerators and desktop computers, adamantly opposed to WEEE. They
require products to contain a certain lobbied the Clinton administration for
percentage of recycled material, set help, and the administration obliged. The
design standards that would allow State Department has instructed its
computer equipment to be more easily embassies in E.U. capitals to "highlight
upgraded, and generally make the U.S. concerns about the draft directives,"
manufacturers of that equipment assume suggesting that U.S. diplomats explain
financial and legal responsibility for their that the cost of taking back and recycling
products throughout their entire life electrical products could be "shared with
cycle. municipalities and other actors....We
urge [the E.U.] to work with industry
The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, and other interested parties to devise a
which is spearheading support for WEEE more efficient, less trade-restrictive
in the United States through its Clean approach to meet its goals."
Computer Campaign, notes that
computers are made from more than The European Union is unlikely to cave
1,000 materials, many of them highly in to U.S. pressure to abandon EPR. It is
toxic, including toxic gases, toxic metals, more likely to follow the sentiments
chlorinated and brominated substances, expressed by President Clinton in his
acids, plastics, and plastic additives. March 15, 1999, address to a WTO
Mans Lonnroth of the Swedish symposium on trade and the
environment ministry observes: "The environment: "We must do more to
developers of electronic products are ensure that spirited economic
introducing chemicals on a scale which is competition among nations never
totally incompatible with the scant becomes a race to the bottom. We should
knowledge of their environmental or be leveling environmental protections up,
biological characteristics." Yet 75 not down."
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needs and aspirations without
diminishing the chances of future
generations.
Since its introduction in the early 1980s,
Fritjof Capra on the the concept of sustainability has often
Coming Era of Ecoliteracy been distorted, co-opted, and even
trivialized by being used outside of its
Last October, the Collective Heritage proper ecological context. So it's worth-
Institute held its Tenth Bioneers Conference, while reflecting on what sustainability
a gathering of biological pioneers from really means. What is sustained in a
diverse fields and cultures "who are sustainable community is not economic
providing pathways to a future environment growth or development or market share.
of hope...an alternative scenario to the What is sustained is the entire web of life
destruction depicted daily in the news...a on which we depend for our long-term
revolution from the heart of nature." survival.
Among the many speakers were some whose In other words, a sustainable community
words have also appeared in Timeline: is designed in such a way that its ways
Terry Tempest Williams, Paul Hawken, Bill
of life, its businesses, its technologies, its
McKibben, John and Nancy Jack Todd,
Amory and Hunter Lovins, and David
social institutions do not interfere with
Korten. They were joined by more than 50 nature's inherent ability to sustain life.
others who are not only talking about And this is the crux of the matter. At the
restoring the Earth, but doing something moment, our ways of life interfere with
about it. nature's ability to sustain life. We must
stop that interference and redesign our
With permission from the Bioneers, we are lives, our social institutions, and our
reproducing here excerpts of a talk by technologies.
Fritjof Capra, Ph.D., physicist and systems
theorist, founding director of the Center for The first step in this endeavor naturally
Ecoliteracy and the author of a number of must be to become ecologically
bestsellers, including The Tao of Physics, literate--to understand the principles of
The Turning Point, Uncommon Wisdom, and
organization that ecosystems have
The Web of Life.
developed over billions of years of
evolution to sustain the web of life. In
All of us here are aware that concern
the next century this ecological literacy
with the environment will no longer be
will be a critical skill for politicians,
one of many single issues in the next
business leaders, and professionals in all
century. It will move to the center of the
spheres. It will be the most important
stage. It will become the context of
part of education at all levels, from
everything else in our lives, our
schools to colleges and universities to the
businesses, our politics. The great
continuing education and training of
challenge of our time is to build and
professionals.
nurture sustainable communities--that is,
social, cultural, and physical
environments in which we can fulfill our
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At the Center for Ecoliteracy we forefront of science. But although this
concentrate on schools. Our mission is to intellectual tradition is almost a hundred
foster the experience and understanding years old, it has still not taken hold in our
of nature in primary education. Being mainstream culture. Why do people find
ecologically literate, or ecoliterate, in our systems thinking so difficult? I've
view means understanding the basic concluded that there are two main
principles of ecology and being able to reasons. One is that living systems are
embody them in daily life and in the lives nonlinear. They're networks, while our
of human communities. whole scientific tradition is based on
linear thinking--linear chains of cause
When you study ecosystems in detail, and effect. When you do something that
you find out very soon that the basic works, then more of the same will always
principles of organization are the be better. That's linear thinking. A
principles of organization of all living healthy economy is one that shows
systems. The study of ecosystems leads strong economic growth, indefinite
naturally to the study of life as such, and economic growth. Linear thinking.
therefore, the most appropriate
theoretical framework for ecology is the Now, ecological thinking, or systems
theory of living systems. This theory is thinking, is very different from that.
only now fully emerging, but it has its Ecosystems, like all living systems, are
roots in several scientific fields that were highly nonlinear. They don't maximize
developed during the first half of the their variables, they optimize them. When
century. something is good then more of the same
will not necessarily be better because
Organismic biology is one of them. things go in cycles, not along straight
Gestalt psychology is another. Ecology lines.
as a science was developed in the 1920s;
General Systems Theory and Cybernetics The point is not to be efficient, but to be
came later in the 1940s. These are the sustainable. It's quality that counts, not
roots, and in all those fields scientists quantity. So one reason why we find
explored living systems, which means systems thinking difficult as a culture is
integrated wholes whose properties that our whole culture is geared toward
cannot be reduced to those of smaller linear thinking. The second reason is that
parts. Although we can distinguish parts we live in a materialist culture, both in
in any living system, the nature of the terms of its values and its fundamental
whole is always different from the mere world view. For example, most biologists
sum of its parts. today would tell you that in order to
really understand living organisms, you
Systems Theory entails a new way of have to understand their molecules--
seeing the world and a new way of their DNA, their proteins, their enzymes,
thinking, which is often called systems their material structures. Systems Theory
thinking, or systemic thinking. It means tells us that although the knowledge of
thinking in terms of context, the molecules is of course very
relationships, patterns, and processes. important, the essence of life does not lie
Systems thinking is now at the very in the molecules. It lies in the patterns
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and processes in which those molecules planet by combat, but by networking, by
are involved. When you say a living cooperation, by partnership.
system is a system that contains
DNA--that would be a standard, The main task in the next century will be
conventional definition. But any piece of to apply this ecological knowledge to the
wood, any dead animal also contains fundamental redesign of our technologies
DNA. DNA does not disappear with the and social institutions so as to bridge the
death of an organism. It stays on for wide gap that now exists between human
hundreds of thousands of years. In order design and the ecologically sustainable
to change the definition of life you would systems of nature. Fortunately, this is
have to say a living system is a system already taking place. In recent years
that contains DNA and which is not there has been a burst of optimism about
dead. And of course that's not a the dramatic rise of ecologically oriented
definition, it's a tautology. design practices, all of which are now
well documented.
So the essence of life lies in the patterns
and processes in which those molecules The best recent overall documentation, in
are involved. The basic patterns of life my view, is the book Natural Capitalism
are configurations of relationships by Paul Hawken and Amory and Hunter
between biological processes. And these Lovins (Timeline January/February
relationships and processes are 2000). Design, in the broadest sense,
nonmaterial. They involve matter, of consists in shaping flows of energy and
course, but a relationship is something materials for human purposes. Ecodesign
nonmaterial. A process is something is a design process in which our human
nonmaterial. You can't take a purposes are carefully meshed with the
photograph of the web of life because it larger patterns and flows of the natural
is nonmaterial; it's a network of world. In other words, the ecodesign
functional relationships. principles reflect the principles of
organization that nature has evolved to
When systems thinking is applied to the sustain the web of life.
study of the earth household (which is
the original meaning of the word As an example, the principle "waste
ecology, from the Greek oeikos-- equals food" means that all the products
household), we discover that the and materials manufactured by industry,
principles of organization of ecosystems as well as the wastes generated in the
are the basic patterns of life. For manufacturing process, must eventually
example, we observe that an ecosystem provide nourishment for something new.
generates no waste, one species' waste So a sustainable business organization
being another species' food. That matter would be embedded in an ecology of
cycles continually through the web of organizations in which the waste of any
life. That the energy driving those one organization would be a resource
ecological cycles flows from the sun. for another.
That diversity increases resilience. That
life from its beginning more than three Ecodesigners speak of two kinds of
billion years ago did not take over the metabolisms, a biological metabolism
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and a technical metabolism. Things that flows of information, power, and wealth
are part of the biological metabolism-- in the global financial networks that
agriculture, food systems, clothing, shape societies today.
cosmetics--should not contain persistent
toxic substances. Things that go into the During the past three decades, the
technical metabolism--machines, information technology revolution has
physical structures--should be kept well given rise to a new type of global
apart from the biological metabolism. capitalism, a capitalism that is structured
around networks of financial flows.
Eventually, all products and materials Manuel Castels, a professor of sociology
and all wastes will either be biological or at Berkeley, has extensively analyzed
technical nutrients. Biological nutrients and documented the emergence of this
will be designed to return to the new form of global capitalism in a three-
ecological cycles, to be literally volume work that is titled The
consumed by microorganisms, insects, Information Age--Economy, Society and
and so on. The technical nutrients will be Culture. Because, he says, of the ability
designed to go back to technical cycles. of financial capital to relentlessly scan the
This means that customers will not own entire planet for investment opportunities
the technical products, but the ownership and to shift within seconds--literally--
will stay with the manufacturer. When from one investment to another, the
I'm done with a machine that I bought, I profit margins are generally much higher
give it back to the manufacturer because in the financial markets than anywhere
I'm not interested in owning a set of else and therefore, profits from all direct
toxic chemicals or industrial materials. I investments, from all sources, ultimately
want the service of the machine. converge into this meta-network of
financial flows.
So we have a very interesting shift of the
economy from a product-oriented The movements of this electronically
economy to a service- and flow-oriented operated global casino do not follow a
economy. And that mirrors exactly the market logic. The market is twisted,
shift from mechanistic thinking to manipulated, and transformed by a
systems thinking because mechanism combination of computer-enacted
thinks in terms of basic building blocks, strategic maneuvers and unexpected
constituent parts. A systems approach turbulences caused by the complex inter-
thinks in terms of relationships and actions between capital flows in a highly
processes. Service and flow are nonlinear system. Information technology
relationships and processes. has played a decisive role in the rise of
networking as a new form of
Today the obstacles that stand in the way organization of human activity. As you
of ecological sustainability are no longer well know, this goes far beyond
conceptual, nor are they technical. The economics. In our network society, as
obstacles lie in the dominant values of Castels calls it, the core processes of
our society and, in particular, in the knowledge generation, economic
dominant corporate values and choices productivity, political and military power,
that are determined to a large extent by and media communication have been
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deeply transformed by information than any other social force it has been
technology and are connected to global able to best adapt to the conditions of
networks of wealth and power. communication and mobilization in the
new technological paradigm. On the one
The dominant social functions and hand, the movement relies on grassroots
processes are increasingly organized organizations, that is, on living human
around networks. Presence or absence in networks. And on the other hand it has
the network is a critical source of power. been on the leading edge of new
So far the impact of this new network communication technologies, that is,
society on human well-being has been electronic networks, as organizing and
mostly negative. In the global networks mobilizing tools. So we see that the
of fin