Guy McPherson's blog

I delivered two TED-style talks at the 2011 International Conference on Sustainability, Transition and Culture Change in Bellaire, Michigan. The presentations embedded below were delivered to the few dozen people remaining at the conference on its fourth day, Sunday, 13 November. The first video clip describes my personal journey in the usual, self-indulgent manner, and [...]

by Sandra Long Originally, this essay was intended to be a cozy, feel-good list of suggested activities to help make spending time with disparate individuals within our communities more mutually beneficial, satisfying, and productive. Indeed, the word “community” is rooted in the Latin words “munus” (the gift) and cum (together, among each other). Many peoples’ [...]

American essayist Norman Cousins wrote: “Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” Personally, I’ve never been content sitting still, surviving for survival’s sake. Evidence is found in the roller coaster of my academic career, which was marked by significant change every few years. [...]

by Gary Peters To borrow a line from Pete Seeger, “When will we ever learn?” If Karl Marx were alive today he would quickly see that television has become the opium of the people, dulling our senses and keeping our minds focused on trivial matters even as the world around us careens further out of [...]

When I was young, I fell in the love with the girl next door. Well, maybe it wasn’t love. But she was lovely and it felt like love, to my young heart. It wasn’t about sex, although she was sexy. Color me smitten. Fast-forward a few years, and I fall again. I’m older, perhaps more [...]

I’m just back from a trip to Mich-again, by way of Atlanta. I spoke several times and consulted on a couple properties. I fell in love with Michigan and Michiganders, and my messages were generally well-received. In other words, the number of messages under the heading of “hate mail” was greatly exceeded by the number [...]

by John Duffy “But what do you want?” a political cartoon jokes, of the Occupy Wall Street protesters, who hold so many signs with clear demands. I myself hear this question posed as criticism daily, almost as much as I hear “Get a job,” yelled from a speeding car. Of course, all it would take [...]

There are various ways to ready oneself for the trip down the peak-oil curve, as well as for climate chaos. Most importantly, as I’ve indicated many times, is psychological readiness. If you are mentally prepared for a future radically different from the past you’ve known, you’re well on your way to thriving in the years [...]

by Tamnaa, who was born in 1948 and, by his own account, is still kickin’ (full bio below) There’s a noodle shop in our village that my wife and I like to visit occasionally for lunch. It is run by a very nice family and they have allowed us to put up a sign advertising [...]

My memoir, Walking Away from Empire, is available from the publisher. It’s also available at Amazon (also for kindle) and Barnes & Noble. Reviews have been provided by kulturcritic Sandy Krolick, professor John Rember, poet Cameron Conaway, and the Quillayute Cowboy, and a blurb appears courtesy of professor Steve DeStefano. The book’s trailer, prepared by [...]