Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[mdnagel@verizon.net]

I've been exposed to the "planned 'solutions'" and I also don't believe they will work as people hope ("hope" being the key word here).

I believe that this article sheds some interesting perspective as to why:

What Works, Maybe: Individual Options
http://www.countercurrents.org/mcpherson260410.htm


-Mark Nagel
Everett, WA


May 12, 2010 06:50:03 AM, livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org wrote:

>
>That British town's "Energy Descent Action Plan" is open for discussion,
>esp as it applies to how we live on the land. All our resources ultimately come
>from our land. We live on land in every way imaginable. There'll be disagreements
>and points I miss, but a lot of material on this subject has come across my screen
>and applies to this.
>
>My main problem with their Plan is they see total catastrophe around the bend
>but try to sugarcoat it with academic-speak and ignore contradictions in their own
>plans that doom it. We may or may not agree about catastrophe, and that's ok.
>Here's now they see a future if we "do nothing":
>
> "Business as usual or willing to change?
> If we continue to ignore the problems facing society and continue Business
>as Usual in Totnes and District, by 2030 we are likely to see decreasing happiness
>and personal respect, and increasing fear, denial, austerity, poverty, climate chaos,
>severe environmental degradation, over-crowding, civil strife and an acceleration
>towards chaos, fragmentation and the decline of civilisation as we know it. The
>symptoms of a society in collapse will be clearly upon us. Most of society will
>be living in extreme hardship and ill placed to take responsibility or actions to
>reverse the impacts of climate change. If we are willing to change we can initiate
>and build on a strong ray of hope and positive visioning that can guide us to a
>better life. There are many unresolved issues and problems to be dealt with. The
>biggest challenges are relearning to live within the carrying capacity of one earth;
>stabilising population growth, reducing energy and material consumption, and repair
>and re
> generation of biodiversity and ecosystems."
>http://totnesedap.org.uk/book/part3/vision-totnes-district-2030/business-as-usual-or-willing-to-change/
>
>So they have a Plan to solve the End Of The World As We Know It. They work on
>it and produce a document. What has actually changed? Nothing, but they have a document.
>
>
>In their Plan they completely miss figuring in the growing financial decline
>of the western world. This is public knowledge; it's happening now and can't
>be reversed. That means they can forget governments paying for their massively
>expensive transitions to alternative energy, mass transit, and conservation. The
>widening destruction of the middle class means most people will only be concerned
>with paying the bills and getting by, and not with paying big bucks to make homes
>energy efficient. They also seem to think people will magically learn low tech skills
>to survive with local industry and food, when no money or credit is available for
>startup "green" business. Those skills have been mostly forgotten for
>two generations now. Who knows how to cook on a wood stove? They think people will
>pull together like in WW II against a common enemy. I think they will look for the
>enemy and find it in all those who have more. That thin veneer of civilization breaks
>down under stress. W
> e aren't all nice small towns either.
>
>To me their plans obviously don't add up to saving the world. I've promoted
>localizing esp in food for years. But that was just sharing among those who want
>more community self sufficiency, not some grandiose and unrealistic plan for everybody:
>
>
> "The concept of localisation is about shifting the focus of production
>closer to home. It is not something that can be done overnight, it is a long-term
>process that requires planning, design and innovation. In many ways, the area is
>poised to take a national lead here, being home to a strong local food culture,
>and many innovative businesses. Localisation is a powerful concept. Clearly Totnes
>cannot become self-sufficient, nor would it want to be. It will never be able to
>make computers or frying pans. However, as the oral history section of this report
>shows, it used to be far more self-reliant than it is today"
>http://totnesedap.org.uk/book/part1/localisation/
>
>
>paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>