Ritual display in the animal kingdom is a way to signal potency. There are thousands of examples of animals with this trait from insects to peacocks to gorillas. It is a way for animals to compete without fighting. Fighting will often lead to serious injury, and sometimes death, so it is imprudent and wasteful in … Read more
Sustainabilism is the approach for achieving environmentally sustainable human well-being. Sustainabilism is a response to ‘too much’ – too much stuff, too much advertising, too much information, too much work, too much stress, too much waste, too much of everything. Sustainabilism’s attitude is that less is better because less is more – more time, more … Read more
Greed is a root cause of over-consumption. It is defined as an intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food. Greed is a human characteristic, other animals aren’t greedy, once they have enough, they have enough. Greed is the cause of much pain and suffering, the global economic crisis in 2008 highlighted … Read more
There are so many benefits of cycling including financial, health, environmental, economic and social benefits. Some of these benefits of cycling are described here. Convenience There is always talk of the convenience of cars but bikes are convenient too. For example, when cycling, it’s very easy to find a park and parking is free. You … Read more
Whilst the industrialisation of the food industry has created a wide variety of systemic problems, the solutions can also be systemic. For example, moving back to small-scale, organic farming and craft food production would create a comprehensive range of systemic benefits as described below in the comparison with industrial farming. Industrial foodproduction Craft foodproduction Creates … Read more
Today, July 29 2019, is Earth Overshoot Day. This is the day that humanity has used the resources the earth can provide sustainably for this year. For the rest of the year we will be liquidating the natural capital the earth has stocked up over hundreds of millions of years. Also, we accumulate waste, including … Read more
Decluttering is good for your well-being and for nature. There are a variety of benefits for decluttering your home including the following. Less can be more. Reduce frustration and save time by not having to search for mislaid items. With less clutter and more space your home will be easier and quicker to clean. There … Read more
Bobby Kennedy’s 1968 Presidential Campaign speech against the proliferation of consumption “If we believe that we, as Americans, are bound together by a common concern for each other, then an urgent national priority is upon us. We must begin to end the disgrace of this other America. And this is one of the great tasks … Read more
In systems, problems can propagate and generate new, unforeseen problems. Fortunately, systemic solutions can also propagate and generate new solutions. Our existing economic systems are unfair, unhealthy and unsustainable. These problems are ingrained in the system and cannot be ‘tweaked out’. To borrow an idea from Buckminster Fuller, instead of trying to fix a problematic … Read more
Earth Day 2019 is on Monday, 22 April. As always, it is a good time to reflect on what Earth gives us and what we take away. This year, Econation marks the day with a few thought-provoking quotes that we hope will stimulate and inspire you. Earth is in our hands Humans are currently consuming … Read more