Bubbles and Green Investments

Yesterday on the 21st of october the business pages of the NYT you could read that ".......investment capital for big renewable energy projects are likely to get tighter..."

Why do you think this is the case?.....could it be falling oil prices perhaps....? I have this funny feeling that I have seen this movie before --remember Carter ?

Let's learn a lesson from history: regardless of where the oil prices may land, we as a society, we the people should insist on federal investments --much larger than any bank bailout-- into greening the economy. Let's not get suckered any longer by the oil companies and think that the current drop in prices has anything to do with a rosier future of the fundamentals: The reality is, that we are running out of oil and whatever window the last little bit of oil gives us needs to be spend on reforming the economy by way of infrastructure development necessary to be real about the carbon reduction goals that were set at Kyoto and Rio.

Reagan took the sledgehammer to Carter's attempts towards a greener economy. Bush finished the whole greener vision off with a sustained nightmare of war, war economy, war culture (violence on tv) etc......and look where it got us.

Let's face it: we need the money that is now being spend on war, to be spend on education, families, and economic justice. We need the money that is now being spend on bailouts and invest it in a much more modest approach to life where happiness comes from using less and living in whole different ways than what we have become used to since the second war.

One thing is becoming clear: we don't need any more wars.

Let's tell Obama to tone down the rethoric on Afganistan and Pakistan and keep his commitment to leave Iraq as soon as can be agreed upon with the Iraq Government.

Then we should direct our focus to greening our economy and retooling our way of life.

Even the Buddha spoke of bubbles: "Life is like a bubble in a stream --it is an illusion"

Willem

Francisco Mahua, Shaman Extraordinaire

It is with great sadness and regret that I have to mention the killing of Francisco, 'Pancho' Mahua. I don't quite understand what happened but what I gather is this: Pancho Mahua, singer , Shaman, lineage holder of the Shipibo Konibo tribe, only 48 years old, was on his way back from his urban home close to the Yarina Cocha, Pucallpa to his ancestral home in Pao Yan, deep in the forest. He had been working steadily for months on end, doing ceremonies, hosting visitors, teaching and odd jobs. Finally he had saved some funds and was on his way to back to his love Isabella, and some of his children including a handicapped new born baby girl.

On this long boat ride over the Ucayali river it is not uncommon that arguments break out amongst a fair amount of drinking. This must have been the case, since in a scuttle Pancho Mahua was killed and thrown overboard. His body has yet to be found, though it is sure that Pancho Mahua died from his injuries.

It is hard to describe the incredible loss of such a bright light as Pancho Mahua, skilled in so many aspects of the complex inheritance of the Shipibo tribe. Pancho could fish, he could built traditional houses, he chanted like no other, and was singled out for his healing acumen and advice. He was a tribal leader, a great friend and father and lover of many, with an uncanny sense of humor and flawless theatrics.

Oh God, How we all will miss Pancho,


ps. check out some of his videos on the Youtube channels Ecoversity and Kanseki1 (in particular Report from the Forest)

Activities at Ecoversity

Like so much of our reality Ecoversity is in the rapids of transformation and activity, almost like our beehives. Talking about bees: our beeclasses just concluded a very successful year guided by Talon Vanhowten and Robert Sturm. Check out next years classes on our website Ecoversity.org and sign up as soon as you can.

Meetings with the LGI children are starting up again with work on the energy park, under the guidance of Alfonz Viszolay. Right now the challenge is to hook all the machinery up to monitoring systems that inform and educate us about the nature of wind, algae, energy, sun and their relationships.

Meanwhile we have had a stream of visitors from all over the world and our own neighborhood as well. A number of international visitors attending the Santa Fe Institute International Summer Program visited several times and so did the girls from Girls Inc, and so many others. Ecoversity has been approached by National Geographic, and it was featured in Voice of America, South East Asia. On the one hand it is hard not to get distracted by all the attention-- at the same time, all these interesting encounters offer many opportunities to refine, formulate, and develop the vision of Ecoverstiy.

Two acres of Ecoversity, right next to Aqua Fria have been laying fallow for perhaps as long as 70 years or longer, though there are indications that at one time they were farmed. Given the larger looming problems that are developing themselves elsewhere and everywhere, and here as well, it seemed natural to start the process of fertilizing these fields with the idea to create community gardens as soon as next year. Kale showed up this last sunday (19th october) with a pair of really beautiful and motivated mules and together with a lot of children and adults we disked the soil and then planted a series of cover crops: winter wheat, winter rye, hairy vetch and clover as well. What a great feeling and what a hopeful event !

Finally, I would like to plug our website Ecoversity.org. There is an amazing array of information on Ecoversity.org and it is quickly developing into a resource for many people. If there are any teachers reading this blog, please consider using aspects of our website as exciting learning tools (and let us know if you do). For instance check out Ecoversity TV --an informative selection of media on retooling and re-thinking our reality. Even some really cool entertainment. All of our original films and other information on Ecoversity itself is to be found here as well. Please donate when you can.

As you can tell, Ecoversity is starting to develop on many different levels. Partly this is the case because of the iron intent of Ecoversity itself (and all of its brewing talent) but partly it is because reality is coming our way,

Naturally,

Willem