There are two days left until October 24th – the Day of Action. We must stand united to show world leaders that we, the people of this planet, will no longer wait for change – Copenhagen must bring it! I will be taking my civil engineering professional license exam on the Day of Action, unfortunately. I will be wearing a 350.org t-shirt and posting here, but I will be unable to join in the activism on the actual day.

I ask that you step up where I cannot and join an action near you!

A Great, Sustainable Meal

I’m approaching another year older (hopefully wiser) and was taken out to a surprise location for dinner by my partner. She did her research and found a great place near us that represents what I envision life in a steady state economy to be like: focused more on the local economy, a greater sense of community, and more time to enjoy living our lives with less of an impact on the environment.

Sutra is a vegetarian restaurant in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle, nestled amongst the many former-homes-turned-businesses along 45th street. A beautiful, intimate space awaits up to 35 guests for a dinner seating serving four community-style courses. Seasonal food from Forged and Found Edibles, Full Circle Farm, and other local food suppliers are masterfully combined into delicious meals.

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New Scientist Sets Out To Make The World a Better Place

New Scientist’s next three issues will follow up on what this week’s issue started: defining world problems and finding solutions. I have been continually impressed with New Scientist, from their articles on economic growth, endorsing the steady state economy, and their article about the nature of greed. I am one of the few Americans I have met that actually subscribes to this great weekly UK periodical, though I hope more will follow my lead.

Their ambitious premise on this four-part serious entitled “Blueprint For A Better World” is to “explore diverse ideas for making the world a better place, and the evidence backing them.” [emphasis added] It is one thing to talk the talk, but now it’s time for decisive action. We can no longer wait around for the change to self-manifest, we have to deliver it ourselves.

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I know I promised my next post would be back on the topic of the Steady State Economy, but I have another word on climate change first. Seriously, this is important stuff – survival of life on Earth sort of stuff. Creating a sustainable economy is crucial to stopping runaway climate destabilization. They go hand-in-hand, as you will see in Leo’s last point about growth in this video…

I’ll be short and sweet: WATCH THIS VIDEO. Please also support the Age of Stupid by watching the film (when it debuts in the US) and above all being Not Stupid. It is high time we Wake Up and Freak Out:

Wake Up, Freak Out – then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo.

Time For Action

I have written in the past about climate change and the need for decisive action. You might think this odd for a blog about economics to be talking about climate change. How can I not talk about it? Climate change poses the greatest threat to human civilization since the atom bomb. It is the ecological part of ecological economics. But I digress…

As a blog I hereby official support the Beyond Talk Campaign. It is time for non-violent civil disobedience to make change happen. The Copenhagen Climate Conference is now less than 100 days away and we need a groundswell movement to make change happen NOW.

Beyond Talk is a great campaign originally conceived by The Yes Men and initiated by a group of organizations to “turn up the political heat” and push for a global climate agreement NOW. Check out the founders:

• 350.org
• Alliance of Community Trainers
• Center for the Working Poor
• Global Justice Ecology Project
• Indigenous Environmental Network
• Mobilization for Climate Justice West
• Rainforest Action Network
• Ruckus Society
• Yes Men

Take the pledge and make a difference – be a true activist!

Size Does Matter

Sustainability is quite the buzzword nowadays. What is sustainability anyway? It would appear at face value to have a simple, easily understood meaning. On the contrary, almost everything labeled “sustainable” is not, creating ambiguity in the meaning of the concept. It has become more of a marketing tool than an actual process. Being sustainable is quite different from what is typically called sustainable in our culture currently.

Something is sustainable if it can maintain balance with the system supporting it, and can do so indefinitely. A sustainable process takes only the amount of resources that can be regenerated by its supporting system between each processing cycle. Waste generated by a sustainable process can be absorbed by the surrounding system at the same rate it is created. Sound familiar? On a large scale, that’s the steady state economy.

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An Ecologically Responsible Host

After thorough investigation, Steady State Revolution has found a new, ecologically responsible home! Previously this blog was hosted on servers that were far-removed to my morals (unknown to me at the time of purchase and proof that you should always do your research!). We’ve moved to a carbon neutral web host that supports non-profits: Acorn Hosting.

So, if you’ve noticed any outages today, it was just the side effects of our transition. We’re back in business now!

There are lots of other options out there for the eco-minded webmaster, though. Treehugger has a list of green web hosts, and many of them are good choices. I went with Acorn for the combination of green energy (which supports a sustainable way of life), great options (unlimited databases, for instance), and competitive prices (a lighter weighted factor, but a factor nonetheless).

Not only is Acorn powered by renewable energy, but is women owned and gives discounted rates to non-profits. All around, I can sleep better at night now.

Here are a few new blogs I’ve found that I want to make aware to you. These blogs all deal in roughly the same area: steady state, or sustainable, economics. They show the growing undercurrent of desire for a sustainable economic that is rushing towards the surface.

• Shift Happens – From the mission statement: “‘Shift Happens’ will inspire readers by informing them on current economic and political trends by informing the readers on the paradigm shift towards a more sustainable future.”
• Gaian Economics – Writing to empower you to become part of the economic discussion, because “All other green campaigns become futile without tackling the economic system and its ideological defenders. ”
• No Impact Man > Sustainable Economics – No Impact Man’s sustainable economics section, he’s got lots of good posts.
• Share the World’s Resources – “STWR advocates for essential resources such as food, water and energy to be shared internationally under the agency of the United Nations.”
• USSEE Blog – Then United States Society for Ecological Economics blog
• The Inspired Economist – A forum for the “New Economy” focused on the triple bottom line – people, planet and profit.
• CASSE Blog – The Center for the Advancement of the Steady State economy is the source for steady state information online. See also their news section for more updates.

If you see something missing from the blogosphere and/or want to help spread the word on this subject – create your own blog! Wordpress is what I use and it is a great, free way to blog.