We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, April 5, 2010

The greening of capitalism?

by Heather Rogers from International Socialist Review. The author travels the globe to get a closer look at the operations of "green capitalism" as practiced by major corporations and uncovers some startling contradictions in their claims. And given the present legal and economic constraints imposed upon local organic farmers under capitalist controlled governments, she uncovers evidence that questions their sustainability. Given that so much of the literature coming from ecological sources that either tout "green" capitalism or are reluctant to challenge their claims, this author's quest for truth is very refreshing.