“We are as gods, and HAVE to get good at it”
—Whole Earth Discipline
Stewart Brand announced his new book Whole Earth Discipline with much fanfare (and a packed house) at last Friday’s Long Now Seminar. And while the presentation felt more like a scattered brain-dump of the important themes and updated data from the book (as well as Brand’s first major public unveiling) the message was clear… its time to step up and make some big changes.
As you can see from the image above, the ideas aren’t new… but who is thinking them is. For years, environmentalists have maintained opposite paths of thinking, and while Brand makes complete logical sense, they may be difficult to swallow. But I am glad Brand is the one presenting it to the world, given that he had a major hand in founding the Long Now, and that he practically started the green movement in 1968 with a little catalog called the Whole Earth.
Cities are green.
Nuclear power is green.
Genetic engineering is green.
Viva la revolution!
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Note: As of this writing, there is a summary of the night’s talk posted, and as with many of the seminars… the video and audio should be posted within the month. I encourage all of you to check it out and challenge your inner environmentalist!
“We live one life.” —Steward Brand
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Mr. Brand was also kind enough to endorse my book Rad Decision: A Novel of Nuclear Power. This profile of the US nuclear power industry is written from a true insider’s perspective – I’ve been at it over twenty years working at reactors.
I believe there are many energy futures possible – with or without nuclear – and we’ll make the best decisions if we first understand our energy present in realistic terms. I’m don’t think many have a good handle on it right now. We’ve heard from academics, pundits, advocates, executives and spokesmen on nuclear. The coverage of the issue has seemed to me like reporting on a war without ever talking to the soldiers. So here’s a voice from the inside.
In Rad Decision I cover the good and the bad. (Yes, TMI and Chernobyl). The book is written with the general reader in mind – it covers the people and politics as well as the technology of the industry in a way only someone working inside the security perimeter could do. It is available free online at http://RadDecision.blogspot.com or in paperback at online retailers. There is no corporate sponsorship for this and I get no royalties.
“I’d like to see Rad Decision widely read.” – Stewart Brand