Crowded Planet

The United Nations estimates that by 2050 the current world population will have about 3 billion extra people.

That’s a lot of people.

At Ecosphere Net our approach to sustainability is a participatory conversation that leads to action within people’s lives and their communities.

The conversations not only focus on community and individual problems (things that are not working) but also successes (things that are working).

A side benefit to these conversations is that people not only begin to feel more comfortable with expressing their own points of view, but also more comfortable being with those of others, even if they are widely varied from their own.

With 3 billion more people here soon, being more comfortable with diversity is good for sustainability.

EJ Wensing

Founder, Ecosphere Net

ejwensing@ecopshere.net

Sustainability – Where does it all begin?

Wind farms generating electricity so that we can drive our electric cars.

That’s good for sustainability.

The meaning of the term “Sustainability” is difficult to define exactly.

It means different things to different people.

Yet global sustainability is something that will benefit us all.

So how can we get to something when we don’t know what it really is?

Maybe the best way to get to an agreeable definition of what sustainability is, is for all of us to agree on where it begins.

How about, global sustainability begins with each one of us?

I think we can get agreement on that.

Can we take it further? (Because getting to global sustainability is important, and getting there as quickly as possible is also important)

How about, global sustainability begins within each one of us?

In my book I Am Sustainability: How the Human Body Can Save the Planet I propose that fear, at both the individual and collective level, is what is preventing us from getting to sustainability faster.

Fear of what? Survival fears. Social survival and physical survival.

Reducing fear through developing a personal identity in sustainability is the best way to reduce those fears.

So, global sustainability indeed begins within each one of us.

EJ Wensing

Founder, Ecosphere Net

ejwensing@ecosphere.net

Environmental Stewardship Versus Responsibility

We often hear the term “Environmental Stewardship”. This means, to my understanding, that we have the responsibility to be stewards, or servants of the Earth and take care of it. Of course, taking care of it is a good idea.

But maybe we can do more. Or, at least, differently, which may be more.

Maybe we can become “Environmentally Responsible”. This means that we become responsible for our actions. As environmental stewards we take care of things. As environmentally responsible we take care of our selves. We watch our behavior so that our actions are reasonable, and not environmentally damaging.

Nature and the Earth have been around for a while. They probably don’t need stewards. They need responsible partners.

Turns out too that if we are more responsible for our selves, we’ll also likely do better with each other. Doing better with each other, other humans, is also more positive for the environment.

That’s called a “win-win-win”.

What do you think?

E.J. Wensing

Founder, Ecosphere Net

ejwensing@ecosphere.net

Welcome to the Ecosphere Net Blog

Welcome to the Ecosphere Net Blog!

At Ecosphere Net (www.ecosphere.net) our mission is to provide provocative and effectual participatory education programs in seminar or workshop format that not only help people to do more sustainable things, but also actually be more sustainable. In other words, our mission is to help people move forward from identifying with sustainability to actually identifying in sustainability.

The way we at Ecosphere Net are doing that is through an expanding participatory process of cross-cultural conversation, action and research.

Expanding because we are going to link all the conversations we participate in, as well as their actions and research, around the world and, ultimately, generate one big global conversation, action and research group to explore how we can all move from identifying with sustainability to actually identifying in sustainability.

We hope you explore and enjoy this blog, our website and join the conversation, action and research to save the planet!

EJ Wensing

Founder, Ecosphere Net