Archives
A Sustainability Portrait of McMinnville, Oregon
McMinnville is the county seat of Yamhill County, Oregon. The 2020 census reports that it has 34,000 residents. It is in the heart of wine country about an hour southwest of Portland, and an hour east of the Oregon shore. No freeways pass anywhere near. I prepared the following sustainability profile of McMinnville in anticipation […]
Interconnected and Interdependent – a New Normal
“If man chooses oblivion, he can go right on leaving his fate to his political leaders. If he chooses Utopia, he must initiate an enormous education program… immediately.” – R. Buckminster Fuller We have to stop focusing on artificial dualities and past battles and move forward at every level. How do we categorize ourselves? […]
Addressing Our Climate Crisis at the Grass Roots
Editor’s Note: Jon Biemer gives us a real life example of what can happen at the local level when climate activists, municipal administrators and just plain folks cooperate and collaborate to tackle our climate crisis. Pat Wartinger is a retired teacher and grandmother and a whirlwind of sustainability. The point here is not so […]
What Motivates People to Act Sustainably?
The central question of my upcoming book, Our Journey to Sustainability, has been “What motivates people to act on behalf of the planet.” Here was my conundrum. After interviewing sixty people who are actually making a difference and collecting a like number of stories from other sources, I still hadn’t succinctly answered my question. […]
We Are All Earthlings
There is a scene early in the movie Top Gun: Maverick to which I am particularly sympathetic. It immediately follows the moment when Maverick (Tom Cruise) has tested an experimental aircraft past its breaking point. We then see Maverick walking into a small rural town, entering a diner and after drinking a glass of water […]
Insuring Climate Risks w/ AI, IoT, Satellites & Big Data
Insurers are being overtaken by the pace of change. Our climate crisis (among several other factors including technology) is redefining the nature of risk. The industry needs to move quickly to keep up with consumer expectations, close protection gaps, and respond to emerging threats. Now is a moment of truth for insurers to consider their […]
Origina Becomes Lead Corporate Supporter of This Spaceship Earth
We are thrilled to announce that Origina is the lead corporate supporter of TSE. Here is the official press release. Origina easily met the two criteria we at This Spaceship Earth consider when evaluating a potential corporate supporter. First, they have already shown a clear commitment to the environment by working to solve the […]
Our Climate Crisis: from Denial to Disconnection
by David Houle (previously published in the Sarasota Herald Tribune) If you read this newspaper, or any other newspaper, or watch the news on television, you know that we have entered a climate crisis that is deadly real. It can no longer be denied. Here are just a few of the stories […]
La’au Ha’awi: Planting Hope on Maui
edited by Jon Biemer A modest cadre of dedicated folks on the island of Maui, Hawai‘i, just completed an elegant initiative to provide local food, sequester carbon dioxide, and reduce transportation carbon emissions. Plant a lot of fruit trees where they will be appreciated. Volunteers planting fruit trees at Ka Hale […]
It Takes a Village to Change the System
by Jon Biemer An amazing diversity of actors contributes to the healing of our planet. This became apparent to me as I made the final revisions to my book Our Environmental Handprints: Recover the Earth, Reverse Global Warming, Reclaim the Future. Consider for example the cast of characters who are reviving the Los Angeles […]
