Most of what you see assembled in these pages is good and honest enough stuff, but for how long can anyone hope to keep digging on the background and accomplishments of some earnest guy who claims to know what he is doing in the murky world of sustainable development without losing at least a bit of interest? The bits of presentations and articles which I have assembled here are intended to be an antidote for the boredom that may already may have started to set in. Let me introduce each of these pieces briefly with the thought that one or two of them may tempt you, and then leave you on your way.

Note: For the PowerPoint presentations which are called up in your main frame here, you may wish (a) to click the small "Outline" link on the bottom left of the page menu to clear the frame, and then (b) to click to the "Slide Show" you will see it on your right.
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Don Carleone wants into carsharing: The Mafia & Sustainability

Don Carleone wants into carsharing: (And we suggest that you don't say no) Editor's note: This one comes from a series that I scribbled on the occasion of the first World CarFree Day in 2001, published in the Grist magazine of the Earth Day Network. If it interests you enough, you can at the bottom of the article scroll to the other six pieces in that week-long series. Click here for article: Don Carleone wants into carsharing: Back to top Sustainable Transport's Dirty Secret (1996, but little has changed) I made this PowerPoint presentation in October 1996 to a working group of the OECD's Environmentally Sustainable Transportation's program (est!) with which I had and continue to have a collegial if occasionally bumpy long term advisory role since its inception more than a decade ago. At the time I saw this as a much needed call to a more thoughtful, more layered, and more technology-assisted approach to the challenges of sustainability in a frankly non-sustainable world -- a world of people, habits and political arrangements that to all appearances has no real intention to make the fundamental changes that are needed for the planet and in our daily lives. The presentation is not short and may take the better part of a half hour to get through. And even today it still looks pretty good (though the presentation is a bit dated with all those early bells and whistles, but after all it was a quickly done one-man show and that from someone less than an expert). My hope is that the ideas and overall quality of perspective merit this expenditure of time on your part. But let me leave it to you to decide that for yourself. (Note the PowerPoint version for direct viewing here is a very large file of ca. 9 Mo., while the zipped file is ca. 3 Mo. It requires a sound card.) PowerPoint Version of presentation (Warning: Very large, ca. 9 Mo. ) Zipped version (Large file, ca. 3 Mo.) Back to top What's this about some "21st Turtle"? Kick start your imagination for sustainability. The idea behind this somewhat quirky 1998 brainstorming exercise was and is to see if I could use a tool of the time and the web to plant a grain of sand in the media, new and old, so as somehow to get the message of sustainable development across in a way that not only captures attention for a while, but which also somehow managed to reach down into the marrow of society -- by which I mean people, you and me -- in order to increase consciousness about the importance, about the need, and finally the simple rationale of doing our bit to move to a more sustainable world. This PowerPoint presentation specifically takes on the challenge of explaining why "Sustainable development . . . is the emerging operational framework for activity organization in the 21st Century". As you will see it is pretty rough, but there are also glimpses of something useful there. 21st Turtle in "brief" (Warning: ca. 800 ko. ppt file ) Back to top How France Saved Europe for Civilization Here you have two brief op-ed pieces that were written for the Interational Herald Tribune in Summer 2005 whose goal was to set the American mind straight on what is going on in this great and proud country over here. The second of the two concludes with a "Happy Ending", dated as you will see just below: Paris, Monday, 7 May 2007. Monsieur Jacques Chirac was yesterday overwhelming reelected for a third term as President of the French Republic, after having shown that he was able to break the political and economic impasses that were threatening the European construction though his totally unexpected proposals of September 2005 that served to reshape the institutions of Europe forever. His totally unexpected proposals for restructuring could only have come from a French leader, and when they were presented were almost immediately accepted by all the remaining members of the Union. Indeed, it can truthfully be said that France, and President Chirac, saved Europe for civilization. Part I: Fifteen Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong Part II: Chirac's three bitter pills Back to top Grist. The Interactivist Q&A with environmnetal foot soliders Grist Magazine, Environmental News and Commentary, publishes an weekly interview series under the title, the InterActivist, which they describe as follows: "an environmental personality answers questions from Grist's editors, then follow-up queries from Grist readers, creating a one-of-a-kind portrait of on-the-ground activism." In June of 2005 they contacted me in order to put me through their grinder. You can see the results by clicking here: Eric Britton, sustainable-development booster, answers Grist's editor's questions And in a second part answers readers' questions Back to top Rethinking Work: Ten bones of contention There are many ways of looking at the challenges of how we might go about organizing work in the 21st century. Or rather how we must go about it! BUt if anything our model is more or less as Professor Dodgson put it so well: Where's the other ladder? Why I hadn't to bring but one; Bill's got the other Bill! Fetch it here, lad! Here, put 'em up at this corner No, tie 'em together first They don't reach half high enough yet - Oh!, they'll do well enough; don't be particular Here, Bill! catch hold of this rope Will the roof bear? - Mind that loose slate Oh, it's coming down! Heads below!" (a loud crash) "Now, who did that? It was Bill, I fancy Who's to go down the chimney? Nay, I shan't! You do it! That I won't then! Bill's to go down there Here, Bill! the master says you've to go down the chimney! - From Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland Now let's have a peek at those Ten bones of contention Back to top The No-Fault, Non-Bureaucratic, No-Brainer, Grassroots, World-Wide Sustainability Grant Program Sometimes, even if he has to do it alone, and his conduct seems to be mad, a man must set an example, and so draw people's souls out of their solitude, and spur them to some act of brotherly love, that the great idea does not die. - Dostoyevsky, 'The Brothers Karamazov A proposal for a world wide 'no fault' zero-bureaucracy grants program to support worthy local sustainability projects and teams in cities and communities around the world -- putting into their hands with little fuss or work on their part a high-visibility media-supported prize and cash award of ten thousand dollars or euros. We have seen in many places that relatively modest amounts of money applied with the right light touch can do a great deal in many local project contexts. Now let's have a look at that draft "No-Fault" grants proposal Back to top     Home   About Translate   The Commons   Always On   Contact   Top Le Frene, 8/10 rue Joseph Bara 75006 Paris, France, Europe. T: +331 4326 1323 Copyright © 1994-2006 The Commons ® All rights reserved. Last updated on 19 April 2006