Over breakfast, Justin from Missoula, Montana, a Buddhist monk and technology geek, spoke of his dream of opening a school. Evan, a New Hampshire college student, felt lucky to be there; he was one of 50 students and professors whose attendance costs were underwritten by a grant provided by an anonymous benefactor. Both remarked on the refreshingly multi-generational aspect of the conference. Old, middle-aged and up-and-coming college students and recent grads had the opportunity to network to their hearts’ content. Some had been dedicated activists for decades. Others were clearly new to the game. From white-hairs to greenhorns, people young and old were happy to meet and happy to get on with their work.
According to presenter Tina Clark, a certified transition trainer and former Greenpeace activist, this is what our changing world requires. We will need to “unleash the collective genius” of our communities in order to address our challenges. Economic instability, social inequality, energy supply and resource depletion coupled with climate change are problems that require changed habits. This is hard to do alone, emphasizes Clark. We need to get the tribe together.
According to the organizers, the conference was sold out. McKibben’s Friday night speech was free and open to the public. Should the conference take place at Bard again next year (a future location and event is yet to be determined), I was assured that we locals would be included in the loop.
John Fullerton of the Capital Institute and the syndicated “Future of Finance Blog” agrees that something’s got to give. A Greenwich, Conn. fund manager, he says our financial systems must transform.
It’s the challenge we must face, Fullerton says in a workshop. We need to embrace something that is “not anarchistic, not socialist, but an emerging capitalist perspective that looks to nature as a model … balancing resiliency and efficiency.” He is quick to point out that these are not just his ideas. “A lot of people taught me that,” he says.
Massie says we must admit to what’s not working and never use the term “mainstream economics” again. “Say failed model economics or old-fashioned economics,” he urges. Tenacity is needed. “Anger does not teach us to move forward …We are the midwives of the birth of a thousand new ideas. It is the nursery of the new … re-defining wealth, re-thinking accounting, recognizing many different kinds of capital.”
Everything is at stake, he says.
In order to face our problems on both the local and global scale, many of the guest speakers and panelists urge, we must address both the economic and environmental levels. Above all, we must not despair. Our deepest sense of commitment must be to creating new paradigms. We must share and improve our collective vision for the future, building on what we have learned and what we have yet to learn.
“No one has all the pieces and answers,” says Tina Clark. “We must listen and learn and solve the problem together. We are all screwed, and we can fix it.”
For info: New Economics Institute, www.neweconomicsinstitute.org; Interactive map, “The Global Transition to a New Economy – Mapping a Green and Fair World,” www.gtne.org; twitter #NEI2012
