The “Gaia Paradigm” – What it is and Why it matters

In 1985, a “Far-side” cartoon depicted a dinosaur at a podium addressing a group of fellow dinosaurs. The reptile opined: “The picture’s pretty bleak, gentlemen. . . The world’s climates are changing, the mammals are taking over, and we all have a brain about the size of a walnut.” Like so many of Gary Larson’s brilliant one-panel creations, the cartoon strikes the funny bone because it lampoons...
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Tundra Dreamer

Adapted from “A Sweet and Sublime Enigma” by Martin Ogle, 2006.     The dreamer knew limitless possibilities. And yet, had been to the mountaintop and seen The possibility of limits.   In the windswept tundra Dwarf plants, A few hardy creatures, Danced with and hid from The singing wind.   Shielding himself from the gale, The dreamer saw the world below and marveled at Limitless possibilities.  ...
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Willful Waste, Woeful Want

Dictionary.com analyzes the American idiom, “waste not, want not” as follows: “Wise use of one’s resources will keep one from poverty. For example, I just hate to throw out good food—waste not, want not. This proverbial saying was first recorded in 1772 but had an earlier, even more alliterative version, willful waste makes woeful want (1576).” How fitting that the example used for this...
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House on Fire

  House on Fire “Watch out you might get what you’re after Cool babies strange but not a stranger I’m an ordinary guy Burning down the house Hold tight wait till the party’s over Hold tight We’re in for nasty weather There has got to be a way Burning down the house” Thus read the first two stanzas of the hit rock song, “Burning Down the House.”   Despite the driving,...
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Some Thoughts at the Barstool of Sustainability

Some Thoughts at the Barstool of Sustainability; The Growth of a Good Idea In October of 2013, I was privileged to pull up a barstool at New Belgium Brewery, in Fort Collins, CO, to contemplate sustainability.   The discussion and brewery tour were conducted for Naropa University graduate students (and me, their professor) by New Belgium’s Sustainability Specialist, Katie Wallace.   Our class...
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