From Daniel Quinn:

"If we continue ... to consume the world until there's no more to consume, then there's going to come a day, sure as hell, when our children or their children or their children's children are going to look back on us -- on you and me -- and say to themselves, "My God, what kind of monsters were these people?"

The Party's Over

Have you ever read or listened to Richard Heinberg? If yes, you probably know what I am about to tell you. If your answer is no, it is time. For even if the party may be still on, it will really be over quite soon.

...

This October and the first week of November I was in the UK. With only two days in London, I spent this time up in Scotland in the Findhorn Ecovillage by the Findhorn Bay. It is a forty or fifty minute ride from Inverness airport. I was in Findhorn to attend a training of trainers by Gaia Education titled “Design for Sustainability - Ecovillage Design Programme”. It was quite an amazing training with participants from all around the world. Literally all around the world, from Burma/Myanmar to Argentina, from Canada to Australia, from Mexico to Japan… And there I was from Turkey.

It was my second time in Findhorn. Last summer I was there to attend a training to be a facilitator of the Transformation Game. The focus of that training was on personal growth, personal healing and empowerment. This game which is also available in Turkish is one of the best personal development tools that I have seen over the years.

Well, last summer I thought I had been to Findhorn. This October I realized that although Findhorn is essentially a spiritual community and offers many opportunities for personal growth and empowerment, it is also a very important place for sustainability awareness in the western world. It is a centre working hard to create awareness about climate change and peak oil.

Findhorn Ecovillage has the lowest ecological footprint measured in the western world. Their footprint is about one half of the footprint of the UK. Findhorn’s footprint includes the national factors for health services, infrastructure, and all government related activities, which needs to be included in the official calculations and definitely increases their footprint.

In the east countries and the global south as well as in Turkey especially in rural areas and in smaller rural towns, sustainability is still a way of life. People have not forgotten everything. Not yet. Our ecological footprint in Turkey is lower than many of the countries Europe and Northern America. Our villagers are still self sufficient in many aspects. However, it is also a way of life that we are forgetting fast. It is a way of living that we need to keep it alive, that we need to learn from, in order to survive when the party is over.

What is this party all about?

I have a lot of things to say, and I am finding it hard to decide where to start.

Have you heard of 350? When I was in Findhorn on October 24^th, there was an interesting event that took place. It was about 350. People gathered in the Universall Hall in Findhorn to sing and dance to connect to Mother Earth and to the people all around the world who are concerned about the future that awaits us all. Actually many interesting events took place all around the word. On that day in 181 countries about 5200 events were organised to rally for cutting CO₂ emissions.

In short 350 is the number of particles of CO₂ in the atmosphere [350ppm (parts per million)] which is thought to be a safe limit for humanity, in order to stop climate change, to prevent the melting of the arctic ice and all of its ripple effects. In December this year in Copenhagen a very important event will take place and it could be a historical event for the world, for the existence of human life on this planet. It is the UN Climate Change Conference COP 15 Copenhagen. This could be a historical time when we humans start to take responsibility for what we have caused on this planet, our home in the last few centuries with industrialization, our inconsiderate use of world’s natural resources especially fossil fuels.

The current level of CO₂ in the air is over 387 ppm. We are over the limit that is considered safe by scientists. We are in quite dangerous waters. There is a very urgent need to cut carbon emissions all around the world. We are all sharing the same planet, the same atmosphere, the same seas and oceans. There is no private salvation. All governments need to come together and work together to find a way to radically reduce the use of fossil fuel energy resources. Countries need to find ways to use carbon free energy sources. There is no other way. We all need to reconsider our way of living which has turned into consuming Earth without consideration and respect for it, for all other forms of life. And especially in the western world. In big cities in Turkey we are modelling ways of behaving that has brought this trouble to the world. We are copying so called western countries which are waking up to the dangers waiting at the door.

For more detailed information about 350, I would like to recommend checking out the website www.350.org. This web site is quite up to date about what 350 really is.

Life on Earth will change as we know it. There is no doubt about it. Especially climate change and peak oil will change the way we live. We will wake up, voluntarily or through the waves of change. At this moment in human history, we are at a very critical point. It is a point where although difficult it is possible to make a change. Difficult, but possible. Yet, it is not a light decision. And I cannot help but think that so many of us are not aware of the changes that are about to happen.

There are things that governments need to do. By being aware citizens we can affect our governments to take this threat seriously. And we can do more. In hundreds of cities, towns and neighbourhoods around the world people are gathering together to find ways to bring resilience to their communities. In Findhorn I had the privilege some of these people who have started such initiatives in their towns. They are working together to organise their lives to make it les dependent of oil and are re-skilling themselves to prepare for both climate changes and expected increased oil prices.

As I listen to them, I realize that in Fethiye, people are already doing, have been doing what these people are trying to remember, are trying to learn again. They are learning about producing their own food through organic farming methods. They are supporting local producers, shops and products. They are relearning the skills their mothers, fathers, grandparents used to know to build their homes, to fix appliances, to sew, to knit, to cook, to make preserves and many more.

I do realize that I did paint a dark picture. My intention is not bring hopelessness or despair. Having seen Findhorn and what Findhorn Foundation has been trying to do to create sustainable settlements, to be a model or rather a laboratory for sustainable settlements, I have great hope. I have great belief in what humans can achieve once they are aware of the need to change and act with the will to change using proper tools and methods. We will need to change. If we change consciously and proactively, we can create a sustainable life that is fun and joyful.

Fossil fuels do not bring about health, joy and happiness perse. We created systems and life structures using fossil fuels. True. We thought that was the way. We lost track that we were using world’s precious resources as if there was an indefinite supply. We forgot. We got drunk with abundant energy. We thought it would last forever. Using fossil fuels is a method. We can change that. We can use these historic times to make life better, and reconsider what the words good and better mean to us.

This has been a very long beginning to what I would like to continue to talk about in the coming weeks. For the next two weeks I would like to invite to read about climate change, peak oil and 350. Until we meet again…

With lots of love,

Zeynep.

Back from Findhorn

Finally I am back in London after a month long training on sustainability in Findhorn.

It was quite cold in Inverness this morning, yet London seems to be enjoying much warmer weather.

So much to say.

About "climate change".

About "peak oil".

About sustainibility.

About 350!

About communities, and especially Findhorn.

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For tonight, I just would like to send love from London.

May our path be filled with love and compassion.

Z.