In memoriam: Richard Douthwaite

Richard Douthwaite, co-founder of Feasta and much-loved colleague and friend, died on November 14th 2011 after a long illness. We will miss his unique and far-ranging intellect, the clarity of his thought and writing, his warmth and his laughter. Tributes to him have come in from around the world and you can read them here.

In line with his wishes, we are continuing with our scheduled events and publishing of articles.

The Future of Money

Professor Mary Mellor –
Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Northumbria
Chair of the Sustainable Cities Research Institute

Date: Saturday 11th February, 6pm
Venue: Boole 2, UCC, Cork

More information

Growing Together: An all-Ireland conference on Community Supported Agriculture

Date: 17th, 18th & 19th of February, Cloughjordan, Tipperary.

The aim of this weekend conference is to introduce the CSA concept to communities and growers on the island of Ireland. The event will bring together food producers and emerging Irish CSA’s while creating networking and learning opportunities with experienced initiatives from across Europe.

Rebate Debate Over Utility-Sector Cap & Trade Revenues

A Huffington Post article by Mike Sandler. If you’ve been wondering whatever happened to Cap & Trade in California, it’s not your fault. The topic has bounced around several state agencies, and it was tied up in the courts for awhile.

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Irish government consultation on the establishment of a public water utility

The Department of Environment, Community and Local Government is now seeking views in relation to the development of an implementation plan for the public water utility. This includes issues arising from an organisational, human resources and environmental perspective in the transition to the public utility, and
the proposed approach in relation to the future funding of water services including through water charges. Views to be submitted by February 24 2012.

More information

Transition Branching Out? Land reform: losing and recovering the Commons

In an article in the Transition Networks blog, Justin Kenrick writes evocatively about commons erosion in Africa, the slow but steady progress being made in rebuilding the commons in Scotland, and the need for a new vision of the economy that is community-based . Justin is one of the authors of our forthcoming book Sharing for Survival: Restoring the Climate, the Commons and Society, due to be published in early 2012.

‘Land value tax’ would be fairer, says Welsh Labour AM

‘Land value tax’ would be fairer, says Mark Drakeford AM Welsh Labour AM Mark Drakeford has given his backing to a “land value tax”. The Cardiff West AM’s championing of the tax comes as the Silk Commission investigates giving the Assembly new fiscal powers. In an article for the Institute of Welsh Affairs, Mr Drakeford [...]

Ronan Lyons Report on Site Value Tax now available

Ronan Lyons’s report on Site Value Tax in Ireland is available for download. The report assesses the obstacles to implementing SVT in Ireland and how these can be overcome. It also assesses the revenue potential of the tax and the distribution of land values in Ireland.

Fear and Loathing in the Financial Markets – What Happens to the Economy When the Oil Bubble Bursts?

By Philip Pilkington, a journalist and writer living in Dublin, Ireland. Cross posted in Naked Capitalism In 2008 profits in the US economy crashed out. But they soon bounced back. This bounce was largely due to the profits being reaped in the financial sector – which sickened many given that 2008 was in large measure [...]

Comment on Busy doing nothing – seven reasons for humanity’s inertia in the face of critical threats and how we might remove them by Brian Davey

I’m not sure why I am critised at the beginning of this comment. The evolutionary psychology, if such it is, was by Mark Rutledge. I made clear that I had differences with him.

Comment on Busy doing nothing – seven reasons for humanity’s inertia in the face of critical threats and how we might remove them by Floro

Again, like Nat Hagens, Brian Davey’s discussion, “Reason for Inertia 6: Our brains are maladapted to modern life”, based on the 1997 book Evolutionary Psychology by Leda Cosmides and John Tooby, uncritically adopts outdated principles of evolutionary psychology. I would like to call this the “modernist fallacy”—the fallacy of attributing our present inadequacies and excesses to our alleged inheritance of the brain of our stone age ancestors. It definitely does not do justice to our, in many ways, more intelligent ancestors (who did not have the “crutch” of computer technology)…

Comment on The psychological roots of resource overconsumption by Floro

I’m afraid that Nate Hagens, whose expertise is in Finance and natural resources, has ventured into territory for which he lacks the background knowledge. I may have misread him, but I get the impression that in his discussion of STATUS and NOVELTY, Hagens is unwittingly or unconsciously reading modern capitalist values into the alleged facts of human evolution and resorting to social Darwinism which has been discredited.[...]