FEASTA Presentation: Before The Wells Run Dry – Richard Douthwaite and Michael Layden

Date: December 12 2003
Ireland’s economy is heavily dependent on fossil fuels imported fromelsewhere. With a peak in production of oil and gas predicted in the coming decades, and the need to tackle the issue of climate change becoming more apparent, Ireland needs to quickly move towards renewable energy. That raises two big questions: how, and how fast, can that be done? This presentation by Richard Douthwaite and Michael Layden from FEASTA explored Ireland’s transition to renewable energy.…

Submission on Rural Housing To the Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Local Government

6th Nov 2003 , Emer O’Siochru

This submission makes a case for promoting small compact housing settlements rather than dispersed housing. It examines precedents for this development model in Ireland, arguing that most Irish villages and towns came into existence as a result of conscious planning. It suggests that the tax system be used to influence decisions about housing construction in favour of compact settlements, and that a ‘Participatory Budget’ system be introduced, following the example of Sao Paulo in Barzil, with the County Development Boards playing a strong role.

The full version can be downloaded as a PDF file…

2003 Feasta Annual Lecture: Designing a Truly Democratic Economy – Marjorie Kelly

Date: 3-4 November 2003
Venue: Dublin and Belfast
Kelly, a US ethical business advocate, spoke on how the rights of shareholders in contemporary companies are similar in many respects to those enjoyed by the aristocracy of feudal regimes. Kelly is the author of Divine Right of Capital – Dethroning the Corporate Aristocracy and the editor/co-founder of Business Ethics, a US publication on corporate social responsibility.…

Notes for the UK Sustainable Development Commission, re Redefining Prosperity

By John Jopling for Feasta, October 2003

This submission argues that the Sustainable Development Commission has thus far tended to emphasise symptoms of global problems rather than their root causes. In particular, it argues that the SDC should consider the role played by the global financial system in the world economy, and the link between debt-based money and the pressure on economies to expand indefinitely.

The full text can be found below or downloaded as a PDF version…