This is a preview of the lecture given by Allan Savory at the 35th Annual E. F. Schumacher Lectures on October 24th, 2015 at Churchtown Dairy in Churchtown, New York. The full lecture is available here:
Established in 1981, the Annual E. F. Schumacher Lectures capture some of the most visionary voices that speak to the urgent need to transform our economic, social, and cultural systems in ways that support both the planet and its citizens.
Click here to see famous filmmaker John D. Liu, who made the film Hope in a Changing Climate, talk about his first encounter with Allan Savory and what he learned about Holistic Management. He took a subsequent trip to Australia and saw the work of Tony Lovell and Bruce Ward and was thoroughly convinced at the power of properly managed livestock and regenerative grazing. This interview took place at the Savory Institute International Conference, “Putting Grasslands to Work” in London, UK in Aug 2014.
This lecture was given by Allan Savory at the 35th Annual E. F. Schumacher Lectures on October 24th, 2015 at Churchtown Dairy in Churchtown, New York.
Established in 1981, the Annual E. F. Schumacher Lectures capture some of the most visionary voices that speak to the urgent need to transform our economic, social, and cultural systems in ways that support both the planet and its citizens.
Study after study is showing up these days that tell us that Monsanto’s Roundup is causing cancer and other extremely severe neurological defects. Monsanto adamantly denies all of these charges, but they cannot deny the reality of science. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this with attorney Howard Nations.
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http://democracynow.org – While primaries and caucuses are underway in six states today, most of the nation’s attention is focused on California—the largest state in the union. In addition to the Hillary Clinton-Bernie Sanders race, voters will be deciding who will face off in November to succeed U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. Thanks to a 2010 state law, California voters are expected to choose between two Democrats: California Attorney General Kamala Harris and U.S. Representative Loretta Sánchez. We are joined by Rose Aguilar, host of “Your Call,” a daily public affairs radio show on NPR-affiliate KALW in San Francisco.
http://democracynow.org – On the eve of the California primary and six other contests, the Associated Press and NBC News shook up the Democratic race for the White House last night by announcing Hillary Clinton had reached the number of delegates needed to capture the nomination, beating challenger Bernie Sanders.
The Department of Energy is conducting an eight-city national tour aimed at gathering public feedback on the issue of where to store nuclear waste. The agency has launched a so-called consent-based siting model to determine where to store spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. At a hearing in Boston Thursday, Paul Gunter of Beyond Nuclear raised objections to the process.
Paul Gunter: “How does the public in the affected community build trust when the Department of Energy itself is a promotional agency doing the bidding of the nuclear industry by direct promotion, and that the whole process going forward to date has lacked consent? There’s never been consent with regard to generation of nuclear waste.”
The Associated Press and NBC News have announced Hillary Clinton has clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, defeating Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. The announcement came ahead of today’s primary in California and contests in five other states: New Jersey, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota and South Dakota. Both news organizations named Clinton the victor based on unofficial polls of unelected superdelegates. If the projections stand, Clinton would become the first woman to ever be the presidential candidate of a major political party in U.S. history. Speaking in Los Angeles Monday, Clinton attacked presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Hillary Clinton: “So, whether it’s immigrants that he’s insulted, Muslims, people with disabilities, POWs, women, federal judges, the list keeps growing longer. And it is wrong of someone running for president of the United States to engage in that kind of hateful rhetoric and demagoguery.”
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders accused the AP and NBC of defying the DNC’s own rules by lumping together pledged delegates with unelected superdelegates, who can change their vote at any point.
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “The point is that tomorrow in California we have the most important primary. The people of California have the right to determine who is going to be president of the United States, not necessarily having to listen to AP or NBC. And I hope that they will come out in large numbers and make it clear that they want real change in this country, that they’re tired of establishment politics and establishment economics, and that they want a government that represents all of us and not just the 1 percent.”
We’ll have more on the Democratic race after headlines.
Kendra Kuhl presents CO2 recycling technology developed by her company Opus 12 at Berkeley Lab’s Cleantech Pitchfest on June 1, 2016. To view the entire Pitchfest with the other 5 presenters, see https://youtu.be/gMCt2f_NlEY
Recycling CO2 – Fueling your car on recycled CO
Kendra Kuhl co-founded Opus 12 to find out if an electrochemical process, operating inside a desk-sized reactor, can do on an industrial scale what is often hailed as the Holy Grail of carbon-recycling research—convert CO2 captured from smokestacks into ethanol and other valuable products. A self-proclaimed chemistry geek in high school, the Berkeley Lab scientist honed her big idea while completing her PhD at Stanford.
Berkeley Lab’s popular Science at the Theater traveled across the Bay to San Francisco’s Marines’ Memorial Theatre on June 1st, 2016, to present the Lab’s first Cleantech Pitchfest.
Which of 6 big new ideas designed to help transform our carbon-drenched, overheating world should get the first shot? Six Berkeley Lab scientists had 8 minutes each to persuade the audience that their technology has the most promise and social value.
Scientists and technologies (in order) include:
Energy-Efficient Desalination: Making fresh water from salty sources on the cheap
Current desalination techniques require huge amounts of energy and generate large amounts of environmental waste. Berkeley Lab’s Chinmayee Subban, a Cornell PhD, leads a desalination research project that simultaneously reduces environmental waste and energy use by incorporating an innovative mix of low-cost materials. The technique could help relieve the stress on global water supplies by reclaiming brackish water both in the US and other countries—including in the developing world.
DIY Efficient Windows: Applying paint-on coatings for energy-efficient windows*
Replacing millions of porous windows with energy-efficient versions in older buildings and homes can be prohibitively expensive. Berkeley Lab’s Raymond Weitekamp, a Caltech PhD, has a new approach: an inexpensive, paint-on, energy-efficient coating that can be applied simply and evenly without the help of a professional—while the windows are still in place. The paintable, clear material contains photonic crystals, developed by his startup company PolySpectra.
CalWave: Harnessing energy from ocean waves*
At CalWave, Marcus Lehmann is developing the WaveCarpet, which harnesses the power of ocean waves to produce electricity and freshwater. Avoiding the pitfalls of other wave-energy projects, the WaveCarpet operates submerged, allowing it to survive stormy seas while causing no visual pollution or posing any collision danger. Recently CalWave was selected as one of nine finalists to compete for DOE’s Wave Energy Prize—a 20-month design-build-test competition. Earlier this year, the German-born Marcus was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Energy Sector.
Nanoscale Sponges: Capturing carbon with metal-organic frameworks
Removing excess carbon from an overheating atmosphere is an urgent and complicated problem. The answer, according to Berkeley Lab’s Jeff Urban, could lie at the nanoscale, where specially designed cage-like structures called metal organic frameworks, or MOFs, can trap large amounts of carbon in microscopically tiny structures. A Harvard PhD with expertise in thermoelectrics, gas separation and hydrogen storage, Urban directs teams at the Molecular Foundry’s Inorganic Materials Facility.
Recycling CO2: Fueling your car on recycled CO2*
Kendra Kuhl co-founded Opus 12 to find out if an electrochemical process, operating inside a desk-sized reactor, can do on an industrial scale what is often hailed as the Holy Grail of carbon-recycling research—convert CO2 captured from smokestacks into ethanol and other valuable products. A self-proclaimed chemistry geek in high school, the Berkeley Lab scientist honed her big idea while completing her PhD at Stanford.
MyGreenCar: Test driving “virtually” to compare real fuel economy and EV range
A Berkeley Lab scientist specializing in all things vehicular—from powertrain technologies, vehicle electrification and vehicle-grid integration to advanced engine technologies, personalized fuel economy and EV range prediction—Samveg (Sam) Saxena is leading the development of a new app called MyGreenCar. MyGreenCar predicts personalized fuel economy and eliminates EV range anxiety as a barrier for prospective car buyers. He also leads the development of V2G-Sim, a research platform for understanding how vehicles will interface with the grid.
* Part of an energy startup company participating in Berkeley Lab’s incubation program, called Cyclotron Road. This DOE-funded program seeks to identify the world’s best hard energy technology innovators and provide them the tools, capital, and partners needed to commercialize their technologies.
Welcome to Transition Studies. To prosper for very much longer on the changing Earth humankind will need to move beyond its current fossil-fueled civilization toward one that is sustained on recycled materials and renewable energy. This is not a trivial shift. It will require a major transition in all aspects of our lives.
This weblog explores the transition to a sustainable future on our finite planet. It provides links to current news, key documents from government sources and non-governmental organizations, as well as video documentaries about climate change, environmental ethics and environmental justice concerns.
The links are listed here to be used in whatever manner they may be helpful in public information campaigns, course preparation, teaching, letter-writing, lectures, class presentations, policy discussions, article writing, civic or Congressional hearings and citizen action campaigns, etc. For further information on this blog see: About this weblog. and How to use this weblog.
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