What Should Be Privatized and What Should Not?
By Donella Meadows
–January 4, 1996–
The other day I saw a cartoon in which a puzzled housewife, ready to plug in her vacuum cleaner, is confronted with a dozen plugs on the wall. Each has a company logo — “Captain Jolt,” “Flower Power,” “Zapco,” “Super Dude Electric.” Behind the woman an ad blats from the TV. “Hi! Crazy Pete here with [...]
Who Causes Environmental Problems?
By Donella Meadows
–January 12, 1995–
To a small but influential bunch of global thinkers the abbreviation “IPAT” (pronounced “eye-pat”) says volumes. It summarizes all the causes of our environmental problems.
IPAT comes from a formula originally put forth by ecologist Paul Ehrlich and physicist John Holdren:
Impact equals Population times Affluence times Technology.
Which is to say, the damage we do to the earth [...]
GATT Concentrates Too Much Power in the Wrong Hands
By Donella Meadows
–October 27, 1994–
There’s one huge, discussible reason why GATT (the world trade agreement that will come before Congress next month) should not be passed. There’s an even huger, undiscussible reason.
The discussible reason is that the new GATT will push down wages and environmental standards worldwide and destroy the ability of communities, states, and nations to make their own [...]
Dear Folks: July 24, 1994
Dear Folks,
I’m somewhere over the Midwest, returning home from Colorado — the longest journey I’ve taken in six months, which is some kind of a travel-abstinence record for me. It’s been a lightning trip. Got on a plane in Lebanon NH Friday morning, arrived in Aspen at noon (their time), spent the afternoon and evening with a bunch of Monsanto [...]
Can There Be Capitalism in a Sustainable World?
By Donella Meadows
–January 20, 1994–
Paul Hawken, legendary founder of the Erewhon Trading Company and of the garden supply firm Smith & Hawken, was recently presented an Environmental Stewardship Award for his ecologically correct business practices. “I walked to the podium,” he says, “looked out at the sea of pearls and black ties, and … realized two things: first, that my [...]
