Number Seventeen in Infant Health, Number One in Garbage
By Donella Meadows
–December 8, 1988–
Throughout the past campaign the United States was Number One, the Envy of the World, the Strongest Nation on Earth. The candidates would have been stopped in mid-rhetoric if anyone had asked: In what sense are we Number One? Exactly what about us do others envy?
Now it’s transition time, a fleeting period when harmony rules the [...]
Drugs in the Bloodstream of Democracy
By Donella Meadows
–October 6, 1988–
The members of the International Olympics Committee pointed out clearly and calmly, after they stripped Ben Johnson of his gold medal, that if they don’t enforce fair competition, the whole game will fall into ruin. Referees have to be present at every match to call fouls. Candidates who soup up their performance with drugs must be [...]
We Have The Money: But the budget doesn’t reflect our real needs
By Donella Meadows
–Autumn 1988–
Dana Meadows is a well-known pioneer in the field of sustainability. She is a Dartmouth educator, a co-author of the ground-breaking Limits to Growth, and now a principal organizer of the Balaton Group. She writes a column called The Global Citizen which should be carried by your local newspaper. If not, write to your editor – and to Dana at [...]
The Strength of the Nation Is in Its Two-Headed Nails
By Donella Meadows
–June 23, 1988–
I am proud of my country in many ways, but it never occurred to me to be proud of its two-headed staging nails, until Dmitry Kavtaradze identified them as a secret of our national success.
Dmitry is visiting as part of a USA-USSR exchange program in environmental education. At home he is a professor of biology and [...]
Why Choosing a President can Change a Nation
By Donella Meadows
–May 26, 1988–
How can the simple change of one leader make much difference to a huge nation? Here we are, 240 million of us, toiling along, fairly constant in our daily activities and our many beliefs. We produce the goods, pay the taxes, educate the kids, clean up the messes. WE are the nation. WE don’t change. How [...]
