Dear Folks: June 24, 1990
Dear Folks, The hay’s in the barn and the chicken slaughter seems to be over.
The chicken slaughter was happening directly under our windows every night. We’d be yanked out of our sleep by the sound of wild clucking circling the house on the run, followed by a sharp shriek and an ominous silence. By the time we got ourselves outside we’d [...]
The World is not Going Down the Tubes — Or is it?
By Donella Meadows
–June 21, 1990–
Last Saturday’s newspaper, full of the normal sorts of bizarre stories, struck me with a sudden sense of wonder. What kind of world are we living in? I found myself asking. Is there a trend, and if so, is it leading toward salvation or ruin? Is the universe just? Are we?
The paper, in the best Zen [...]
Four Not-So-Easy Things you can do to Save the Planet
By Donella Meadows
–June 14, 1990–
It’s wonderful, the burst of publications with lists of things we can do to save the planet. It’s great to see so much energy behind recycling, energy-efficient lightbulbs, and fundraisers for the rainforest. If we all did 50 simple things to save the planet, that would be a big help.
But it wouldn’t be enough. The planet [...]
The Family Farm and Sustainable Agriculture Act of 1995
By Donella Meadows
–June 7, 1990–
BOONE, IOWA, SEPTEMBER 15, 1995: In Dick Thompson’s farmyard, big red barn on one side, classic white farmhouse on the other, President Barbara Bush signed into law today the most revolutionary Farm Bill in U.S. history. “For sixty years this nation’s agricultural policy has been getting more expensive, more complex, and more unjust. At the same [...]
State of the Village Report
By Donella Meadows
–May 31, 1990–
If the world were a village of 1000 people:
584 would be Asians
123 would be Africans
95 would be East and West Europeans
84 Latin Americans
55 Soviets (still including for the moment Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, etc.)
52 North Americans
6 Australians and New Zealanders
The people of the village would have considerable difficulty communicating:
165 people would speak Mandarin
86 would speak English
83 Hindi/Urdu
64 [...]
