The Senior Citizens of 2089
By Donella Meadows
–March 16, 1989–
Ann Landers ran a tribute recently to today’s senior citizens, who have survived a lifetime of change.
She pointed out that they were here before the Pill, penicillin, plastic, and pantyhose, before television, Xerox, ball point pens. Before tape recorders, much less CD players, before the 40-hour week, co-ed dormitories, computers. They have gone through a lot. [...]
What Is Biodiversity and Why Should We Care?
By Donella Meadows
–March 9, 1989–
Most of us have grasped the idea that there’s a hole in the sky over the South Pole that could give us skin cancer. We are beginning to understand that a global warming could inundate Miami Beach and make New York even more unbearable in summer. There is another environmental problem, however, that doesn’t have a [...]
Freedom of Speech, up to a Point
By Donella Meadows
–March 2, 1989–
Our endless public discussion of the awful Rushdie affair would be more useful if we’d all admit we have something in common with the murderous mullahs. Not that we would issue death sentences against those whose writings anger us. But most of us can readily identify some person or group we would silence, if we could, [...]
Hiding the Symptoms, Maintaining the Sales
By Donella Meadows
–February 23, 1989–
Lo, the wonder-makers of modern science now bring you biodegradable plastics! Are your roadsides littered, your beaches cluttered, your wild creatures strangled, your dumps filled up with the previous wonders of modern science, namely non-biodegradable plastics? Don’t worry about a thing, folks.
Look, we just throw a little UV-sensitive copolymer into the polystyrene. Or we mix 4 [...]
Dear Folks: February 19, 1989
Dear Folks, It’s a bright, sunny day, thermometer all the way up to 22 though it’s not even noon yet. It’s been below zero the past two nights, so today seems balmy. The household is hopping. Anna’s daughter Andrea and son-in-law Kevin are here for the weekend; so is Sylvia’s mother Joyce. Andrea and Kevin have brought along their dog Tess, [...]
