How can the herding instinct hinder or help us in our shift to a sustainable civilization?

Fracking, tar sands, and potential Arctic drilling have some convinced we’ve delayed Peak Oil for years and years. There are many experts, however, who present a solid case for ignoring the boosters’ optimism. Some expect we’ll be experiencing serious post-peak oil shocks this decade. Of course, we should voluntarily be leaving oil in the ground in order to avoid the worst of greenhouse gas induced climate disruption. Regardless, most of us will be living through oil-withdrawal before we depart this world. I was invited to offer the GrowthBusters perspective on this subject in the premiere issue of Shift magazine. You can find the magazine and my commentary here. I thought it worth sharing here: . . .

Sunday over 100 million people were glued to television screens in 232 countries watching the Seattle Seahawks humiliate the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. Tens of thousands flew to New York to see the rout in person and participate in a week of parties and promotional events. 80,000 spectators packed MetLife Stadium, drinking their share of the 325 million gallons of beer Americans drank during the game, and eating their share of the 1 billion chicken wings consumed that day.

I found myself wondering what the total carbon footprint of this big sporting event might be. Of course I’m really curious about the entire ecological footprint, but just gauging the carbon footprint might give us an idea of the price our ecosystems pay for a major sporting event. . . .

In my 30 years creating films for big corporations, the rules of spin were drilled into me. Dwell on the positive aspects of a product. Don’t bring up the complaints or flaws. Make it sound like the company or product is a big winner and everyone is turning to it. Like sheep, customers will follow.

In observing the growth addiction of our culture and communicating about it, I’ve had to jettison those rules. But they don’t die easily. In founding and running this fledgling non-profit, my training has told me to put on a happy face: make it sound like millions are joining the cause and supporting our work. Don’t tell readers that the organization hangs on by a thread. My instincts, on the other hand, tell me to be truthful and authentic. I try, but I often fail. It still comes naturally to me to write with that corporate voice. . . .

This year on Black Friday (the day U.S. retailers and shoppers kick off the holiday shopping season (and the biggest shopping day of the year), we’re offering the world an alternative to mayhem at the mall. We’ll be screening our groundbreaking documentary, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, free on the Internet for audiences around the world. Stay home, have some family time, pop popcorn, and watch a movie that will stimulate a lively discussion (Event times and registration here). Here’s a short promo I think you’ll like (please share with your friends):

Generosity and selflessness are universally considered admirable qualities. I suspect that was the genesis for the gift-giving traditions observed in the celebration of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa at this time of year. So giving a gift is – to borrow a phrase from Martha Stewart – “a good thing.” But when we do our holiday shopping, what gift are we giving to future generations? . . .

Okay, I admit it, I watched an entire episode of Dog the Bounty Hunter while researching this topic. It was like a train wreck; I couldn’t look away. Many of us have a weakness for one or another of these shows. But let’s face it, for the most part it’s not reality they offer, but an escape from reality.

Conversation Earth is the new TV series (in development here at Citizen-Powered Media) that I maintain offers the real thing. When we’ve had our fill of faux-reality and we’re ready to come back to Earth, our new series will offer TV you can sink your brain into. We’ve already interviewed:

William Catton, author of Overshoot
Juliet Schor, author of True Wealth
Dennis Meadows, co-author of The Limits of Growth
Sarah Susanka, author of The Not so Big Life
Paul Ehrlich, author of The Population Bomb
Jerry Mander, author of The Capitalism Papers: Fatal Flaws of an Obsolete System
Stephanie Mills, author of On Gandhi’s Path
Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org and author of The End of Nature . . .