Ecology, by its nature, covers a wide range of topics. But what we focus on in this department are all the topics concerning the climate change crisis, the sustainable development use of energy, the green economy and the political thinking and campaigns required to move us to a more livable world for us and our descendants.

Ecomind: A One-Hour Lecture by Francis Moore Lappe

Frances Moore Lappe, author of “Diet for a Small Planet,” argues in her latest book that people should not be pessimistic about solving the planet’s ecological problems. She says it is important to get people to think differently about their connection to the natural world and the possibilities for changing course. Access Here

Home: We All Have a Date with the Planet

We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have ten years to change how we live and avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth’s climate. This beautiful 90-minute documentary makes the case. Access Here

Feynman on Modern Physics

Richard P. Feynman (1918-1988) was a scientist, teacher, great orator, and musician. He worked on the atomic bomb, invented quantum electrodynamics, and translated Mayan hieroglyphics. Here are four great lectures:      1: Photons – Corpuscles of Light; 2: Fits of Reflection and Transmission – Quantum Behaviour: What are reflection and transmission, and how do they work? 3. Electrons and their Interactions; 4: New Queries: What does it mean, and where is it all leading? Access Here

Smart Grid: Green Energy Distribution

Immense amounts of energy can be conserved by combining modern energy distribution with information systems–a radical infrastructure project for the planet. Two videos, 18 minutes. Access Here

 

The Third Industrial Revolution

A 75-minute video lecture by Jeremy Rifkin on high ecological design and innovation in the factories and products of the future with higher quality but lighter footprints. Creating a renewable energy regime, loaded by buildings, partially stored in the form of hydrogen, distributed via a green electricity Internet, and connected to plug-in, zero-emission transport, opens the door to a Third Industrial Revolution. Access Here

Counting up to Green

What is a Green Job? With infographics and PDF files, Ethan Pollack of this site assesses the green economy and its implications for growth and equity.  What is a green job? We think of a green job as one that benefits the environment, but illustrations tend to be limited to fossil fuels vs. renewable energy. Whether to categorize a specific occupation as a green job is not always straightforward: what about bus drivers, software engineers who help design smart-grid technologies or commercial construction workers? The economy comprises more than coal miners and solar panel installers. Many occupations have significant roles to play along the spectrum between the fossil fuel economy and a “clean” economy. Without a definition of green jobs, it isn’t easy to count them, much less determine what role green jobs and industries play in today’s economy. Access Here

 

 

 

 

The Dust Bowl: Man-Made Ecological Disaster in Our Recent Past.

A two-segment PBS film (4 hours total) by  Ken Burns, ‘The Great Plow-up’ and ‘Reaping the Whirlwind’, proves the need for planning and regulation regarding the environment. Access Here

 

 

PAST THE CLIMATE TIPPING POINT?

50-minute Video report. The concentration of Carbon Dioxide Tops 400 ppm for the First Time in Human History. Democracy Now! ‘Scientists are warning the planet has now reached a grim climate milestone not seen for two or three million years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has topped 400 parts per million. The 400 ppm threshold has been an important marker in U.N. climate change negotiations, widely recognized as a dangerous level that could drastically worsen human-caused global warming. We speak to leading climate scientist Michael Mann, distinguished professor of meteorology at Penn State University and author of the recent book, “The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines.”’ Access Here

The Strange Brilliance of Buckminster Fuller Richard Buckminster Fuller may not be a household name. Nevertheless, his contributions to society and sustainable living through technology and design were vast and transformative. Here is an audio file on his ideas and contributions.

Marx, Engels and the Red Chemist. An essay on the famous organic chemist and his role, as a communist, in keeping his two friends on the cutting edge of the physical sciences