by Helena Norberg-Hodge Director, ISEC Over the past two decades I have had continuous contact with Buddhist communities, in both traditional cultures and the industrialized West. These experiences have made me keenly aware that industrial development affects not only our way of living, but our world view as well. I have also learned that if we are to avoid a misinterpretation of Buddhist teachings, we need to look closely at the fundamental differences between societies that are part of the industrialized global economy and those that are dependent on more localized economies. MORE...
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Environment Articles
by Helena Norberg-Hodge Director, ISEC Society today is faced with a choice between two diverging paths. The path endorsed by government and industry leads towards an ever more globalised economy, one in which the distance between producers and consumers will continue to grow. The other path is being built from the grassroots, and leads towards strong local economies in which producer-consumer links are shortened. I believe that moving in the latter direction may be one of the best ways of solving a whole range of serious social and environmental problems, from rising rates of crime and violence to the greenhouse effect. This may sound absurdly simplistic, but it is a conviction based on long-term observations in societies at very different levels of dependence on the global economy — including heavily-industrialised America, socialist Sweden, rural Spain, and most importantly, Ladakh, a traditional culture on the Tibetan Plateau. MORE...
by Helena Norberg-Hodge Director, ISEC If you want to create a more sustainable society, a good place to start is by helping to rebuild your local food economy: food is something everyone, everywhere, needs every day, which means that even relatively small changes in the way it is produced and marketed can have immense effects. And since eating is a natural part of daily life, we all have frequent opportunities to make a difference. MORE...
by Mark Jeantheau If you're wondering why you should save paper—after all, paper is pretty cheap—consider this: Paper accounts for more than half of all municipal solid waste (a.k.a. trash). Anything we can do to save paper will help reduce the amount of trash going into landfills, and it will also reduce energy use and pollution associated with manufacturing, transporting and recycling new paper products. Perhaps most importantly, when we save paper, we reduce the need to cut down trees to make new paper. Whether you have a home office or work in an office with others, you can save paper by implementing some minor changes in your work habits. Here are few ideas. MORE...