The end will come

We went outside to see the last days of the Earth.

To wait for the fire, the explosions, the floods.

A great chill fell upon the land, blanketing the forest with rimfrost.

It was beautiful. As the darkness descended, the sky became ablaze with light.

It was beautiful.

We realised it had always been beautiful. Everything we were given.

Even our breath.

We felt a deep sadness that we were witnessing the end. But gratitude we had been given the grace to feel it, if only just once.

The darkness fell upon us. We expected the end. Instead we saw the end of the year.

And we had been given the opportunity to be at the start of a new one. We vowed to take the beauty and the understanding with us. Into the new year.

Green the desert and usher in peace. The possibilities are enormous.

A group based in the Netherlands, called The Weather Makers, are rolling out an ambitious plan to turn the Sinai desert green. Apart from stabilising weather in the region and possibly an even wider area, the initiative hopes to bring livelihoods to the area, reducing the risk of conflicts among the troubled people who live in the area. The project literally has biblical proportions as it is the site of what ancient scripts refer to as the land of milk and honey.

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EXPLAINER: The funnel concept of reduced available resources

The funnel concept, introduced by Karl-Henrik Robert  Founder of the Swedish Natural Step, explains how increasing pressure on resources reduces the options of future generations to maintain a standard of living. Stress like that on populations  radically increases conflict and undermines peaceful societies. In the diagram below,  the width of the funnel represents the opportunities to continue society’s per capita resource usage. The depth of the funnel represents time. Continue reading

Conference 2017 Summary: creating the conditions for Peace is Possible

During July, Caux Palace in Switzerland hosted the Invest in Peace Forum.  The initiative, a cooperation between the Swedish Sustainable Economy Foundation and Initiatives of Change, Sweden, convened land restorers, peace activists and investors in its first-ever conference to explore how investment can better help build a foundation for peace. The main theme centered around what we need investment for, and how to meet the needs of fiduciary investors. Continue reading

Peace Story: Going local can build a foundation for peace

This video points to the essence of what’s wrong with the global economy and the multiple benefits of localisation.  Localisation can ensure more have food on their table a roof over their head and are included in the local economy. Together with a personal understanding of peace this can build the foundation for a world in peace.

Local Futures & Economics of Happiness project works for the wellbeing of people & planet through a systemic shift to economic localization. Read more by following this link or their Peace Bank Entry.