Extraenvironmentalist

[ Episode #40 // Corporate Influence ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:45:58 +0000

The logic of neoliberalism behind our economic model is fading as its fundamental conclusions about human nature are reaching an extreme. As global economies continue to reveal numbers indicating a spiraling trend of contraction in manufacturing and economic growth, corporations maintain enough power over our societies to stay afloat. Though we are influenced by the corporate mindset from the moment we enter the school system as children, can we find alternatives to corporate control of our education, media and health?

In Extraenvironmentalist #40 we speak with Joel Bakan about how the dystopian possibilities imagined by his film The Corporation have become a reality. Joel describes the reasons why neoliberalism can be appealing to us even though it is based on a limited understanding of human potential. We ask Joel about his recent book Childhood Under Siege, where he describes corporate influence on children through education and the modern medical system. Next, we talk with Laurette Lynn of Unplugged Mom Radio [a the 67' mark] about how the best option for educating our children may be for parents to take their kids out of the school system entirely to learn critical thinking skills. Then, we talk to The PPL [at the 102' mark] about how they are taking media out of the hand of major corporations for the 2012 Democratic National Convention so that citizen journalists who understand the magnitude of today’s challenges can ask tough questions. Last of all, Seth and I discuss our upcoming coverage of the Montreal Degrowth Conference.

If you are interested in hearing more about our thoughts on education and society give our interview a listen on the Unplugged Mom show with Laurette Lynn.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Bibio – Lovers’ Carvings (Bruno Be & Eddie M Remix) via The Music Ninja
Bonobo – All In Forms (Letherette Remix) via This is Real Music
Beach Boys – Wouldn’t It Be Nice (St Etienne Cover) via Soundcloud
Arcade Fire – Neighborhood #1 (Ane Brun Cover) via It’s a Trap
Kings of Leon – Use Somebody (RAC Remix) via Soundcloud
Foxes – Youth (Adventure Club Remix) via Skeetbeatz

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
[First Break] – 15′
A Selection of Clips from The Corporation Film
Pink Slime + BP Corexit
[Second Break] – 45′
Montreal Student Protests
Global Youth Unemployment
Italy Youth Unemployment Reaches Over 30%
Clip from upcoming XE interview with University of Victoria professor Michael M’Gonigle
[End]
J. Krishnamurti Speaks on Education

[ Episode #39 // Debunking Economics ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:54:26 +0000

Roughly 90% of the world’s economics professionals failed to see the current economic crisis forming on the horizon of the early 21st century. Many of them are now striving for stability through policies of refinancing and quantitative easing. While this class of economic thinkers have driven the planet’s policies for decades, their faulty logic is being exposed by structurally high unemployment and failing banks. Ben Bernanke and Mario Draghi are using central bank policies to prop up a system that’s imploding due to heavy debt burdens by using national deficits for attempts to accelerate private debt accumulation once again. Could one of the few economists that predicted the current financial crash outline a path forward for educating the next round of economists while providing an alternative to austerity?

In Extraenvironmentalist #39 we speak with Steve Keen about how neoclassical economics controls the ways our governments think. Steve draws on themes from the second edition of his book that exposes neoclassical economics and its faulty logic, Debunking Economics. In the first half of the interview, we draw on a technical understanding of where neoclassical economics has gone wrong and where the economies of the Eurozone are headed through following the path of austerity. In the second half, we talk about modern debt jubilees and retooling economics education. After which, Jennifer Baichwal joins us at the 95′ mark to talk about her newest film, Payback, based on Margaret Atwood’s book about debt and debtor relationships. Last of all, Seth and I recall our recent gig at Jackson Hole.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Vacationer – Good as New via The Swill Merchants
Niia – Mad World via The Music Ninja
Mark Foster, Kimbra, A-Trak – Warrior via Hard Candy
Dragonette – Let It Go (The Knocks Remix) via KickKickSnare
Ibrahim Ferrer – Ay Candela (Henry Krinkle Remix) via International Beat Forum

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
[First Break] – 35’40″
Austerity Suicides
Greeks in Despair
This is War: Italy Burns Paintings to Protest Austerity
Greek Town Develops Alternative Currency
[Second Break] – 67’40″
Bernanke Impresses Students at GWU
Steve Keen on Ponzi Schemes
Krugman Knocked Out of Neoclassical Orbit by Steve Keen
[End]
Michael Hudson – INET Talk on the Politics and Economics of Restructuring

[ Episode #38 // Hard Times ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 22:03:11 +0000

Debt is placing a stranglehold on the global economy, restricting the ability for growth to occur at a rate fast enough to prevent the monetary system from unraveling. To delay a massive deleveraging, governments are turning on the central bank taps to fill the system with liquidity. With severe structural issues that continue to avoid inclusion in the political discourse, can ordinary people prepare to maintain control over their assets to ensure success of future decentralization initiatives? How is preparing for this world different for our generation than for our parents?

In Extraenvironmentalist #38 we talk about living in hard times with Nicole Foss of The Automatic Earth. Nicole tells us about the Canadian housing bubble and why the initial collapse might just be faster than the one America experienced in 2005. Seth and I ask about what life was like in the Great Depression and how the process of labor exploitation may continue into the near future. We ask Nicole if misunderstandings about economic collapse could have us preparing for the wrong thing.

Also, we get to meet our blog editor Louisa Clarence-Smith who tells us about WWOOFing and her experiences working on farms in Scotland and Italy.

For more from The Automatic Earth, check out our interview with TAE writer Ashvin Pandurangi back in XE #13.

// Music (in order of appearance)
St. Lucia – All Eyes on You via Soundcloud
Cody ChestnuTT – Under the Spell of the Handout via Indieshuffle
Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight (Cosmo Black Remix) via Hard Candy
Alpine – Hands (Goldroom Remix) via Fader
ANDREYA TRIANA – Lost Where I Belong (Banks Remix) via Aerial Noise

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
[First Break]
Sunshine and Eclipse
Rioting Across America During the Great Depression
Stories From the Great Depression
[Second Break]
Making a Difference: Rebuilding From a Tornado
Bill McKibben: Rebuilding Community
[End]
Jiddu Krishnamurti – Fear

[ Episode #37 // Techno-Fix ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:39:18 +0000

Are you optimistic about technology? Let’s talk about why. Could the majority of our proposed technological solutions be doing little more than kicking the can down the road towards ecological collapse? Politicians and economists speak of the ability for technological innovation to boost and grow economies, yet where does their techno optimism come from? Do technologies hold intrinsic values or are they neutral tools that are misused by a species with the wrong intentions?

In Extraenvironmentalist #37 we discuss technological optimism with Dr. Michael Huesemann. Michael explains his fifteen year study into environmental science and philosophies of technology as outlined in his recent book Techno-Fix, co-written with his wife Joyce Huesemann. Is there an inherent reason that the United States is the most technologically optimistic culture in the world? We ask if he has advice for students who are thinking about careers in advanced science and about the value systems embedded in technological systems.

Be sure to visit the Techno-Fix website and to pick up a copy of Techno-Fix if you want to learn more about the limitations of technology in addressing our global problems.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Dusty Springfield – Spooky via IndieShuffle
St. Lucia – We Got It Wrong via Consequence of Sound
CHLLNGR – Change via Soundcloud
Santigold – Disparate Youth via Skeetbeatz
Summer Camp – Losing My Mind via All Things Go Music

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
[First Break]
Jason Silva – Techno-Optimism
Bush on Google
Ray Kurzweil Explains the Coming Singularity
Michio Kaku – Are We Ready for the Coming Age of Abundance
[Second Break]
MPR: America’s Crumbling Infrastructure
Activists Publicly Pray For Lower Gas Prices
[End]
Alan Watts – A Conversation With Myself

[ Extra // Sacred Economics Film Premiere Q+A ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 09:17:11 +0000

After you watch the new Sacred Economics film, tune in for our discussion with filmmaker Ian McKenzie and Charles Eisenstein.

In this special Extraenvironmentalist we speak with Ian McKenzie and Charles Eisenstein about their new short film based on Charles’ book Sacred Economics. If you’ve been thinking about discussing Extraenvironmentalist topics with a family member or close friend, we highly recommend sending them this succinct and moving video summary of the ideas Charles presents in his recent book. We hosted this discussion on our Livestream page and would love to take more suggestions for live events.

Follow Ian McKenzie on Twitter and stay tuned to his work as he moves forward with his next feature documentary project Occupy Love.

You can find our past episodes with Charles Eisenstein at #25 and #33.

[ Episode #36 // Art Into Action ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:26:31 +0000

With an educational system that trains artists to develop their talents into commercial skills, our culture is missing out on the ability for art to disrupt normalcy. Why should we hope for systemic reform when the vast majority of water cooler conversations turn to American Idol and the fashion at awards shows? Will concerted efforts from artists allow us to breach difficult topics and address the economic elephant in the room? Can we use art to support behavior change, moving deeper than simply building awareness?

In Extraenvironmentalist #36 we discuss art and activism with Steve Lambert. Steve describes how his work as an artist has allowed him to create temporary utopias that prompt people to question the fundamental assumptions of society. We ask Steve how his varied work experience has helped him understand our education system and barriers to reform. What if the people around us aren’t lazy and are just optimizing where their agency can have an effect?

Give Steve a follow on Twitter to keep track of his thoughts… and jokes.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Active Child – Johnny Belinda (White Arrows Remix) via Tell All Your Friends
Django Django – Storm via Music That Isn’t Bad
Talking Heads – Road to Nowhere (Rosebuds Cover) via The Rosebuds Bandcamp
Ra Ra Riot – Oh, La (Submarines Remix) via The Burning Ear
Bonobo – The Keeper (Banks Remix) via The Music Ninja

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
[First Break]
Cuts and Chaos – Desperation Drives Greek Clashes
Occupy the Dream – From Wall Street to Congress
US Economic Collapse – Dmitry Orlov + Max Keiser
[Second Break]
The Secret World of Shoplifting
Bill Moyers Interview with David Stockman
[End]
Meeting an awakened person – Thomas Hübl

[ Episode #35 // Ecology + Alcohol ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:30:22 +0000

You can easily enjoy a beer without knowing about the thousands of years alcohol has modified the senses of our species. We’ll go out to a bar to participate in a ritual to help us deal with the tasks of a work day, yet what if a tree does the same? Should alcohol be recognized for its ability change our consciousness in a sacred way? Are other species using the same substances we do in modifying their ability to perceive signals?

In Extraenvironmentalist #35 we speak with Stephen Harrod Buhner about his thoughts on the role of alcohol on humans and nature based around his book, Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers. We ask Stephen about the ecological role of humanity in the environment. Are Homo Sapiens like bees that serve a role much bigger than we’ll ever understand? Our conversation covers the ways ancient people experienced the world and alternative approaches to brewing beer. Once your hear Stephen explain the chemistry of plants, you’ll never think about that tree outside your window in the same way again.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Labyrinth Ear – Walk on the Moon (Arthur Russel Rework) via The Fader
Mansions on the Moon – Athens via Iceland Music Maffia
Kishi Bashi – Bright Whites viaConsequence of Sound
Polica – Lay Your Cards Out via Life+Times
Parov Stelar – Catgroove via IndieShuffle

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
Alan Watts – Roots of the Ecological Crisis
Bill Rees – The Dangerous Disconnection Between Economics and Ecology
The History of Alcohol
Terence McKenna: On Alcohol, Caffeine, Culture and Extraenvironmentalism

[ Episode #34 // Why America Failed ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:01:59 +0000

Twilight is on the horizon for American culture. After spreading an ideology of endless economic growth around the world, the definition of modernity has been defined by the United States. American values are now written into the cultural textbook for nations across the globe. Now that America is failing, what does it feel like to look back and what did we achieve? Was the collapse written in the opening chapters? What if our technological legacy comes with a terrible dark side?

In Extraenvironmentalist #34 we speak with author and historian Morris Berman about his recent look back at the history of American values as chronicled in the book Why America Failed. We ask Morris why American culture has dominated the globe despite so many dark aspects within its technology and values. Our discussion covers the ways in which people can seek meaningful lives as part of a counterculture and why our ideologies of technology and infinite growth were born on the landscape of an endless frontier. Is there a way to avoid the culture of hustling by channeling the alternative values that have arisen from those discontented by capitalism? Is it best just to become an expat?

Check out the new Extraenvironmentalist blog edited by Louisa, the newest member of our team.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Marvin Gaye – Sunny (Mercury II Edit) via Pigeons and Planes
FM Belfast – American via Iceland Music Maffia
Electric Guest – This Head I Hold via Blahblahblahblahscience
Cheerleader – Do What You Want via Turntable Kitchen
Buddy Holly – Slippin’ and Slidin’ (Jacques Renault Remix) via RCRDLBL

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
Chris Hedges – Brace Yourself for America’s Collapse
Detroit Savaged by Economic Problems
America’s New Poor
Judge Napolitano
Frank Zappa on Schools
Ray Kurzweil on Technology
Kevin Kelly on Technology
Terence McKenna on Western Civilization
Jiddhu Krishnamurti – Why Do We Live With Stress

[ Episode #33 // Year of Jubilee ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:05:03 +0000

Expectations for the year 2012 A.D. have grown from tales of Mayan calendrical cycles and timewaves. Were there truly ancient prophecies describing catastrophes in the coming year? Is a change in human consciousness imminent as human novelty reaches its concresence? What if the global consciousness shift we’ve all been asking for is barreling towards us as a complete transformation in the way we think about our economy?

In Extraenvironmentalist #33 we move through all the themes for the next 365 days: from Mayans to timewaves to economic collapse and debt retribution. Our journey begins with Patricia McAnany to learn the truth about the connection between the Mayan Calendar and 2012. Next, we speak with Dennis McKenna about his brother’s legacy as we enter the year Terence popularized as a potential date for the eschaton and the cultural singularity. Then, Mike Ruppert articulates the trends converging as an economic collapse, threatening to disrupt the commercial goods we rely on. Lastly, Charles Eisenstein describes the necessity for a debt jubilee to relieve the burden crushing our national economies.

// Interviews

7’35″ | Patricia McAnany on Mayan 2012 Prophecy
34’30″ | Dennis McKenna on Terence McKenna and the Timewave
55’08″ | Mike Ruppert on Collapse
88’25″ | Charles Eisenstein on Debt Jubilee

// Music (in order of appearance)
Birdy – Young Blood (Naked and the Famous Cover) via Blahblahblahblahscience
Adam and the Amethysts – Prophecy via The Music Ninja
Counting Crows – Colorblind (Oliver Schories Edit) via The Music Ninja
Sophie Trilby – Guardian (2012)
Memoryhouse – This Will Be Our Year (The Zombies Cover) via Pretty Much Amazing

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
Alan Watts on the Great Depression
Zizek on The Silent Voice of a New Beginning

[ Episode #32 // Apocalypse Never ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:15:16 +0000

Even though we live in an age of economic decline and collapse, do our expectations for the future act similarly to the thought patterns of religious faiths expecting the end of the world? For the last 3,000 years, our species has used the meme of apocalypse to create the expectation for a utopia that never arose. Beginning with the Zoroastrian religion, the monotheistic faiths have contained the notion of an end to the world. Our historical record contains many events where a date was set and nothing happened. How did it feel to be one of those that had sacrificed everything to be swept away by a deity that never arrived?

In Extraenvironmentalist #32 we speak with John Michael Greer about his latest book, Apocalypse Not: Everything You Know About 2012, Nostradamus and the Rapture are Wrong. We ask John about the historical context of monotheistic religions, where the apocalypse meme began and its implications in our expectations for the future. We ask if the world is going to end in 2012 and JMG explains how David Icke’s evil space lizards are involved. Did Seth really see George W.Bush metamorph into a lizard? If he didn’t, what happens when we reach the end of the current Mayan calendar long count?

// Music (in order of appearance)
Feist – How Come You Never Go There via Pretty Much Amazing
Jagwar Ma – Come and Save Me via Pigeons and Planes
G ruff Rhys – Post Apocalypse Christmas via Some Kind of Awesome
Nadastrom vs. Echo – Church via Chorus+Echo
Coldplay – The Scientist (Demitri Vangelis and Wyman need Howie’s thin mint cookies remix) via Mufasas Revenge

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
Alex Jones: David Icke is the turd in a punchbowl
Austerity hits the Dead and Santa Alike
A Recession Christmas
Is China’s Economy Collapsing?

[ Episode #31 // Simplifying Complexity ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:25:52 +0000

Is our species capable of looking ahead to prepare for the potentially disastrous results of larger trends? While daily existence has always presented challenges, modern civilization uses advanced technologies to address problems. Yet, is our ability to problem solve the very problem itself? What if the technology we’re developing is increasing our reliance on a strategy yielding rapidly diminishing returns? Though a general understanding of complexity eludes us, are there ways of feeling it in our day-to-day life?

In Extraenvironmentalist #31 we speak with Dr. Joseph Tainter about collapse, complexity and energy. Dr. Tainter recently co-authored Drilling Down which explains why the BP Gulf Oil spill occurred in terms of the complexity that supports supports our society. We discuss concepts of complexity, energy and a meaningful definition of sustainability. In our conversation, Dr. Tainter covers the dynamics of the Roman Empire as it moved further down the road of collapse; debasing its currency and unraveling due the expenses of foreign wars. Seth and I ask if energy alternatives exist that can support civilization, such as solar photovoltaics or wind power. If they can’t, are we trapped in a complexity spiral with no way out?

// Music (in order of appearance)
Sinnitus Tempo – C’est La Vie via Elbo.ws
Penguin Prison – Multimillionaire (Shook Remix) via Et Musique Pour Tous
Miike Snow – Devil’s Work via Pretty Much Amazing
DJ Shadow – Scale It Back ft. Little Dragon (Robotaki Remix) via The Music Ninja
Imogen Heap – Hide and Seek (ENiGMA Remix) via The Music Ninja

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
Shopping Seizes Minds, Leaves No Room for News
Bill Rees – How to Convince People to Face Reality
Richard Heinberg on Transition
Thomas Homer-Dixon on Civilization Far From Equalibrium

// Additional Links
Jamie of Steppin’ Off the Edge interviews KMO and Justin about collapse

[ Episode #30 // Austerity + Hope ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:24:41 +0000

Through the transfer of private debt to balance sheets of governments around the world, we’ve entered an age of austerity where citizens are experiencing drastic cuts to basic necessities. Civil unrest has resulted from people demanding that corporate greed should be punished instead of individuals. As the Occupy movement reaches a transition point, have we witnessed the spark of global anti-captialist movement or has it just been a brief glimpse of the anger developed from decades of economic injustice? Are there true reasons for hope with an increasing number of youth facing diminished opportunities for participating in the promises that capitalist markets once offered? Is this truly a turning point in history? If so, what does it mean to live in the midst of a global revolution?

In Extraenvironmentalist #30 we speak with David McNally about themes from his book Global Slump: The Economics and Politics of Crisis and Resistance, that draw on examples of successful populist uprisings around the world to demonstrate that in the Western world we too have options for resisting the tyranny of an age of austerity. We discuss the natural evolution of the Occupy movement and the potential to ensure that the movement grows while keeping food on the table and meaningful work available for the unemployed. Have elites secretly been preparing for unrest as they use taxpayers to bail out an unsustainable industry built on the pipe dream of perpetual growth? Are youth willing to accept their role as movement builders instead of iPhone owners?

// Music (in order of appearance)
Pretty Lights – Finally Moving via Et Musique Pour Tous
Hezekiah Jenkins – The Panic is On via Ghostcapital
Makana – We Are The Many
Connor Youngblood – Will You Be There (Michael Jackson Cover) via Pigeons and Planes
Aarab Muzik – Let it Go via SkeetBeatz

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
America’s New Poor Fending for Food Stamps
Doug Stanhope – Fear in the US News Media
Steve Keen on BBC Hardtalk
WBEZ on Oligarchy: How the Super Rich Defend Their Wealth
Public Sector Workers Strike in the UK

[ Episode #29 // Creating Wealth ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:34:17 +0000

Occupy Wall Street has directed our attention to the extreme concentration of wealth resulting from decades of policy designed to trickle down prosperity. Through using a single type of bank debt currency, we allocate our labor and resources to benefit a global elite instead of our communities. Can we engage our local leaders and municipal governments to break this currency monoculture? Can global examples of currency ecology provide a map for improving educational experiences, enhancing the arts and building resilience to the fragility of central bank finance mechanisms?

In Extraenvironmentalist #29 we speak with Gwendolyn Hallsmith and Bernard Lietaer about Creating Wealth: Growing Local Economies with Local Currencies, their recent book on how to implement complimentary currency systems while creating intentional cities with money ecosystems. We cover examples of complimentary currencies in Brazil (saber), the United States (time banking), Switzerland (WIR), Belgium, Lithuania and Uruguay (C3) to demonstrate how alternative forms of money can help to enhance our education, business and sense of community. Could the WIR be the reason for Switzerland’s stability? Are there ways to retool education funding that could help us realize our dreams?

Note: Justin’s poor understanding of French led to him mis-speaking Bernard’s last name, it should be said Liet-ya instead of Liet-air

// Music (in order of appearance)
John Lee Hooker – (Money) That’s What I Want
The J’s – The Sound of Money via WFMU’s Beware of the Blog
Sharon Jones – Money via This is Real Music
The Drums – Money (Chad Valley Remix) via Niteversions
Mr. Little Jeans – The Suburbs (Cry Wolf Remix) via The Music Ninja

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
Debt Diets and Riots: Euro Lose Lose via RT
Greeks Abandon Cash Resort to Bartering via RT
Annie Lennox – Story of Broke
Enslaved to banks US students drawn to join Occupy
Chris Hedges Speaking at OWS

[ Episode #28 // At Growth's End ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:04:53 +0000

European economies are teetering on the brink of collapse as low rates of GDP growth are no longer able to justify continued investments in piles of debt. On the other side of the Atlantic, the United States is struggling to acknowledge its ever larger ranks of underemployed and unemployed while managing the world’s largest national debt. Now that the American debt to GDP ratio has surpassed 100% can the nation ever return to a state of stability? Is this just a prolonged recession or has our system of economic growth suddenly and radically changed forever?

In Extraenvironmentalist #28 we speak with Richard Heinberg about his most recent book The End of Growth which uses data on global economies and international energy supplies to argue that the paradigm of economic growth has ended forever. Richard says that while our economies will still grow in the future, they’ll be constrained to lower and lower rates of growth that won’t be able to support money systems and financial obligations. If the global economy follows a prolonged period of contraction driven by depleted energy availability, what will this do to our notions of technology and society? We discuss how global contraction will impact trends of specialization, urbanization and wealth accumulation. Seth and I ask if the end of economic growth has to be fraught with strife or if life after growth can lead to a richer existence.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Navet – Leave and Let Go (Niva Remix) via Niva Bandcamp
Bill Cagle and the Spirit of ’68 – The Other Ninety Nine via WFMU’s Beware of the Blog
Washed Out – Call it Off via Pretty Much Amazing
Death Cab for Cutie – Codes and Keys (Yeasaer Remix) via Stereogum
Camo & Crooked – James Bond Theme (Official Rework) via The Music Ninja

// Extended Clips (in order of appearance)
Oakland Revolt: Occupy Cop Crackdown via RT
Oakland-DC-NYC: Occupy dot-to-dot to make big picture via RT
Robert Newman’s History of Oil
David Suzuki speaking at the University of British Columbia Chan Centre on November 3rd, 2011

[ Episode #27 // Fringeology ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:37:05 +0000

Can challenging your belief system trigger a fight or flight response? Our species is often terrified by thoughts we can’t wrap our heads around because of a basic biological response. This has separated a discussion of paranormal topics into camps of believers and skeptics that are every bit as entrenched as our political reality. Does this stratification stifle the ability to generate creative solutions? Is the scariest thing this Halloween our inability to consider new ideas?

In this special Halloween edition of Extraenvironmentalist #27 we speak with Steve Volk about his recent book Fringeology: How I Tried to Explain Away the Unexplainable And Couldn’t which explores the edge phenomena that has always been confounding our species yet making life more interesting. Steve tells us about flash mobs in Philadelphia and talks about what it is like to have our belief systems challenged. We discuss the overview effect of space travel and its ability to give us an expanded view of our existence. Seth and I ask if lucid dreaming could be used as a potential technology or by our politicians. Is questioning someone’s belief in UFOs similar to challenging the mainstream economic narrative?

Thanks to Richard Heinberg, Gwendollyn Hallsmith, Bernard Leitaer, Conrad Schmidt and John Michael Greer for making guest appearances to tell us about our scary economic and ecological reality.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Figure – Beetlejuice via Digi10ve
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – I Put a Spell on You (Splatinum Remix)
Figure – This is Halloween via The Music Ninja

[ Episode #26 // The Four Horsemen ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 20:29:08 +0000

Is capitalism failing or is it producing an intended outcome? There are a group of people privy to the internal mechanisms of our global economic rationale who are willing to share a vision of how the system really works. Though their original intent was to serve what appeared to be a beautiful machinery of supply and demand, they soon realized how greatly the assumptions of our economy are disconnected from reality. Is economics labeled as the dismal science only because of the way we currently practice it?

In Extraenvironmentalist #26 we speak with Ross Ashcroft about his upcoming film The Four Horsemen which explains how the world really works through interviews with 23 of our planet’s leading alternative economists, Wall Street insiders and economic thinkers. Ross describes how his desire to become a farmer led him to understand the problems of international finance and how a career in the film industry provided the catalyst to create a documentary about the global economic system. Ross talks about what he learned from interviewing such a well accomplished group of economic experts and what it was like to be in the same room, talking one-on-one with Noam Chomsky. Will our economy collapse because it is being orchestrated to do so or will finance fall apart because it is based on junk science?

// Music (in order of appearance)
TV Girl – Benny and the Jets via Break on a Cloud
Penguin Prison – Don’t Fuck With My Money via Hard Candy
Charles Bradley – The World (Is Going Up in Flames) via Quit Mumbling
Shotgun Radio – A Bad Place ft. Mimi Page (Minnesota Remix) via Big Green Beats
Lana Del Rey – Blue Jeans (PatrickReza Dubstep Remix) via Movements and Nonsense

// Extended Clips
Tarek El Diwany on Financial Fallout via Renegade Economist
US Jobless Epidemic Masked by Statistical Shenanigans via RT
USA Might Face a Potentially Violent Revolution via RT
Elizabeth Warren on Fair Taxation via American Spectator

[ Episode #25 // Saving Money ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:54:41 +0000

Is it more practical to learn permaculture than to earn a business degree? As financial markets sell off around the globe and world leaders scramble to prevent national defaults from collapsing the global economy, today’s youth are certain to live through a massive shift in the monetary paradigm. An education system that prepared us to receive jobs in a consumer economy injured our ability to truly learn and now we face the insult of entering a bleak job market. Is money real or is it based on societal myths? Can a monetary system built on collaboration rather than competition create a society that amplifies the positive aspects of human nature? As Mike Ruppert says: until we change the way money works, we change nothing.

In Extraenvironmentalist #25 we speak with Charles Eisenstein about his new book Sacred Economics which explains how to save the concept of money from being subject to our outdated understanding of human nature and simplistic mechanistic models of the physical world around us. While the social unrest sweeping from Cairo to Athens to Barcelona to New York is disrupting monetary dynamics can it also create an applicable positive vision? Charles explains how a negative interest currency and an economic model that integrates equity and ecology can end what we perceive to be the human nature emphasized by our current currency. Can we accept that the failure of money isn’t the end of the world but that it is an opportunity to reorganize?

// Music (in order of appearance)
Zeds Dead – Coffee Break via The Music Ninja
MGMT – All We Ever Wanted (Bauhaus Cover) via Stereogum
Michita – November via Earmilk
HEALTH – Goth Star (Pictureplane Cover) via Gorilla vs. Bear
Beatles – Eleanor Rigby (Butch Clancy Remix) via Dubtunes

// Extended Clips
Fiat Money via Renegade Economist
Trader Interview on BBC
Occupy Boston

[ Episode #24 // Redesigning Business ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:52:41 +0000

Are we truly free or has our search for freedom led to entrapment by dysfunctional organizations? As the global monetary paradigm fails, it takes the internationl business structure along with it. This dynamic allows for the application of design principles to the foundations of the new organizations replacing corporations in meeting our human needs. How much power truly rests at the top of the megalithic corporations around us and how much is dictated by the demands of fiat currency and compounding interest? In this new age of austerity, can even the lowest on the societal hierarchy spark the change needed for a new society?

In Extraenvironmentalist #24 we speak with reformed lawyer, business thinker and blogger Patrick Andrews about how the failure of business to understand our ecological reality presents an opportunity to introduce new business structures that can prevent groupthink and allow responsible stewardship. We discuss how businesses that seek only profit are failing to actualize the power that business transactions have to transform our world. Can the failure of our economy allow us to reimagine business?

// Music (in order of appearance)
Active Child – Hanging On via Gorilla vs. Bear
Phaeleh – Afterglow feat. Soundmouse viaIndieShuffle
Young the Giant – Islands (Polaris at Noon Remix) via SoundCloud
Figure – Wonderwall (Finger Drumstep Edit) via Club Tunes

// Extended Clips
David McNally – Global Slump and the Age of Austerity on WORT
The Coming Collapse: We Can Buy Time, We Can’t Change the Outcome via Yahoo Finance
Godfrey Bloom: Euro Christmas Fail via RT

[ Episode #23 // Fermenting Culture ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 02:47:15 +0000

Sustainability is not a spectator sport. Unless every single one of us radically alters our participation in the rapidly failing industrial food system, within the next few years we’ll find our food prices spiking and chaotic weather decimating the food distribution networks we have relied on. In the age of cheap and abundant refrigeration, we’re losing our species’ long relationship with live culture foods produced by fermentation. The health and nutrition of humanity is suffering from this relatively sudden break from ingesting bacteria responsible for regulating the energy metabolism of our bipedal bodies.

In Extraenvironmentalist #23 we speak with food activist and author Sandor Katz about how to ferment the counterculture. We discuss the philosophical underpinnings of live culture foods, the historical role these foods have played through human history and share some recipes to get your hands dirty and your cabbage sauering. Sandor describes how a local economy built of food preserved with bacteria from your own backyard can help you become part of your environment on a deeper level. Can our trend toward ever greater rates of obesity and poorer health be partly due to our obsession with hygiene and the sterilization of everything that we eat? All of this along with the first appearance of Cooking with the Extraenvironmentalist as our airwaves pick up a slightly different version of public radio.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Stewart Phillips – Thanks, Smokey! via Zoochosis Youtube Channel
Zack Hemsey – Mind Heist
Anomie Bell – Ain’t No Sunshine via The Music Ninja
DJ Topcat – Folsom Prison Gangstaz via Soundcloud
A Smooth Jazz Tribute to Gorillaz
California Dreamin – Minnesota via This Song Slaps

// Extended Clips
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
Symphony of Science – Children of Africa
Bruce Lee – Be Water My Friend

[ Episode #22 // Picking Battles ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 03:45:07 +0000

Formerly abundant raw materials which enabled the creation of capitalist economies are falling short of allowing the system to grow any further. With this historic moment, the opportunity to re-imagine the nature of work and the structure of society arises. Maintaining a balance between the steps necessary for self preservation in a depleting culture while decoupling from the system and pursuing more meaningful work is a key challenge to thriving in the near future. If the status quo is being blatantly exposed as a fiction, what role can we play in writing the new society? Out of the 168 hours in any give week, what can be done outside of the 40 given to our employers to create the new world we envision?

In Extraenvironmentalist #22 we speak with writer, thinker and podcaster Doug Lain about his outlook on life in the time of Late Capitalism which is the primary topic of his recent non-fiction book Pick Your Battle. We discuss the need to manage expectations around work at what feels like the end of history and how to avoid cynicism about social change while being surround by so many catastrophes. As we produce our lives, how much of living is a fiction? What role do dystopian and utopian writers have in forming a vision of the world ahead? Can we use creative acts to derail the capitalist system before it derails us while creating abundant cities for all?

// Music (in order of appearance)
Juj – My Room via SoundCloud
The Drums – Money (Craft Spells Remix) via Neighborhood Brains
Kermit the Frog – It’s Not Easy Being Green (Andrew Bird Cover) via You Ain’t No Picasso
Moloko – Sing It Back (Can 7 1390′s Remix) via IndieShuffle
Frenic – New World via The Chuckness
Minnesota – Breathe via The Breakbeat Depot

// Extended Clips
Unwelcome Guests #565 – The World Crisis and the Wholeness of Life
The Delusion of Green Capitalism
All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace
Nature Does Not Exist

[ Episode #21 // When Technology Fails ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:00:54 +0000

The complex supply chain delivering our goods and the electrical grid powering our lifestyle meets the daily needs of modern humanity with astounding efficiency. With a relative low cost and remarkable ease of use, we’ve trimmed the fat and placed an ever more complex behemoth on top of increasingly brittle and spare supports. Our ability to eat and communicate relies on a startlingly fragile few core systems that face threats from natural and nefarious factors. In the event of a disruption to normalcy, do we have the knowledge, psychological and spiritual strength to thrive?

In Extraenvironmentalist #21 we present our most important podcast to date as, without exaggerating, it just might provide you with tools to save your life.

We speak with engineer, author and speaker Mat Stein about his books, When Technology Fails and the upcoming, When Disaster Strikes. Mat explains how our illusion of abundance and order can be easily shattered through solar flares, EMP strikes and peak oil. We discuss techniques and approaches by which a concerned individual can prepare for such possibilities in an ever greater time of uncertainty and how to make life-or-death decisions by using the Pit of the Stomach technique. While physical preparedness is a key to survival, perhaps more importantly we cover the need for spiritual strength in facing the difficult challenges of the 21st century. Seth reveals a life threatening situation of recent occurrence and also experiences a slight overwhelming panic attack in the light of information overload, Justin appears to remain calm in the face of terrifying music but harbors deep concerns of his own.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Son Lux – All The Right Things via Zen Tapes
Etta James – Something’s Got a Hold On Me via Funky16Corners
Medicine Hat – Forbidden via BandCamp
Sleep ∞ Over – Romantic Streams via Gorilla vs. Bear
The Barber of Seville – Largo Al Factotum (Mustard Pimp Remix) via The Music Ninja

// Extended Clips
‘US empire designed to self-destruct, more unrest to follow’
London Riots. (The BBC will never replay this. Send it out)
Mainstream Media Commercial
Preppers Stock Up
Obama’s Kickstarter

[ Episode #20 // Debt Unmasked ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:52:43 +0000

Rapidly rising and falling global markets are throwing the world into turmoil. The instability our societies were supposed to control has risen to the forefront. Will the incredible debt piles sitting underneath the flags of Western economies rip social fabrics into fits of unrest like the current riots in London? Before the first major financial shock of the Great Contraction in 2007, the US Government ran an annual budget deficit of only $200 billion per year. During the economic stagnation of years since that deficit is now at $1.4 trillion and quickly rising with more economic decline on the way. What happens when interest payments on this debt overtake federal income in the next few years? Are we all satisfied with sacrificing for an economic system that merely reinforces the status quo of power and greed?

In Extraenvironmentalist #20 we speak with economist Manfred Max-Neef about his career in economics during which he created development models based on fundamental human needs as opposed to power and greed. Manfred recently published Economics Unmasked: From Power and Greed to Compassion and the Common Good which leads us to discuss how universities are failing in their ability distribute a model of the world that can provide for human needs during and after the failure of capitalism. We discuss Manfred’s concern that the US is sitting on a ticking time bomb of civil unrest as economic circumstances become rapidly more dire for its inhabitants. How can the American public recognize the possibilities of a debt collapse the rest of the world is actively discussing if our media is steering the collective conversation towards trivia? After we decide to put off a bank run for now, machines end up declaring their intention for the American Presidency in 2012, though with a terrible record of job creation.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Gauntlet Hair – Top Bunk via The Music Ninja
Yin Yang Twins – Shake (Celebration Mash Up) via Youtube
M83 – Midnight City (Christian Strobe Remix) via Too Many Sebastians
Vacationer – Trip via Everybody Taste
Aloe Blacc – I Need A Dollar (Cee-Roo Mix) via SoundCloud
Star Wars – Imperial March (TA Dubstep Mix) via Youtube

// Extended Clips
Who Killed Economic Growth? via @postcarbon

[ Episode #19 // Crash Course ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 03:53:12 +0000

The debt crisis engulfing American political discourse is just the realization of a financial and economic reality that has been playing out for several years resulting from decades of economic policy. Now that the unsustainable nature of our national economy can no longer be ignored how will ordinary people in the United States handle such an awakening? Does this divergence from consumption, saving for retirement and planning to buy a house present a unique chance for our generation to have a new definition of what constitutes a meaningful life? Even if the US avoids default in the next few months, are we just postponing a larger crisis down the road?

In Extraenvironmentalist #19 we speak with Chris Martenson about The Crash Course, his video series that introduces the economic, energy and environmental challenges of the near future. Chris has also just released The Crash Course as a book that comprehensively details the core issues facing our planet and modern industrial economies. We talk with Chris about his transition from medical researcher and corporate executive into sustainability advocate and economic journalist. Our discussion covers his predictions for the currently unfolding debt crisis in Washington, DC that threatens to bring America to default and the ability for our generation to take advantage of the numerous opportunities we’ll be presented with in the tumultuous times ahead. All while Seth enjoys a delicious garden fresh tomato.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Gramatik – Moar Jive via The Music Ninja
John Denver – Country Roads (Pretty Lights Remix) via Sunset in the Rear View
Note: we think it’s so nice we used it twice; as it’s also in #18
Widowspeak – Wicked Game (Chris Isaak Cover) via IndieShuffle

[ Episode #18 // The Wealth of Nature ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 03:52:09 +0000

Our economic systems are beginning to expose the first intimations of how drastically they’ve been failing us. Is this breakdown happening because our economics are reflecting the state of our ecosystems? Generations of economists have adhered with religious fervor to tenets of growth and free market dynamics that have detached from reality so drastically these beliefs have become superstitions that now drive our currencies to the brink of collapse. How can a naturally centered mindset re-focus our economic ideals?

In Extraenvironmentalist #18 we speak with John Michael Greer about his latest book, The Wealth of Nature: Economics as if Survival Mattered. John blogs prolifically at The Archdruid Report and has written several additional spectacular books on the precarious predicaments of industrial society like, The Long Descent and The Ecotechnic Future. As Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America John’s naturally focused mind shines an illuminating viewpoint on the fallacies of modern economics and how our physical reality can create a sustainable economic system. We discuss why people typically embrace denial when first encountering his ideas, the role his druid practice has had in revealing many fallacies of commonly held viewpoints about industrial society, the role of politics in the collapse of industrial civilization and what a day in the life of a druid looks like.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Balam Acab – Oh Why via The Music Ninja
Channel Cairo – Elephant Room via Earplugs Not Included
Graffiti 6 – Free via Youtube
John Denver – Country Roads (Pretty Lights Remix) via Sunset in the Rear View

[ Episode #17 // Economics of Sustainability ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 20:26:54 +0000

The interplay between energy and money will be the underlying factor behind the biggest stories of the next decade. While easily accessible energy has created a massive financial bubble on the way up Hubbert’s curve, the primary agent on the way down will be unraveling financial complexities built up over the last 60 years. Surviving in this new world will require a radically different idea about how money can operate in localized units of economic exchange. Can ideas like liquidity networks help us survive in this new age of emergency?

In Extraenvironmentalist #17 we speak with Richard Douthwaite about the collection of essays he co-edited on the coming financial storm, Fleeing Vesuvius. Richard is an author of many books on the fallacies of economic growth, co-founder of the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability (FEASTA) and a Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute. Richard explains how his educational background in economics stifled his worldview for a many years and the effect The Limits to Growth had on changing his mind about the ways in which modern economics are practiced. We discuss why entrepreneurs are worshiped by economic leaders, the promise of liquidity networks for reforming currency dynamics, the ability for energy bonds to revolutionize community energy projects and the effect of introducing new technologies into an economic system.

Also in XE #17 we respond to listener feedback, play a fantastic voicemail from a dedicated listener on ethanol subsidies and throw our endorsement behind an upcoming film about youth fighting for climate justice: you can support Just Do It via their IndieGoGo project.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Mr. Little Jeans – The Suburbs (Arcade Fire Cover) via The Music Ninja
ceo – Halo (Beyonce Cover) via Pretty Much Amazing
Daytona Beach – Loud Valley via Zen Tapes
Toro y Moi – New Beat (Fare Soldi “Canatu” Remix) via Harder Blogger Faster
inc – Swear via Gorilla vs. Bear

Corrections //

Justin incorrectly refers to Richard Blume, he means David Blume’s alcohol economy

Original post on July 1st had the wrong audio file

[ Episode #16 // Powering the Dream ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 00:47:28 +0000

Energy drives our civilization: onward towards the limits of human imagination, ever closer to the grave consequences of oil depletion. Technology is often viewed as a mythical force, seemingly bestowing its gifts on an often misguided species in a neutral manner; though what if the best technologies don’t always win? Are all the energy solutions we’re banking on to continue a capitalist consumer lifestyle just an innovation away from mass deployment? Could social choices of technologies be far from rational? What if the most important electric loads were the ones invented by utility companies? Why does America consume so much energy and believe so heavily in the transcendent role of technology?

In Extraenvironmentalist #16 we speak with Alexis Madrigal about his book, Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology which discusses the precarious path our species has followed towards a more perfect power. Alexis is a senior editor at The Atlantic where he writes about technology and media while tweeting prolifically from @alexismadrigal. Alexis explains how many of the green technologies, now touted as shiny new innovations, have existed for the greater part of the last century and have been stifled through a combination of poor policies and irrational developments. We wonder about the role of innovation in the future, do we have all the technology we really need or are we on the verge of a renewable energy breakthrough that can revolutionize our world?

At the end of this episode, Dennis McKenna joins us once again (at the 1h37m mark) for an apology to Matthew Watkins who was incorrectly lambasted in the previous episode for his critiques to the Timewave theory.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Metric – Twilight Galaxy (Gladkill Remix) via Ohh So Famous
Milagres – Glowing Mouth via The Music Ninja
The Dictator’s Speech with Inception’s music by Hans Zimmer via Youtube
Foster the People – Houdini (Valida’s Step Out Mix) via Earplugs Not Included
Blue Sky Black Death – Sleeping Children Are Still Flying via Potholes In My Blog
Purity Ring – Lofticries via Gorilla vs. Bear

[ Episode #15.2 // Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss // Part II ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Sat, 07 May 2011 18:27:10 +0000

In the course of an extraordinary life, one might become the kind of person who, without intending it, is a source of marvelous accidents. Two young men set out from Colorado to the rainforest of South America as they hunt down an elusive chemical with the potential to reveal new dimensions of human nature. During this quest, they find something much greater, as their encounter with an enigmatic other sets their lives on a path too wild to predict.

In Extraenvironmentalist #15 we speak with Dennis McKenna about his Kickstarter project, Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss which, with your support, will become a book detailing his life with philosopher and visionary Terence McKenna. Dennis is co-author of The Invisible Landscape and a professor of ethnobotany at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality & Healing with an extensive career researching how plants and humans can create a productive partnership. We spoke with Dennis about the ways he and Terence would develop ideas, how Dennis made the trip to the Amazon with Terence, how events at La Chorrera changed him. Though we don’t stop there, Dennis also shares with us many of his ideas on life, the universe and everything and weighs in on whether he coined the term extraenvironmentalist originally.

Please support Dennis’ Kickstarter project

Note: This is Part II of II.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Youth Lagoon – Cannons via KLUBB ACE
Peter, Bjorn & John – Second Chance (RAC Remix) via Dealer of People Emotions

[ Episode #15.1 // Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss // Part I ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Sat, 07 May 2011 18:23:33 +0000

Please support Dennis’ Kickstarter project

Note: This is Part I of II.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Cults – Go Outside (2 Bears Remix) via The Bang Pop
MillionYoung – Calrissian via I Guess I’m Floating
How to Be Alone via Vimeo
James Vincent McMorrow – We Don’t Eat (Adventure Club Dubstep Remix) via SoundCloud
Doug Hoyer – Oh, The Wind Will Blow (ft. Jessica Jalbert) via New Music Collaborative
Washed Out – Eyes Be Closed via KLUBB ACE

[ Episode #14 // Discovering Dirt ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:52:28 +0000

Though we call it dirt, the soil beneath is the skin of our planet and the breadbasket of our species. Is there a connection between the lifespan of a civilization and the rate at which its topsoil erodes? The agricultural practices of past societies can serve as a stern warning against highly erosive farming and point the way towards a revolution in the way we produce the sustenance needed for survival and prosperity. What does it mean that rapidly increasing food prices are causing riots around the world while a dump-truck load of soil enters the Mississippi Delta every second?

In Extraenvironmentalist #14 we speak with Dave Montgomery, author of Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations. In his book, Dr. Montgomery covers historical evidence from Rome, Greece, China and other societies to trace a link between population dynamics and erosion. Even though the land of North America has only experienced heavy agricultural erosion for a much shorter span, we’ve already mined the fertility of the U.S. Southeast to churn out tobacco, driving populations towards the Pacific in search of more productive land. We discuss some key historical examples and talk about how modern trends point to serious concerns for the present as soil productivity declines at a rapid rate. Can a crisis in global agriculture be avoided when our society is heavily dependent on the temporary agricultural output boosted by petroleum dependent chemicals?

// Music (in order of appearance)
Conner Youngblood – Summer Song via The Music Ninja
Bibio – K is for Kelson via Et Musique Pour Tous
Mount Moriah – Lament via The New Music Collaborative
Daughter – Landfill via Earplugs Not Included
Daughter – Candles via Earplugs Not Included

[ Episode #13 // Debt-Dollar Discipline ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 03:54:24 +0000

Does our currency drive participation in a disciplinary system that conditions a consumer society? Surplus goods created by industrial production require an acceptable set of behaviors, reinforced by a financial establishment of rewards and punishments. Though the people reliant on disciplinary institutions are used to playing by the rules, what happens when the game changes suddenly?

In Extraenvironmentalist #13 we speak with Ashvin Pandurangi, writer for The Automatic Earth on his series of articles that describe the Debt-Dollar Discipline, the global system of currencies backed by the U.S. Dollar that define the choice sets available to us. We ask about how finance, currency, education and our institutions create a rigid disciplinary guideline. Ash, Seth and Justin ponder the question of whether a global system that slowly empties its gas tank can handle a rapid disintegration and a population in developed nations accustomed to discipline.

A SPECIAL THANKS TO: Mr. Thomas Bevan for his magical performance in singing about the Titanic.

BEFORE APRIL 14th: Vote for Justin’s video in the OECD’s 50th Anniversary Challenge to redefine economic progress

// Music (in order of appearance)
Daughter – Run via The Music Ninja
Malvina Reynolds – Little Boxes via Dangerous Minds #18
Lanu – Beautiful Trash (feat. Megan Washington) via SoundCloud
Anomie Bell – How Can I Be Sure via IndieShuffle

[ Episode #12 // Questioning Collapse ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 23:43:15 +0000

As anthropologists, historians and popular writers fit the complex events of the past into stories that relay morals to the modern world, sometimes details can be overlooked to make a point. Does a civilization collapse or does it merely transform? What role does human resilience play in the shifting structures of a society? Has a society failed if it still has millions of descendants and a rich cultural history?

In Extraenvironmentalist #12 we speak with Patricia McAnany, co-editor of Questioning Collapse which addresses many oversights in the complex narratives conveniently distilled to form the pages of Jared Diamond’s Collapse. We discuss some of the issues with the often cited reasons for the collapse of Mayan civilization, including simplifications made in Diamond’s writings. How can we identify and classify a civilizational collapse? While many historical examples of rapid societal change may appear to be a collapse, they might just represent a collection of people living in the aftermath of empire.

NOTE: All celebrity voices are purely very poor impersonations and are not meant to be real in any way, shape or form.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Chris Bathgate – No Silver via Chris Bathgate’s Website
Oh Land – Wolf and I via Et Musique Pour Tous
RÜFÜS - We Left via FRENCH EXPRESS
Generationals – Greenleaf via Klubb Ace

[ Episode #11 // Temporal Blindness ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 06:01:06 +0000

Our education system creates the models we use to interpret information. A faulty model can lead to significant blind spots, especially in thinking about nonlinear problems. Do the cognitive models that you’ve developed allow you to understand the severe problems threatening our global civilization? How accurately can you recognize how trends will impact your society and your life? What is a reasonable response to dealing with 7 billion homo sapiens sapiens?

In Extraenvironmentalist #11 we speak with Jack Alpert of the Stanford Knowledge Integration Lab about the role that our cognitive models play in recognizing the severity of our global predicament. Seth and I discuss Jack’s writings and his Nonlinearity and the Elephant Problem video. After talking about how to deal with scarce resources on a finite planet, we dive into how to deal with overpopulation, including Jack’s approach for building public of rapid population decline through convincing grandmothers that fewer babies need to be born.

As always, let us know what you think about the episode through our email or voicemail, we’d love to hear from you! Especially if you think Justin’s Alex Jones impression sounds far too constipated.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Purity Ring – Ungirthed via The Music Ninja
Mighty Mike – Lonely Yoshimi (The Police v The Flaming Lips) via AudioPorn Central
DJ Lobsterdust – Gotta Fly (Steve Miller Band v Amerie) via DJ Lobsterdust
MillionYoung – Perfect Eyes (Snoretex Mix) via A Heart is a Spade

[ Episode #10 // Brilliant ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:24:07 +0000

How has access to artificial light allowed us to transform our human lives? Did it give us access to new reaches of the day or has it disconnected us from nature? The development of inexpensive and accessible light has brought about social change with its many forms: from animal fat candles to whale blubber, oil to electrified carbon filaments. Each varying source brings with it not only light but the dark side of fuel consumption.

In Extraenvironmentalist #10 we speak with Jane Brox, author of many books including most recently Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light which Time magazine rated as one of the best non-fiction books of last year, Seth and I concur. Brilliant speaks not only to the technology behind artificial light but also to the class structures which filtered the technology down to the masses along with the consequences and the advantages of having a more luminous world.

Justin accidentally leaves his microphone on in the background so you get to hear an exclusive behind the scenes exploration into what exactly occurs as an interview takes place. Fortunately it is not too distracting as he behaved himself quite well and Seth did a great job dampening the impact. However the problem caused by the behavior of the mute button in Skype is solved and it won’t happen again, we are only ten episodes in after all.

Even though it has been a while since you’ve last seen The Extraenvironmentalist, in this episode we return to kick off a stellar year of examining humanity in 2011 with interviews and more. Thanks for listening!

// Music (in order of appearance)
Star Slinger – Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins Rework) via The Music Ninja
Palpitation – In Five Years (Niva Remix) via Klubb Ace
Braids – Lemonade (Green Go Remix) via The DaDaDa
Diamond Messages – Liquid Summer via The Music Ninja
Marina and the Diamonds – Me and the Moon (Clock Opera Remix) via Et Musique Pour Tous
Paddling Song via WFMU’s Beware of the Blog

[ Episode #9 // Economics of Happiness ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:25:47 +0000

Converging crises of the environment, energy and our personal psychology threaten to destabilize the economic systems we depend on for subsistence. Globalization has provided tremendous financial benefits and convenience for specific groups but has degraded communities while spreading the emotional and spiritual depravity of materialism. By developing a local resilient economy can we counteract the shadow of globalization while addressing the predicaments of energy depletion, resource scarcity and desolate communities?

In Extraenvironmentalist #9 we speak with Helena Norberg-Hodge, director of The Economics of Happiness, a documentary film about the worldwide movement for local economic development. Our discussion covers Helena’s experiences in the Ladakh region of India which inspired her to recognize the problems with the standard model for economic development, inspiring her book and film Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh. We also spoke with Helena about the numerous benefits of decentralized local economies in addressing our converging crises and the specifics of the psychological impacts of advertising and media on society in its push for expanded economic activity.

We’re also thinking of starting an Extraenvironmentalist book club. Are you interested in perhaps doing a monthly group call to discuss a book on Extraenvironmentalist topics? If so, let us know through voicemail or email and we’ll choose a book, set a timeline and record a discussion.

//Supplemental Links
Website | Economics of Happiness
Facebook | Facebook Page for Economics of Happiness

// Music (in order of appearance)
Pepper Rabbit – Older Brother via The Music Ninja
The Kopecky Family Band – Our Remedy via The Music Slut
Mr. Little Jeans – Rescue Song (RAC Remix) via Et Musique Pour Tous
Sunday Girl – Time to Pretend (MGMT Cover) via AudioPorn Central

[ Extra-Extraenvironmentalist .01 // Christmas Special ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 16:43:14 +0000

With the Holidays upon us, we were able to secure a last minute interview with Santa Claus! That fell through so we were passed off to Nick jr. who gave us an in-depth view of life at the north pole.

Though our elfin magic connection through various HAM radio repeater stations was a little hazy, we were able to get a pretty clear picture of the behind the scenes preparation for the special day. From impact of the economic down turn, the vertical intergeneration by elfs into the entertainment industry, and the energy impact that giving coal to naughty children are discussed.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Insane in the Winter Wonderland – DJ Flack via Santastic V

[ Episode #8 // Back to the Garden ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:17:32 +0000

As a response to the dire situation facing modern industrial civilization it can be tempting to seek a simpler life away from the complexity and out in nature. Quite a few from the previous generation have already made such a choice and recognizing this we can learn from their trials and successes.

In Extraenvironmentalist #8 we speak with Kevin Tomlinson, director of Back to the Garden about his film’s story as he follows a group of people through their decision to live off the land and outside the mainstream from 1988 into today. All while Seth and I ask about the skills these new pioneers needed along with the value of road-trips.

//Supplemental Links
Website | Back to the Garden
Facebook | Facebook Page for Back to the Garden
News | Tom Foreman – You Say You Want a Revolution

// Music (in order of appearance)
Strange Talk – Eskimo Boy via IndieShuffle
Corey Chisel and the Wandering Sons – Born Again via IndieShuffle
El Ten Eleven – Cease and Persist via Soundcloud
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings – This Land is Your Land via Panic Manual
Matt and Kim – Going For Great via The Music Ninja

[ Episode #7 // When Two Worlds Collide ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:30:53 +0000

Living in a western media bubble we receive every story through a prism of corporate and political control which bends a complex and multifaceted light into a monochromatic blur. When oil and multinational energy interests collide with the mode of sustainable living practiced by Amazonian tribes for generations, a cascading series of events has encapsulated this complex set of interactions as a microcosm of the global struggle we all face.

In Extraenvironmentalist #7 we uncover the tale of Heidi Brandenburg and Taira Akbar of Yachaywasi Films about their upcoming documentary, When Two Worlds Collide. Heidi and Taira are in Lima with their colleague Mathew Orzel covering the transfer of Amazonian Rainforest into the hands of energy and mining companies that act on behalf of our lifestyle. A massive commodifcation of Amazonian ancestral lands into a global market. Today’s story has it all: oil, international trade relations, corporate subjugation of the indigenous, amazonian shamanism and most of all the will of one man, Alberto Pizango as he stands against the Peruvian Government and the many competing interests to deliver the will of his people. Alberto’s struggle is one to preserve the sustenance that will ensure our species’ survival throughout the future.

Please ensure that this story is told around the world! Support Heidi, Taira and the rest of the Yachaywasi team by visiting their IndieGoGo page and making a contribution. Additionally, Seth and I think you should strongly consider sharing this episode with your family and friends.

You can follow more on this story through the regular media outlets as Alberto Pizango was recently interviewed by the BBC and stories of his 2011 run for the Peruvian Presidency are hitting the news wires.

//Supplemental Links
IndieGoGo | Support When Two Worlds Collide
–
Facebook | When Two Worlds Collide
Website | Yachaywasi Films

// Music (in order of appearance)
CFCF – Before and After Light via The Music Ninja
Ingrid Michaelson – Creep (Radiohead Cover) via IndieShuffle
Atmosphere – The Best Day via The Music Ninja
Boy and Bear – Mexican Mavis via IndieShuffle
Gypsy and the Cat – Time to Wander via IndieShuffle

When Two Worlds Collide (1-minute trailer) from Yachaywasi Films on Vimeo.

[ Episode #6 // Peak Oil Blues ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 06:35:13 +0000

The old Chinese curse, “may you live in interesting times”, is a particularly apt encapsulation of the current moment we experience on the global stage of affairs, yet facing an uncertain future doesn’t mean it has to unfold as bleak.

The readily available net energy which drove rapid expansion of a particular form of dominance hierarchy known as corporate capitalism is fading, and with its collapse goes the standard of life it engendered. The realization that our embedded expectations of the future might rapidly diverge from reality is one that can be very difficult to integrate. By reaching the global maximum flow rate of oil we face significant psychological issues – as young adults facing this reality, the range of options for preparation can be staggering.

Kathy McMahon of Peak Oil Blues has been helping many deal with the psychological issues one faces when grasping the reality and severity of peak oil. In Extraenvironmentalist #6, we interview Kathy to talk about the psychological dimensions of peak oil and how those of us just starting our adult lives can prepare for life after the peak.

Many thanks to Kevin M. who provided an edit of several documentaries on peak oil – an edit which beautifully and elegantly introduces the issue. At the end of the episode we play a voicemail Kevin left us regarding his thoughts on the Extraenvironmentalist #3′s clash between podcast titans KMO and Doug Lain.

// Media Links
Media Collage | A 5 Minute Introduction to Peak Oil assembled by and courtesy of Kevin M.

// Music (in order of appearance)
Glasser – Mirrorage via The Music Ninja
Decemberists – Down by the Water via The Music Slut
Caribou – Sun (Midland Remix) via Redthreat
Humans – Avec Mes Mecs via IndieShuffle
Keith Reedy – Drinkin’ Billy’s Beer via WFMU Beware of the Blog

// Corrections and Blunders

- Please do call or email us with corrections if you find something we’ve said to be factually inaccurate -

[ Episode #5 // Phantom Wealth ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:50:16 +0000

Now is the season of spirits. Together we face the most horrifying of all poltergeists: the ghost of phantom wealth.

Numbers representing the money in our bank account are very different from real wealth. While the focus is on gaining and creating money, this very process sublimates a methodology of destruction and wealth extraction from communities, nature and humanity. Society has confused money for wealth and in doing so transmutes the use of potentially valuable financial instruments into implements of degradation.

In Extraenvironmentalist #5 we share a talk on the economy and money Justin recorded at University of British Columbia by David Korten based on his recent book, Agenda for a New Economy. The story of money is mystified by design and so on rare occasions like this we can explore the relationship between our physical world and the financial world with clear elucidation. David uses his background as a Stanford Business School professor and an international economist to develop philosophies for a new economy serving humans instead of accountants.

// Media Links
News | Mitsubishi plans to profit from Bluefin Tuna
Poem | Keeping Things Whole by Mark Strand via Arthur Magazine
Youtube | Economic Hitmen ft. John Perkins

// Music (in order of appearance)
Fools Gold – Nadine via IndieShuffle
Zero 7 – Futures (ft. Jose Gonzalez) via IndieShuffle
Syl Johnson – I’m Talkin’ About Freedom via Earmilk
Bedouin Soundclash – Brutal Hearts (ft. Coeur de Pirate) via The Music Ninja

// Corrections and Blunders

- Please do call or email us with corrections if you find something we’ve said to be factually inaccurate -

[ Episode #4 // Technological Inefficiency ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:21:04 +0000

Oil is more efficient than coal; coal is more efficient than wood. We’ve been using more efficient energy sources throughout the timeline of modern industrial society yet our ecological footprint has continued to grow. If our technology has been making us more efficient all along, why do we continue to grow our ecological footprint? Could changes to the way humans make decisions within an economic system do more good for degraded ecosystems than shiny new technologies? What if we just all participated in the extractive economy less?

In Extraenvironmentalist #4 Justin talks with Conrad Schmidt who is among many other things, founder of the British Columbia Work Less Party and author of Alternatives to Growth: Efficiency Shifting. We talk about ways some macroeconomic level solutions could improve the economic situation, some alternative explanations to why the economic collapse of 2008 began and how an SUV might be more ecological beneficial than a bike. We’ve interspersed clips of Conrad’s documentary films in with the interview so be sure to visit Conrad’s website for his videos and books!

Also in this episode, we get our first voicemail (and what a good one it is!)

Join us on this fortuitous journey into the realm of a little considered alternative to economic growth!

// Media Links
Video | Conrad Schmidt via Workers of the World Relax: The Jevons Paradox
Audio | A diatribe on green via Mad Decent Radio #62
Video | Conrad Schmidt via Workers of the World Relax: The World Wide Financial Crisis

// Music (in order of appearance)
The Naked and the Famous – Young Blood via IndieShuffle
Sea Oleena – Little Army via The Music Ninja
Ima Robot – Ruthless via IndieShuffle
Sea Wolf – Wicked Blood via The Music Ninja
Gauntlet Hair – I Was Thinking via IndieShuffle

// Corrections and Blunders

- Please do call or email us with corrections if you find something we’ve said to be factually inaccurate -

[ Episode #3 // Ideological Energy ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:35:00 +0000

A truly well-informed person will undoubtedly discover the rapid rate at which belief in business as usual is collapsing. This collapse extends to include our ecosystems, our human systems and our thought systems. Is deflating societal complexity fueled by cheap energy causing this collapse? Would such a collapse inherently allow for a positive social transformation? Do the organizing principles in society disappear when the energy supporting them transforms to naught but entropy?

In The Extraenvironmentalist #3 we expand on these questions through a debate between KMO of the C-Realm Podcast and Doug Lain of the Diet Soap Podcast. We use Dmitry Orlov’s 5 Stages of Collapse as a base for the discussion.

Doug challenged KMO on Facebook by stating that he heard KMO saying he was looking forward to collapse. In the ensuing exchange, well outside the capacity of the Facebook medium, it was decided that Doug was unclear on KMO’s views which he intended to critique. We’ve structured this episode to narrow down the discussion and in doing so expose some interesting connections between collapse, complexity, ideology and energy.

Additionally, Seth talks about Elk and we unveil our new voicemail inbox which could possibly summon extradimensional mind-structures if you’re not careful with it.

// Media Links
Youtube | Cultural Theory: Althusser’s Concept of Ideology
Podcast | What Now with Ken Rose Broadcast on 6.28.2010 ft. Joseph Tainter

// Music (in order of appearance)
The Mynabirds – Numbers Don’t Lie via OneTrackMind
Chicago Bulls Intro Song
Gold Panda – Same Dream China via Pitchfork
Miike Snow – Animal (Mark Ronson remix) via AudioPorn Central
Glasser – Home via Stereogum
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (Christian TV Mix) via The Music Slut
Gold Panda – Quitters Raga via Pitchfork

// Corrections and Blunders (Please do correct us if you find something we’ve said to be factually inaccurate)

Justin left his skype sounds on during the interview and they are distracting

[ Episode #2 // Powerful Plastic ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:52:19 +0000

We are surrounded by a media maelstrom on a daily basis and every so often that tornado of music and language coalesces into something that inflicts a bewildering inspiration.

This podcast is about enlightened entertainment and that’s what The Extraenvironmentalist #2 delivers. Sure, it might be a little all over the place, but isn’t everyone?

As the plastic bag journeys to it’s natural habitat, we discuss America’s class system and read from Ti m-Wallace Murphy’s book on the history of the western esoteric tradition on ways in which alternative viewpoints on Christianity were extinguished in the Dark Ages.

So while in the future we’ll focus in on particular topics a little more, this week’s theme is: stuff we found interesting.

// Media Links
Youtube | The Majestic Plastic Bag
Podcast | CBC Ideas – The Charming Mr. Luttwak
Blog | Understanding America’s Class System by Joe Bageant
TV | BBC Unreported World – Third World America | here’s a good review of it
Podcast | School Sucks #4 – Politics is Force
Podcast | Gnostic Media #88 – Silver and Gold ft. Stephen Zarlenga
Book | Hidden Wisdom by Tim-Wallace Murphy
Youtube | Sarah Silverman – Sell the Vatican Save the World
Podcast | C-Realm Podcast #220 – Red State Blues ft. Daniel Krotz
Podcast | Common Sense with Dan Carlin #164 – The People’s Snitch
Podcast | Diet Soap #71 – Dolls Eyes In the Supercenter ft. Jason Rizos

// Music (in order of appearance)
Blue Hawaii – Blue Gowns via Et Musique Pour Tous
Florence and the Machines - Cosmic Love (Short Club Remix) via Et Musique Pour Tous
Ting Tings – Hands (Retro/Grade Remix) via Audioporn Central
Freelance Whales – Generator Second Floor via HearYa
The Temper Trap – Fader (The Knocks Remix ft. Samuel) via Wongie’s Music World
OMD – If Yout Want It Villa Nah Remix via Audioporn Central

// Corrections (let us know if you find the Easter eggs in every episode!)

(we haven’t discovered any yet)

[ Episode #1 // The Great Awakening ]

podcast@extraenvironmentalist.com — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:57:37 +0000

Every audible journey begins somewhere. For The Extraenvironmentalist our quest starts with these particular bits transmitted over the internet.

We are taking the discussions we have online to the compressed air between your ears and the vibrating diaphragm enabling your audio device. In this episode, we outline our reasoning for starting the podcast, cover one of what will be many blogs we follow, talk about our thoughts on why Terence McKenna’s philosophy is so deep underground, discuss a bit of Jane Brox’s new book Brilliant and how it relates to oil and whale depletion: specifically the BP oil spill calculated in number of whales equivalent.

// Media Links
Movie | Howard Beale talks about human robots in the movie Network
Blog | Spheres of Influence via Dark Ages America
Podcast | Diet Soap Episode #69 Fighting the Control System with a Northern Song ft. Neil Kramer
Youtube | a Graduation Speech by Erica Goldson
Podcast | C-Realm Episode #214 Technogenic Catastrophe ft. Dmitry Orlov
Youtube | Bill Hicks talks about a positive drug story
Podcast | Psychedelic Salon Ep: 225 – McKenna: “Hermeticism and Alchemy” Part 3
Podcast | C-Realm Episode #218

// Music (in order of appearance)
Baths – Maximalist via Earmilk
Local Natives – Wide Eyes (Teen Daze Remix) via Stereogum
Lobsterdust – I Will Survivor via DJ Lobsterdust
Vampire Weekend – White Sky (Cecline Remix) via We All Want Someone To Shout For
Mark Ronson – Lose It (In the End) ft. Ghostface Killah via Et Musique Pour Tous
thisismycopyfight

// Corrections (let us know if you find the Easter eggs in every episode!)

Seth says that Terence has been dead for 20 years, he’s only been dead for 10