Capra Course

Join Fritjof Capra and explore the new systemic conception of life at the forefront of science and its application in economics, management, politics, design, medicine, and law.

“Capra Course is my new online course, based on my textbook The Systems View of Life, coauthored with Pier Luigi Luisi and published by Cambridge University Press. For me, this course is the realization of a dream I have had for many years. I hope that it will serve as a model for similar multidisciplinary courses, to be offered at universities, colleges, and other institutions of learning.”

— Fritjof Capra

http://www.capracourse.net


Solar now costs 6¢ per kilowatt-hour, beating government goal by 3 years

https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/09/solar-now-costs-6-per-kilowatt-hour-beating-government-goal-by-3-years/


For the Love of Earth

Perhaps the most compelling reason to change our ways is that Earth needs our help. In our responsibility to respond, might we unite in common cause?

http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/for-the-love-of-earth-20170823


Green Energy Jobs: Top 7 Pieces of Rare Good News for US Workers on Labor Day

https://www.juancole.com/2017/09/energy-pieces-workers.html


100% Clean and Renewable Wind, Water, and Sunlight All-Sector Energy Roadmaps for 139 Countries of the World

http://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(17)30012-0


France to Vote Against Glyphosate Reauthorization in Europe

https://www.ecowatch.com/france-glyphosate-europe-2489382485.html

and

http://af.reuters.com/article/commodities07News/idAFL8N1M60HH


How did that get there? Plastic chunks on Arctic ice show how far pollution has spread

Discovery by UK scientists prompts fear that melting ice will allow more plastic to be released into the central Arctic Ocean – with huge effects on wildlife

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/24/arctic-plastic-pollution-polystyrene-wildlife-threat


How close are we to #ZeroHunger? THE STATE OF FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION IN THE WORLD  2017

http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/


HOW SOME AFRICAN FARMERS ARE RESPONDING TO CLIMATE CHANGE — AND WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THEM

Agriculture is being hit hard by drought, but nimble producers are fighting back.

https://ensia.com/features/african-farmers-responding-climate-change-can-learn/


London’s first zero-waste supermarket has finally opened (Bulk Market)

http://metro.co.uk/2017/09/05/londons-first-zero-waste-supermarket-has-finally-opened-6903842/


Regenerative Organic Agriculture and Climate Change

A Down-to-Earth Solution to Global Warming

http://rodaleinstitute.org/assets/WhitePaper.pdf


Join Us: The Journey to Regenerative Organic Certification

https://www.patagonia.com/blog/2017/09/join-us-the-journey-to-regenerative-organic-certification/


Is Organic an Option for Me?

Are You a Farmer, Rancher, or Handler?

Is organic an option for you? Certification would allow you to sell your raw or processed agricultural products as organic. Learn how we support organic agriculture through standards, enforcement, certification, market information, funding, extension, and research.

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification/is-it-an-option


Your airliner may be flying electric within a decade

http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/27/technology/electric-plane-easyjet-wright/index.html


Nature Offers Solutions to Water Woes and Flood Risks

https://www.ecowatch.com/suzuki-flooding-nature-2482221066.html


What the Garden-Hacking Grandmas and Grandpas of South Korea Know

Gardening here is not a hobby. It comes from the realization within people that there is inherent value in tending a garden and taking time to be a part of nature.

http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/what-the-garden-hacking-grandmas-and-grandpas-of-south-korea-know-20170828


Alaska’s Small Villages Turn Toward Renewables—And Don’t Look Back

Oil companies like to push the narrative that Alaskans want more oil development, but that’s not true.

http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/just-transition


‘Your eyes start itching’: pollution soars in Houston after chemical industry leaks

Communities face surging toxic fumes and possible water contamination, as refineries and plants report more than 2,700 tons of extra pollution

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/02/houston-hurricane-harvey-pollution-petrochemical-plants


INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ARE FIGHTING TO SAVE THE EARTH FOR ALL OF US

https://intercontinentalcry.org/indigenous-peoples-fighting-save-earth-us/


Hurricane Harvey is a billion-dollar disaster – America’s 10th in 2017

Natural disasters and extreme weather


Despite a ‘rapid succession of disaster events’, the agency tracking changes in climate faces severe budget cuts under Donald Trump

A timeline of $1bn extreme weather damage in the US

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/01/hurricane-harvey-us-billion-dollar-weather-disasters-2017


Analyzing the 5.5 Million Pounds of Air Pollutants Released in Texas After Harvey

http://fair.org/home/climate-change-is-making-these-facilities-even-more-dangerous/


Are you ready to be part of a just transition?

https://theleap.org/portfolio-items/no-worker-left-behind/


How to Feed Ourselves in a Time of Climate Crisis

Here are 13 of the best ideas for a just and sustainable food system, from saving seeds to curbing food waste.

http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/just-transition/how-to-feed-ourselves-in-a-time-of-climate-crisis-20170908


How Monsanto Is Devastating Thousands of Farms Across 20 States

Monsanto’s GE cotton and soybeans were made to be resistant to an herbicide that drifts to nearby crops.

http://www.alternet.org/food/how-monsanto-devastating-thousands-farms-across-20-states


The eco guide to ocean waste

Plastic pollution in our seas is depressing – but there are imaginative moves afoot to address the problem

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/03/the-eco-guide-to-ocean-waste


Plastic fibres found in tap water around the world, study reveals

Tests show billions of people globally are drinking water contaminated by plastic particles, with 83% of samples found to be polluted

We are living on a plastic planet. What does it mean for our health?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/06/plastic-fibres-found-tap-water-around-world-study-reveals


Ag-Gag Across America

Corporate-Backed Attacks on Activists and Whistleblowers

https://ccrjustice.org/www.ccrjustice.org/Ag-GagAcrossAmericaReport


Murdoch-Owned Media’s Radical Climate Denial in the Face of Disaster

WSJ’s glib snark over Harvey completes its Fox News-ification

http://fair.org/home/murdoch-owned-medias-radical-climate-denial-in-the-face-of-disaster/


UP AGAINST THE WALL, MOTHER NATURE! ‘Mother Nature’ Is Striking Back Against Trump’s Ignorance

The reckoning has come and will keep on coming. Soon, the wind and water may hit Trump’s Mar-a-Lago playground. What can the U.S. learn from all this devastation?

http://www.thedailybeast.com/mother-nature-is-striking-back-against-trumps-ignorance


97% OF CLIMATE SCIENTISTS AGREE that climate change is real and man-made, and affecting communities in every part of the country.

Yet too many of our elected officials deny the science of climate change. Along with their polluter allies, they are blocking progress in the fight against climate change.

Find the deniers near you—and call them out today.

https://www.ofa.us/climate-change-deniers/#/


The US cities at risk of flooding – and how they deal with it

Rising sea levels pose a serious threat to cites like Boston, New York and Miami Beach.  So what are they doing to protect themselves?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/31/us-risk-flooding-harvey-boston-new-york-miami-beach


How Many More ‘500-Year Storms’ Will People Endure Before They Start Abandoning Coastal Cities?

For homeowners in flood zones, one big question looms: Rebuild or retreat?

http://www.alternet.org/environment/how-many-500-year-storms-must-batter-shores-coastal-residents-pack-and-leave


In Maria’s Wake, Could Puerto Rico Go Totally Green?

http://progressive.org/dispatches/could-puerto-rico-go-totally-green/


US and India’s renewable riches

http://climatenewsnetwork.net/us-india-renewable-riches/


Scotland to Ban Sale of New Gas and Diesel Cars by 2032

Scotland announced plans to end the sale of new gas and diesel-powered cars by 2032 and fast-track the development of a country-wide charging network for electric vehicles.

https://www.ecowatch.com/scotland-diesel-ban-2482199606.html


Hidden Carcinogen Taints Tap Water, Consumer Products Nationwide

http://www.ewg.org/release/hidden-carcinogen-taints-tap-water-consumer-products-nationwide


VW announces massive $84 billion investment in electric cars and batteries

https://electrek.co/2017/09/11/vw-massive-billion-investment-in-electric-cars-and-batteries/


Sea salt around the world is contaminated by plastic, studies show

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/08/sea-salt-around-world-contaminated-by-plastic-studies


China plans to ban sales of fossil fuel cars entirely

https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/10/china-plans-to-ban-sales-of-fossil-fuel-cars-entirely/


The rise in global atmospheric CO2, surface temperature, and sea level from emissions traced to major carbon producers

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-017-1978-0#Sec10


This battery-free cellphone runs on light and radio waves

https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/13/this-battery-free-cellphone-runs-on-light-and-radio-waves/


No Elitist Farmers Market Here — Free Healthy Food and Profits for Farmers

How one Appalachian county is creating a healthy food system that supports not only nutrition, but also community life.

http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/a-farmers-market


ORGANIC PRODUCTS ARE SHOWING UP IN MORE PLACES—AND FOR LESS MONEY

http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2017/organic-products-are-showing-up-in-more-places-and-for-less-money.html


Episode 6: Capital Bias vs. Generative Design

https://thenextsystem.org/learn/stories/episode-6-capital-bias-vs-generative-design-w-marjorie-kelly


UN Environment Chief: Make Polluters, Not Taxpayers, Pay For Destroying Nature

https://www.ecowatch.com/u-n-environment-chief-2487568725.html


Florida residents without power due to the hurricane are not permitted to use their own solar panels

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/miami-frustrated-with-fpl-after-hurricane-irma-9666311


Insurance industry prices warming into Hurricane Harvey cost

Because US infrastructure is not built to withstand climate change the cost of the disaster will be relatively high

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/01/insurance-industry-prices-warming-into-hurricane-harvey-cost


Huge boost for renewables as offshore windfarm costs fall to record low

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/11/huge-boost-renewable-power-offshore-windfarm-costs-fall-record-low


Flawed But Promising, Could The Industrial Hemp Farming Act Be The Key To Hemp’s Future?

https://ministryofhemp.com/blog/industrial-hemp-farming-act-2017/


Move to open U.S. Atlantic coast to oil drilling meets increased opposition

https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/trump-admin-moves


Experts Report $37 Amount Of Money You Need To Donate To Hurricane Relief In Order To Completely Forget About It

http://www.theonion.com/article/experts-report-37-amount-money-you-need-donate-hur-56948


Physicist Warns of Earth’s Vulnerability to Solar Flares

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/15/opinions/earth-dodges-a-cosmic-bullet-opinion-lincoln/index.html


Solar-to-Fuel System Recycles CO2 to Make Ethanol and Ethylene

Berkeley Lab advance is first demonstration of efficient, light-powered production of fuel via artificial photosynthesis

http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2017/09/18/solar-fuel-system-recycles-co2-for-ethanol-ethylene/


Global Food Crops Also Face Earth’s Sixth Great Mass Extinction

https://www.ecowatch.com/food-mass-extinction-2489790982.html


How a Free Grocery Store Is Cutting Food Waste—and Hunger

Each weeknight, The Free Store redistributes up to 1,500 surplus food items to anyone who wants them—no questions asked.

http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/how-a-free-grocery-store-is-cutting-food-waste-and-hunger-20170912


How Top Food Companies Fail to Protect Environmental Activists in Supply Chains

https://towardfreedom.com/archives/environment/how-top-food-companies-fail-to-protect-environmental-activists-in-supply-chains/

and

PATHWAYS TO DEFORESTATION-FREE  FOOD

Developing supply chains free of deforestation and exploitation in the food and beverage sector

https://www.oxfamamerica.org/static/media/files/Deforestation_Free_Food.pdf 


Clean Energy Is America’s Next Frontier & Path to a Safer Climate

https://www.nrdc.org/experts/vignesh-gowrishankar/clean-energy-americas-next-frontier-path-safer-climate


After the Storms: Defeating Trumpism, Rebuilding America

https://thenextsystem.org/learn/stories/after-storms-defeating-trumpism-rebuilding-america


Third of Earth’s soil is acutely degraded due to agriculture

Fertile soil is being lost at rate of 24bn tonnes a year through intensive farming as demand for food increases, says UN-backed study

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/12/third-of-earths-soil-acutely-degraded-due-to-agriculture-study

And

The Global Land Outlook

https://global-land-outlook.squarespace.com/the-outlook/#the-bokk 


This Is How We Can Avoid Climate Catastrophe

https://www.nrdc.org/experts/rhea-suh/how-we-can-avoid-climate-catastrophe


HOW MILITARY OUTSOURCING TURNED TOXIC

https://features.propublica.org/military-pollution/military-pollution-contractors-scandal-toxic-cleanups/


Puerto Ricans Could Be Newest U.S. Climate Refugees

Hurricane Maria will trigger profound demographic changes for Puerto Rico

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/puerto-ricans-could-be-newest-u-s-climate-refugees/


Tropical forests now release more carbon than trucks and cars in the US, study finds

http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article176349706.html