Comments for A World of Words

Comment on Carless in Vancouver, Part 2: Going for the high-hanging fruit by Ruth Heil

Ruth Heil — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:10:16 +0000

Thank you for keeping us “tuned in and sensitized.” Inside this fantastic insight, I found the photos of sessions meaningful in that they showed real people sitting at real tables. The enormity of the kind of change your tackling is astounding…unworldly…yet the ones who will make this happen are most definitely well-grounded Earthlings.

Comment on Carless in Vancouver, Part 2: Going for the high-hanging fruit by Notes Along the Path

Notes Along the Path — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:51:46 +0000

What a journey that second day was! It seemed like a boxing match between eco-change and ‘don’t mess with me and my stuff.’
The apartments I live in are set back from a 6-lane thoroughfare and sometimes I walk to the street so my daughter can pick me up quickly; I’m always frightened by the speed and power of the cars and the force of the air they send to everyone on the sides. And it’s the same here–crosswalks are few and far between. Two pedestrains have died near where I wait (trying to cross without a crosswalk) in the last two months. It’s NOT people-friendly.
Thanks for causing me to think about all this, Sven. You shed a whole new light.
Pam

Comment on Carless in Vancouver, Part 1: Boots on the Ground by Notes Along the Path

Notes Along the Path — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:15:23 +0000

Thank you so much, Sven, for accepting the responsibility to teach us why, and how, to build better lives through building eco-cities.
Pam

Comment on About by Hwosch

Hwosch — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:58:28 +0000

Greetings Sven, I found you through the recent Yes magazine article on the Importance of Being Sassy. I would like to talk with you as I am in pre-production for a film to be shot this summer/fall I am for now calling Creativism – Where Creativity and Activism Converge. I am looking for subjects in North America to include, and hope you might be a resource in connecting me to people that would inspire and motivate. I’m looking for bold, creative and out-of-the-box ways people have come up with to bring attention to issues of passionate concern to them. Drop me an email from http://www.hwosch.com and lets connect up.

Comment on The dam age is not yet done. Avatar needs help. by Jennifer

Jennifer — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:52:36 +0000

The World Bank estimates that forcible “development-induced displacement and resettlement” now affects 10 million people per year. According to the World Bank an estimated 33 million people have been displaced by development projects such as dams, urban development and irrigation canals in India alone.

India is well ahead in this respect. A country with as many as over 3600 large dams within its belt can never be the exceptional case regarding displacement. The number of development induced displacement is higher than the conflict induced displacement in India. According to Bogumil Terminski an estimated more than 10 million people have been displaced by development each year.

Athough the exact number of development-induced displaced people (DIDPs) is difficult to know, estimates are that in the last decade 90–100 million people have been displaced by urban, irrigation and power projects alone, with the number of people displaced by urban development becoming greater than those displaced by large infrastructure projects (such as dams). DIDPs outnumber refugees, with the added problem that their plight is often more concealed.

This is what experts have termed “development-induced displacement.” According to Michael Cernea, a World Bank analyst, the causes of development-induced displacement include water supply (dams, reservoirs, irrigation); urban infrastructure; transportation (roads, highways, canals); energy (mining, power plants, oil exploration and extraction, pipelines); agricultural expansion; parks and forest reserves; and population redistribution schemes.

Comment on Carless in Vancouver, Part 1: Boots on the Ground by Sven

Sven — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:32:32 +0000

Thanks Barb. I’ve found that when talking about things has dry and unsexy as city planning it helps to have a story and visuals. Ultimately, it’s all about people and their relationships to each other and their natural environment. It’s always good to ask “why do we do what we do?” before going into all the technical, left-brain stuff about how to do it.

Comment on Carless in Vancouver, Part 1: Boots on the Ground by Barbara

Barbara — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:24:03 +0000

Sven, you are really a master at integrating the written word with the visuals, resulting in our being able to almost viscerally understand the material. Thank you for another excellent piece and for adding to our collective understanding

Comment on Nothing personal, but… Bye Bye J.P. Morgan Chase by Liberating experiences…thanks to some banks « liberated spaces

Liberating experiences…thanks to some banks « liberated spaces — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:55:06 +0000

[...] my accounts at the bank from which I was Chased Away™, a phrase coined by my partner, Sven, in his blog post about how and why we moved our money to Circle [...]

Comment on About by Sven

Sven — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:43:04 +0000

Thanks for stopping by, Sandra. I like the idea of life’s third trimester, it reminds me that all of life is a birthing process. Enjoy the journey, looking forward to crossing paths with you.

Comment on About by Sandra Mauck

Sandra Mauck — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:44:39 +0000

I am honored to have met you via your blog. I can see where this will be a refuge and refreshment for me. I can see the value you are creating for yourself and the world. Thanks you.