BIG CHANGES ARE EASIER THAN SMALL ONES

Really big changes not only are needed, but can occur - both in where our society is headed and how we do things. We can - pretty easily - reduce resource consumption by 80% so everyone on the planet can live well - once we know it's doable and it makes our life better. Impossible? Today's toilets and light bulbs already use 75-80% less water and electricity than 20 years ago. Want more examples? Check out Hawkins & Lovins' Natural Capitalism, or my book Learning to Count What Really Counts.

The first secret is that everything operates the opposite in a society that nurtures than in one that exploits. The mind-changes are enough to make you dizzy. But the good thing is that truly large changes need only a change of mind. You'll know we're headed the right direction when all you can see is the backs of billboards.

A New Culture Needs a New Education

The transition to a postmodern culture will bring about significant changes in all areas of society. Our ways of thinking about healing, spirituality, food, community, the natural world, and even economics and business are, in a broad sense, turning from the materialism and reductionism of the industrial age to a more organic, holistic, person-centered and locally rooted worldview. It is no accident that modern educational institutions are similarly being challenged by alternative ways of teaching and learning.

The system of schooling as we know it, with its grading, testing, standardized curriculum, and control over students’ use of time, reflects the mechanistic worldview of the age now beginning to decline. Parents and educators who are beginning to question this worldview have turned to diverse philosophies and methods, from Montessori and Waldorf schools, to democratic schools, home education and community learning centers, among others.