Subscribe to Our NewsletterFacing Future – WelcomeWe welcome those of you who have recently joined us through either FacingFuture.Earth or the UPFSI website. Stuart Scott, as well as a few other Facing Future members, continues to be involved in activities pertaining to the United Planet Faith & Science initiative. Update – Stuart ScottFirstly, I want to thank all of you who have shown me such love and moral support through the many trials to which I have been subjected. I have just embarked upon what may be my last ocean crossing, to visit my sister, brother and friends for what may be the last time, and then return to the Mayo Clinic for additional tests and consultations. I am not yet ‘throwing in the towel’ and if there is a way to beat this cancer, I will find it. I’m not afraid of dying. It is clear to me that consciousness persists. But my work is not yet done, and in some senses, I am really just hitting my stride. When I return home after the Mayo Clinic I will need to engage a personal assistant, for which I am now ‘casting a broad net. ‘ My physical capabilities have been declining. The cancer in my cervical vertebrae has often created unbearable pain in my neck, shoulders, arms and hands, only kept narrowly in check by large doses of painkillers. The painkillers make it difficult for me to assert my thinking and writing abilities, two of the principle arrows in my quiver. For anyone interested, I will refine the requirements, but roughly speaking, the needs are for cooking, cleanup, laundry, and basic household functions. I am NOT in need of help with personal hygiene. When and if that time comes, I will get more specific help. But for now, I am offering room and board, use of a car, a monetary stipend and other perks to be negotiated, for someone willing to relocate to Honolulu for a period. All details would be negotiated, and you might describe it more as a working holiday than a job. The opportunity would be best filled by someone who shares my passion for the environment. If you are interested in this kind of working vacation, please reply to this newsletter with an email to: [email protected] {Photos: “Manhattan-Brooklyn Bridge” by John Cunniff is licensed under Creative Commons. Image has been cropped; “Golden gate Bridge” by KP Tripathi is licensed under Creative Commons} *** We wish Stuart all the best on his healing journey. To read more about Stuart’s healing journey, please visit Stuart’s GoFundMe site: Fund for Stuart’s Healing Circle of Elders – Stuart Scott If you’ve paid even the most cursory attention to my work you’ve encountered the term ‘ecological economics,’ perhaps for the first time. It has been my mission and intention to make ‘ecological economics’ a household term. The term ‘economics’ itself was co-opted by a particular ‘brand’ of economics, not surprisingly, by the branch that is most profitable to the banks as well as the rich and powerful. Recently my goal, popularizing ecological economics, has come together with the means, as I have allied with the Holy See (commonly referred to as ‘the Vatican’) in a project best described as The Circle of Elders of Ecological Economics. Yes, a group of the founding ‘elders’ of the school of ecological economics has come together for bi-weekly meetings, and the output of those meetings is now being offered to the Holy See so that Pope Francis can help instruct the world in the meaning of the term, and how ecological economics stands head and shoulders above the current destructive form of ‘NeoClassical growth economics’ (the only one taught in most business schools for the past 100 years because it singularly promotes the interests of the banks and the wealthiest classes in society). The ‘elders’ are working on highlighting the common ground between ecological economics and Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ second encyclical. Members of the circle include Herman Daly (father of ecological enconomics), Dr. William Rees, Clóvis Cavalcanti, and Richard Norgaard, amongst others. They are advising Nick Fitzpatrick, ISEE intern working with Cardinal Turkson in the Dicastery for Integral Human Development at the Vatican. Nick is an on-site resource for the Holy See and has an opportunity to bring ecological economics into the Pope’s messaging. COP26 Planning/GlasgowCOP26 is scheduled for November 1 – 12 in Glasgow, Scotland. Our dedicated team is continuing to prepare for either an in-person or hybrid COP as we await official news from the UNFCCC regarding the participation of NGOs. The UN meetings and activities leading up to COP26 are being held virtually, including the SB52 – Climate Change Conference Intersessional, although an additional in-person intersessional may take place later in the year. Climate Reality ProjectThe Climate Reality Project, founded by Al Gore in 2006, offers training for those interested in becoming Climate Reality Leaders. Stuart Scott completed this training and was trained by Al Gore in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. Heidi Brault and Charles Gregoire of Facing Future are currently working at completing the Climate Reality Leadership Corps online training. The current session focusses on issues pertinent to the US. The upcoming training, which will be offered in July, will focus on Latin America and will mainly be offered in Spanish while the October session will encompass a global scope. For anyone interested in acquiring additional skills to fight the climate and ecological crises, please visit Climate Reality Leadership Corps. “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” (Plutarch, ancient Greek philosopher) Facing Future — LibraryThe FacingFuture Library is a fully accessioned library hosted by the powerful Zotero bibliographic engine. Its organization, as a hierarchical tree of subject matter collections, makes it particularly easy for the visitor looking for materials on a specific subject. Additionally, its hierarchical collection of sub-folders allows the user to see related material instantly. Volunteers David Immerman and Jordan Axelrad are making excellent progress with the task of adding our YouTube video content to the library. Heidi Brault is keeping the Blog content from our website up to date. Facing Future — Mobile App
Facing Future has a mobile App, which acts as a convenient portal to access Facing Future’s content from its YouTube channel and website. The App is available on both the Android and iOS mobile operating systems. Once you’ve installed and opened the App, you’ll see a welcome video, which will only appear the first time you open the App. We are most grateful to Bubblr Limited who donated their services to produce the App and who are providing ongoing support. IOS instructions: Simply open the App store and do a search for “Facing Future”. Android instructions: If you search for “Facing Future”, our App may not appear. If this occurs, try searching for “Newzmine”, then click on “Bubblr Limited” and it should appear in the search choices. FacingFuture.TV — Our YouTube ChannelSome highlights:
FacingFuture.Earth — Our WebsiteWe invite you to visit our website and share our blog posts. Special thanks to:
Facing Future — Social Media
Volunteer OpportunitiesThe Facing Future Team welcomes your assistance. Social Media: If you have strong social media skills and would be interested in joining our team, please contact: [email protected] Video Editors: If you have video editing skills and would like to help produce our videos, please contact: [email protected] Writers: If you would be interested in writing a blog post on a topic that is pertinent to climate change and humanity’s ecological overshoot, please contact us at: [email protected] For Life on Earth Copyright © 2021 |