Podcast 069 - Building a Better World

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Summary

Paul Wheaton starts his conversation with Kelly Ware sharing about his take on the Missoula Urban Demonstration Project (MUD), and his disappointments. He shares about his Earth Day experience demonstrating a portable rocket mass heater. Paul is frustrated that the general masses are not ready for his information. Paul mentions the Wheaton Eco Scale, and how people a few points up from each other seem crazy to those a few points below. Paul focuses elsewhere from "the shit's going to hit the fan," and focuses instead on things like how awesome rocket mass heaters are.

Paul and Kelly talk about the pain of "small talk," and living lives of substance towards their passions. Kelly brings up the harvest table, and how she loves her own, and her own kids' company. They talk about the value of people with similar passions coming together with purpose, even paying good money to do so. On that note, Paul brings up that he is looking forward to the Inland Northwest Permaculture Conference in Spokane. Paul addresses listener questions. He talks about being judgmental. Paul shares about a guy trying to pass out Toby Hemenway's book online for free. This guy has lots of anticapitalism hostility. The permaculture principle is to share your surplus, not other peoples'.

Paul and Kelly see the problem being corruption, not capitalism. They talk about voting with your dollar, local governance, and distinguishing between capitalist and "selfish." Also, for real change, they discuss stepping outside of problem thinking to find something new and move forward. Kelly talks about the value of being present. Paul talks about deciding against his original effort for people to send in video footage.

Relevant Threads

Portable Rocket Mass Heater
The Wheaton Eco Scale
Anti-Capitalism Hostility

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Paul I am not sure but I think you might have heard of Seth Godin...He tells his blog readers all the time to do work that matters!! What you are doing matters so I want to encourage you to avoid the time wasting events where its all about hearts and rainbows, now if its an event of substance then go but compile a list of hearts and rainbows presenters and if you see a bunch of them as the presenters then you know you should avoid it.

That is one of my favourite comments of all time. About 6:10 in. "What could I tell this lady that wouldn't completely freak her out." I have paraphrased and used that on the front page of my website http://dlpi.weebly.com/. I've also built a very remedial rocket stove that makes charcoal. Too many bad cuts and leaks, the metal is disintegrating and it's not producing enough heat, but it proves that even very small systems can work.

I admire your restraint in not saying anything in rsponse to the statement of lama poop making the best tomatoes, and I also think there are some other possibilities:

--"that's great that you are using natural fertilizers and appreciating the value of poop.  You know, you might like to know about a smarter way of composting that keeps more of the nitrogen in solid form for your plants--" and then talk about worm bin, chickens, hogs depending on the situation

in other words, something on a somewhat related topic but not so closely related as to embarrass the person or rain on their parade.