Archive for September, 2008

Food Crisis – Abroad and at home

September 19th, 2008 | post a comment

The current rise in food costs in the US and shortage abroad seemed to have happened suddenly. This week we explore the factors that led to this situation and when they actually began. Is this a temporary condition or will it worsen? Find out what you can do to deal with the impact this crisis. With Sharon Astyk of the blog Casaubon’s Book and author of “Depletion and Abundance: Life on the New Home Front,” Bettina Luescher from the U.N.’s World Food Program, and Janet Larsen of the Earth Policy Institute.

Listen to the Full Episode | Download MP3

Part 1: Interview with Bettina Leuscher | Download MP3

Part 2: Interview with Janet Larsen | Download MP3

Part 3: Interview with Sharon Astyk | Download MP3

View the full details…

Food Crisis Resources

September 19th, 2008 | 1 comment

September 19, 2008

Listen to the Full Episode | Download MP3

Bettina Luescher is a former CNN International anchor who made a life changing decision. Rather than continue with the career climb in the broadcast industry, she chose to become a spokesperson for the United Nations World Food Program. In this role, she witnesses, first hand, the depth and breadth of the challenge of feeding those who are hungry.

The UN World Food Program is the world’s largest international food assistance organization combating hunger in underdeveloped nations with severe food shortages. The frontline stretches from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East to Latin America and Asia & the Pacific. They help:

Victims of natural disasters like the 2006 East Africa drought, the Pakistan earthquake and Hurricane Stan in 2005, the tsunami disaster and Bangladesh floods in 2004, the Iran earthquake in 2003 or Hurricane Mitch, which affected one million people in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatamala in October 1998.

Displaced People – both refugees and internally displaced persons to leave towns and villages in places like Darfur, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Colombia.

The world’s hungry poor, trapped in a twilight zone between poverty and malnutrition.

The World Food Program serves in two ways. First it mobilizes food assistance for delivery to natural and man-made disaster areas. Second, its rapid response team draws-up contingency plans designed to move food and humanitarian assistance fast into disaster areas.

Truly they are an unheraled champion that deserve our appreciation and support.

Interview with Bettina Leuscher | Download MP3

Janet Larsen is the Director of Research of the Earth Policy Institute, She is a co-author of The Earth Policy Reader and has written on topics ranging from natural resources availability to population growth and climate change. Her research has been translated into various languages and featured in a number of print, on-line, and radio publications

The Earth Policy Institute was founded May 2001 by Lester Brown and Reah Janise Kauffman to provide a vision of a sustainable future and a plan for how to get from here to there.As a small organization with a global mission, the Earth Policy Institute has designed a unique information dissemination model, capitalizing on the synergy between a worldwide network of book publishers, the communications media, and the Internet. Through this distribution network, countless individuals and organizations have become aware of the environmental issues facing the world and many have been inspired to take action

Check out the new book “Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, Third Edition” by Lester Brown that crystalizes their impact on solving some of the most difficult challenges on the planet. It is certainly a key voice that bears our attention.

Interview with Janet Larsen | Download MP3

Sharon Astyk is a writer, teacher and subsistence farmer, and the author of two books on Peak Oil and Climate Change —“Depletion and Abundance: Life on the New Home Front” (Sharon Astyk) which is just published and and A Nation of Farmers (And Cooks) (Spring ‘09), the latter co-authored with Aaron Newton. This is Sharon’s “encore” on our program. She brings a clarity about the world’s pressing issues and a pragmatic wisdom on getting into action now to do something about these challenges.

Sharon’s frequent writings can also be found at her Blog Casaubon’s Book and Hen and Harvest. We wonder how Sharon has time to be a farmer and a mom and write so prolifically. We forgot to mention she is also a teacher. You can find out at her website more about the wonderful on-line learning experiences she offers.

Interview with Sharon Astyk | Download MP3

Small is Beautiful and Productive – a guest posting

September 2nd, 2008 | 4 comments

By Jules Dervaes, www.PathtoFreedom.com
Julesdervaestrowel-Copyright 2007 Chris Kelly
I wanted acreage. Millions more like me desired the same. I dreamed of an idyllic country home where I could get away from it all. Yeah, and everyone else with the same hope would be joining in the migration to grab what land there was available. I needed space in which to satisfy my latent Bonanza longing. But, I’d probably croak on the spot for lack of the needed skills and, more importantly, for the dearth of experience needed to deal with all kinds of new, rural situations. Problems, that is.

But, I didn’t want to wait; I couldn’t wait. Waiting was dangerous. The doomsday clock for the world’s food supply would only keep on ticking as I watched, sitting on the sidelines. And, there was the palpable fear that, no matter how minor, any postponement would be the start of the strict, systematic cadence of caution. (”Now, let’s be reasonable.”… “There’s no need to do anything drastic.”… “Why do you have to be different?”… “Don’t be such an alarmist!”)
And, just like that, such a hopeful moment, pregnant with so many wild, hot and uninhibited possibilities, would vanish. My old ‘friend’ practicality would have once more prevailed as it had done many times before on these forbidding occasions, in order to keep me in line. Oh, but don’t you know, one can come to the end of one’s rope. So, after having goose stepped for so long in this maddening cultural parade, I chose this instant, this cause, to exchange my marching boots for some gardening ones.

Rather than waste precious time thinking about where we would like to be–sitting on 5, 10, 20 or more acres in the country–we would make a go of it with what we had. But, there were always nagging doubts at every turn. We needed more vegetables. “There is no room here!” We needed more fruit. “There is no room here for trees!” We needed animals. “Surely, there isn’t room here for them, too!” The doubts would keep playing their dirge; the question was: Would I dance to their tune?

Being small was going to be one big challenge. Was it ‘un-American’? Our appetites tend toward supersizing. It certainly would feel peculiar to be satisfied with less. I can get enviously green over large green spaces. So, how could I happily accept this pathetic, downsized acreage? It would come down to this: Could we make–by hook or by crook–one city lot in the hand worth five such lots “in the bush”? And, down the gauntlet was thrown!

Thinking small has made all the difference in the world. Everything is so tight, which makes for one heck of a busy, stressful situation but one that is, nonetheless, truly rewarding–physically, emotionally and spiritually. A very special bonus is being able to derive a small income from our 1/5th acre city lot. So, today, by working all the angles and leaving no stone unturned, I am beginning to feel just now a small but real sense of independence.

Why can’t we all become independent as our farmer-forefathers were before us? The freedom they tasted came from making a living the old-fashioned way; they had to earn it from the soil. The sweat of their daily physical toil brought forth the pure sweetness of another day of standing on your own. It was all in the knock-down, drag-out struggle to get a life.
Independent is as independent does. So, hit the path!

Technorati Tags: Accountability, courage, dotherightthing, Imagination, inspiration, Intuition, leadership, Philosophy, Planning, success, Wisdom

Good news for you!!!!

September 1st, 2008 | post a comment

Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency. Man is a social being. – Mohandas Ghandi

I’ve got good news for you. I know I sound like some sort of salesman. In a way I am. I am letting you know of a new feature on our website. Beginning this week, we will expand our Business Matters Blog to include writings from many of our program’s guests. During the week after a program airs, you can find postings in the guest’s own voice that will I believe will broaden your understanding of the topical area of the program and more importantly inspire you into action.

We also invite your participation. You can comment on any blog entry and share your feedback and insights with everyone. You can also offer a posting of your own. Simple submit it to feedback@businessmatters.net. We will get right back to you about placing your post on the site.

Please let us know how this new features is of value to you.

Until later,

Thomas

Technorati Tags: authenticity, courage, dotherightthing, Gratitude, inspiration, integrity, Participation, puppy, Purpose, Truth, Wisdom

Archive for September, 2008

Food Crisis – Abroad and at home

Food Crisis Resources

Small is Beautiful and Productive – a guest posting

Good news for you!!!!

Subscribe to Our Podcast

Monthly Archives

Recent Episodes

Video Podcast

Our Story