Author: Ric Lander
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Can Film Inspire Personal Change?
Can Film Inspire Personal Change? Insights from research with Take One Action Film Festivals Take One Action has been finding out about what kinds of films inspire people to take action in their lives. Workshops held after three climate change screenings asked audience members how films made them feel and how connected they felt to…
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Fracking Stumbles Ahead onto Uncharted Paths
Rally against Fracking in Ohio, United States Ministerial Optimism sees Fracking Stumble Ahead onto Uncharted Paths In a letter regarding the controversial drilling process Sarah Boyack MSP says regarding the Scottish Government’s position “I am sure that you share my hope that the Minister’s optimism is well-placed” [1]. I do share Sarah’s hope, but optimism…
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Durban, and how we stopped climate change
photo courtesy of UNFCCC Durban could yet be a chapter in the story of how we stopped climate change If a successful campaign needs a story, then since 2009 the global climate movement has been in deep trouble. We certainly started off with a great story. I love to tell it to people all the…
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Transition Edinburgh University: Three Years of Action
The Transition Edinburgh University group came to an end after funding for the initiative’s staff ended in 2011. I had the privilege of being one of those staff. Many folk involved went on to do great things working for the University’s new Sustainability Office. I left the university to work on other projects, but remain…
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Machiavelli: power, transition and institutional change
In 1513 Machiavelli provided a seminal analysis of the flow of power in Europe. The ideas defined in “The Prince” have inspired political thinkers ever since. At the time his acute, perhaps cynical, understanding of power, made him notorious, and his works were added to the Vatican’s list of banned literature. Today his name has…
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What the environment needs is sustainability
What the environment needs is sustainability – our current governments seem incapable of delivering it This week, some talented researchers and policy professionals packed up their desks, and left Osborne House in Edinburgh, marking the end of the Sustainable Development Commission Scotland. No more assessments on the Government’s progress on sustainability. No more independent policy…
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Transition Universities in the Transition Companion
This article was written in early 2011 and published in Rob Hopkin’s book ‘the Transition Companion’, published in October 2011. You can buy the book from Transition Network here and read most of its chapters online here. Transition in Action: Transition Edinburgh University by Ric Lander Inspired by a simple and purposeful talk introducing Transition,…
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Volunteers uncover £50 million from Oil, Arms and Big Pharma
People & Planet volunteers are starting to uncover the hidden connections between research and corporations at our Universities. Freedom of information requests sent to 17 universities shed light on £50.7 million of funding from the UK’s five biggest oil, weapons, and pharmaceutical companies. This includes research grants of £5.2 m from oil company BP and £2.7 m…
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France v Mexico: 600,000 pesos is a lot for a pastry shop
In 1838 in a period of unrest during the fledgling years of the Mexican Republic, a French pastry chef living in Mexico City had his shop destroyed by looting soldiers. Receiving no sympathy from the Mexican Government, he turned to his native France for assistance. Paris responded by demanding 600,000 Pesos from Mexico in compensation…
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From Facebook to the Streets: The Humble Spray Can Still Holds its Charm
Don’t just vote with a cross (seen in Hereford). The internet is a wonderful place to share ideas. It’s an even better place for sharing inane crap. Sometimes the two crash together to create something quite brilliant, like wikipedia and last month’s hilarious tory-advert meddling at Mydavidcameron.com. The net’s utterly anarchic structure, having something of…