As we have cultivated the industrialization of our society over the years, we have, in many ways gotten further and further away from the natural process. Our materialism has guided us into regarding most everything that can’t be packaged and sold as waste, an attitude that is never found in nature. And to look at our methods of monoculture farming in the American Midwest and the devastation it is producing to what was once some of the most fertile soil in the world, it is apparent that we have taken a wrong turn somewhere.

However, it is not industry itself that is unnatural. After all, look at the beaver building his dam, the spider weaving her web, or the sparrow assembling its nest. Industry is incredibly natural. So how are we mucking it up so badly and separating ourselves so greatly from the natural world?

Two things that are missing from our mindset are diversity and understanding value. For example, as we industrialized our agriculture, we focused most of our energies on one plant, corn. Because we underestimated the value of the diversity of a fertile garden, the soil has not been cultivated as nature would do it, and is therefore losing its richness. Nature never singles out one species, eradicating all others in the hope of furthering life. The diversity of nature is what creates life.

Regarding our concept of waste, is anything in nature ever wasted? No. Everything has value, and every part of it plays a role in the circle of life. As we continuously recreate our society, we must look at the example of nature, which has thrived since long before we discovered tools, realizing that diversity is the true key to plentitude and that true sustainability means that there is no such thing as waste.

In addition to serving as Managing Editor and contributor to Modern Hippie Mag, Steve McAllister is an actor, musician, accomplished author, filmmaker, and the man behind Your Daily Groove. His most recent novel, The McAllister Code is available as an e-book at www.themcallistercode.com. Find Steve on Twitter, @InkenSoul. Read his reviews and articles here.

Your Daily Groove – The Keys to Sustainability is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

In many ways, The 11^th Hour seems to be a remake of An Inconvenient Truth with Leonardo DiCaprio stepping into the shoes of Al Gore in order to reach a younger demographic. If that alone were the case, the strategy works brilliantly, for as the film points out, it is an exciting time to live because this generation is the one that gets to change the world, and the young minds are the ones that will carry it out. Of course, Leo brings his point home with a few fellows a bit more long in the tooth than he is, including former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, physicist Stephen Hawking, Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai, and journalist Paul Hawken among other reputable minds.

Regarding age, one of the first points made in the film is that humankind is relatively young in relation to the rest of the planet. This puts the theme of the film in sharper focus when we realize that life will continue on the earth regardless of what we do. The question is whether the earth will be able to sustain human life for much longer. At the rate of population growth and pollution over the last few decades, the chances do not look good.

It is a much more humbl view of our role on the planet when we realize that the planet does not exist for us, but we are merely occupants of it. And though our predominant cultural mindset would have us believe that it is our economy and technological progress that matters most, the film points out that it is in fact the importance of realizing our actual place in the world and our connection with all things.

The film goes on to account for our use of fossil fuels and the many levels of detriment that it is doing to the ecology of the planet. Of course, the seemingly simple use of oil is bolstered by the deforestation, mass species extinction, the growing number of natural disasters, depletion of oceanic habitats, and, of course, the scourge of global warming. In actuality, the first hour of the film plays like a horror film.

However, the third act offers a glimmer of hope. At this point of the film, it seems like the entire cast changes from physicists and journalists describing the bleakness of our situation to architects and engineers who are addressing the problems. The truly encouraging aspect of the film is that the ideas they present are not merely concepts, but activities that are actually occurring. Through solar power, wind power, fungal research, geothermal heating, architectural integration, and other incredible steps forward, these ecological designers are developing new technologies based on the principles found in nature instead of our historical method of going against nature. As drastic as the first part of the film is, the end is truly inspiring.

As Mr. DiCaprio says, “Global warming is not only the number one environmental challenge we face today, but one of the most important issues facing all of humanity … We all have to do our part to raise awareness about global warming and the problems we as a people face in promoting a sustainable environmental future for our planet. ”

Though the film proposes some great solutions to the problems we face, they are all crammed into the last half hour. The inspiration found in the film to grasp a new social responsibility and rethink our technologies is only a stepping point. Fortunately, the concept alone has offered a path to follow.

The DVD of the film offers a special feature that further addresses some of the steps toward a solution, but greater than that are the networking websites that have taken on the same name. The 11^th Hour Project (http://www.11thhourproject.org) connects organizations, businesses and individuals to one another, resources and information to create a sustainable world. “We work to change public perceptions about climate crisis from hand wringing hopelessness to engaged, hands on problem solving.” And The 11^th Hour Action Group (http://11thhouraction.com) was created, in connection with the film, to help individuals and communities take sustainable action on the local, regional and national levels. “By providing a means for people to share their ideas and solutions within our framework of sustainability goals, we hope to encourage others to take similar steps.”

While The 11^th Hour did not make as much of a stir at the box office as An Inconvenient Truth, the films were in production at about the same time. The synchronicity in the messages should tell us something. This is a call that must be answered. Fortunately, the responses are creative, peaceful, inspiring, and joyous.

Movie Review – The 11th Hour is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag