An Idyllic Island Provides Some Practical Idealists An Ideal Setting To Find New Ways To Save The World

by Anthony Zolezzi
Follow me on Twitter

I have just gotten back from spending four days in Iceland with the most eclectic, brilliant and galvanizing group of individuals I ever had the pleasure of meeting. We had come together to discuss nothing less than how the people of the world might be saved from destruction in ways that make sense and can be quickly facilitated. This involved asking such questions as: could the planet support nine billion people if there wasn't any waste created by anyone or anything, or if everyone's waste could be turned into someone else's food? Or, how do you introduce cradle-to-cradle philosophies to the world in a big way so that we can enjoy abundance and growth without raping the planet's resources?

Now I would normally do some name-dropping here, but I really didn't get anyone's approval in advance, so I will just say it was an incredibly interesting group whose members ranged from a superior court judge to a manufacturer of concrete on the ground to an individual who is trying to avoid the eventuality of a landfill being created on the moon. All-told, it was easily the most powerful and inspiring conference I have ever attended. Rather than specific outcomes or conclusions, however, what I would rather convey to you are the impressions and the feelings I left with.

The innovative thinkers and passionate solution seekers I met on this trip have given me a renewed sense of hope and faith that the current problems we face will ultimately be solved in ways that we currently may not even be considering. What if every product found on a grocery shelf, for instance, was produced without any toxins or carcinogens, and what if the leftover waste, instead of being discarded, could be used as a food source for animals or plants? What if every piece of a car or computer could be reused in perpetuity to manufacture new cars and computers, rather than consuming precious natural resources for such items?

In essence, the message I took home from this gathering of visionaries is that we can solve problems ranging from global warming to autism by reexamining every process in which we now engage from beginning to end -- and we can start doing so today without having to wait for some sort of official approval. And we can succeed in achieving outcomes that are positive and hopeful, and manage to have all the things we need in abundance without destroying our habitat to acquire them.

As for the conference itself, the days were long and fulfilling, the setting idyllic, and the outdoor activities, which included fishing, horseback riding and hiking, quite invigorating - the perfect setting to make one realize that the world is indeed a place worth saving. (In fact, I could well understand how convening in a place such as Iceland might have helped inspire Reagan and Gorbachev to seriously contemplate dismantling their nuclear arsenals.) I will be writing more about this in the coming days and sharing some of pictures of the occasion, as well as the blogs of other participants as they come in.

Email this page Login or register to post comments

(1comments)

Print