In college I studied business and Chinese. In grad school I studied finance and derivatives. It was only in my 30’s as an ex-Wall streeter, that I started to learn about ecology.
Ecology should be hammered into us as grade school students. Life, earth, water, trees, ecosystems, carrying capacity, population dynamics, trophic cascades, etc. Our energy-blindness as a culture derives from our systems-blindness. Both of these result from an ecology-blind education system. That is now changing, but far too slowly.
Today’s guest on The Great Simplification is not a household name, but in a different world, where wisdom and ecology are valued more than status and profits, he would have been. Rex Weyler - one of original members of Greenpeace International - has spent his whole life learning and teaching ecology - and standing up for nature. I’ve known Rex for over a decade - we are on an active listserv together discussing the systems of the world - and he has often guest lectured my Reality 101 class at the University of Minnesota on topics ranging from mass extinctions to sharpening the sword (and the sword is you).
Over the years I’ve developed a deep respect for his knowledge, kindness and the congruence with which he walks the path he talks. I hope you all make time to listen to this wide-ranging conversation - the core thread of which is that our culture -and the current environmental movement - has lost touch with the principles of ecology - which has deep insights - and implications - for our future. Please listen -and share - this conversation with my friend and colleague Rex Weyler.