All posts by zap-editor

10. spaceship earth: the world as a relationship

m. Miltin Saier, Dumpster diving

DUMPSTER DIVING

Dr. Miltin Saier, Planet Green; San Diego, USA
2008, 2 min 30 sec

Dr. Milton Saier is a professor at the University of California, San Diego. He saves over 10.000 dollars a year getting his food from dumpsters. Get a crash course in dumpster diving from this accomplished biology professor who demonstrates the lifestyle of a freegan. Freeganism is a movement that minimizes waste by using what we already have. They believe in minimal participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. The food is collected out of dumpsters of retailers, residences, offices and restaurants. They follow some common sense ground rules about food safety and end up with plenty of perfectly edible free food. Blemishes on our Sell-By-Date laws ensure that a criminal amount of edible food is placed in the dumpster every day. This is not just for freaks or homeless people. Meet an employed college professor who’s been doing this for 30 years and teaching his students to follow suit.

11. you tickle, therefore I am

b. David Chalmers, How do you explain consciousness?

HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN CONSCIOUSNESS?

David Chalmers, TED TALKS, USA
2014, 18 min 37 sec

Our consciousness is a fundamental aspect of our existence, says philosopher David Chalmers: “There’s nothing we know about more directly…. but at the same time it’s the most mysterious phenomenon in the universe.” He shares some ways to think about the movie playing in our heads.

10. spaceship earth: the world as a relationship

q. Paul Stamets, 6 ways mushrooms can save the world

6 WAYS MUSHROOMS CAN SAVE THE WORLD

Paul Stamets, TED2008
2008, 17 min 30 sec

Mycologist Paul Stamets believes that mushrooms can save our lives, restore our ecosystems and transform other worlds. He lists 6 ways the mycelium fungus can help save the universe: cleaning polluted soil, making insecticides, treating smallpox and even flu…

Entrepreneurial mycologist Paul Stamets seeks to rescue the study of mushrooms from forest gourmets and psychedelic warlords. The focus of Stamets’ research is
the Northwest’s native fungal genome, mycelium, but along the way he has filed 22 patents for mushroom-related technologies, including pesticidal fungi that trick insects into eating them, and mushrooms that can break down the neurotoxins used in nerve gas.

There are cosmic implications as well. Stamets believes we could terraform other worlds in our galaxy by sowing a mix of fungal spores and other seeds to create an ecological footprint on a new planet.

01. growing new stories

j. Buckminster Fuller, ‘Spaceship Earth’

‘SPACESHIP EARTH’:
EVERYTHING I KNOW SESSIONS

Buckminster Fuller, Philadelphia, USA
1975, 2 min

Initially published in 1969, and one of Fuller’s most popular works, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth is a brilliant synthesis of his world view. In this very accessible volume, Fuller investigates the great challenges facing humanity. He provides us with answers on questions that form the basis of “the commons movement”.

How will humanity survive? How does automation influence individualization? How can we utilize our resources,  more effectively to realize our potential to end poverty in this generation? He questions the concept of specialization, calls for a design revolution of innovation, and offers advice on how to guide ‘spaceship earth’ toward a sustainable future.