Two years ago, as I was mulling over the growing crisis of climate change, I realized that the only way we were going to have a desirable outcome was if we could inspire most young people to care and do something about it. And the only way that was going to happen was if most young people thought doing something about climate change and sustainability was cool and fun and positive. In other words, we needed a new worldwide “60s revolution” focused on these issues rather than on sex, drugs, rock and roll, and stopping war.

I came up with an idea for something I called LifePod. I wrote it up and sent it to a friend of mine who is a serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist. No response. In the world of Silicon Valley, apps for making our current way of living more convenient are what sells — not fundamentally changing our way of living.

I put my LifePod idea on the backburner and forgot about it. Occasionally I’d mention it to young people I’d meet to get their reaction. Recently, I’ve gotten a bit more of a positive response. Maybe the time for LifePod is coming.

But I also realize that I am not the person to actually make LifePod happen. I’m an author who writes about evolving our consciousness and about alternative health, not a businesswoman or entrepreneur or activist. Still, I think this idea needs to see the light of day. So I thought I’d share it with you.

Please share my LifePod idea on all your social networks. Tell your friends. Maybe the right person will hear about it and make it happen. Maybe you will! Let’s change the world!

LifePod:
A Vehicle for Cultural Evolution

Amy L. Lansky, PhD
lansky@renresearch.com
www.amylansky.com

There is a small but growing movement among young adults today that espouses what might be called sustainable living or “back to the land” values. Spurred by both financial necessity and an awareness of the imperatives of climate change, this group is embracing such activities as: growing their own food, raising animals like chickens and goats, learning skills like spinning wool, home cooking, natural home-based self-healthcare, fabricating clothing, building their own dwellings, sustainable energy creation and usage, and home-schooling of children.

These people, largely young couples in their thirties, are not as ideologically driven as the “hippie communes” of the 60s, but share some of their values. Their mode of living is exemplified by publications like Natural Life Magazine (www.life.ca/naturallife/) and the Transition Town and “eco-village” movements.

Unlike the ultimately unsustainable hippie commune experiments of the 60s, these individuals are meeting with success. In many ways, they are re-creating the lifestyle of rural American homesteaders of the 1800s— with the added benefit of modern technology. Indeed, modern technology plays an important role in the success of these efforts. The internet supplies videos and other documents that teach skills, social networks for sharing knowledge and inspiration, affordable entertainment in the home, the ability to generate income at home through internet sales and telecommuting, and on-line educational resources for home-schooled children. Solar technology even allows for the creation of locally grown energy. It is now really much easier to be self-sufficient than it was in the 60s, and certainly easier than it was in the 1800s.

This movement is growing, but it is still “fringe.” It does not represent a cultural sea change. The individuals interested in this movement are seen as outliers and their interests and values are not viewed by most people, and certainly most young people, as “cool”.

Today, most young people in their late teens and twenties are much more interested in Reality TV, what’s trending on YouTube, and texting nonstop with their friends. They are fully embedded in a virtual online world, but less interested in their physical Earth environment.

In order for a vigorous and ultimately peaceful response to Earth’s climate change to occur (in contrast to a cataclysmic and almost-too-late scramble for survival), many more people must embrace “natural living” values. In particular, many more young people must become genuinely interested in learning how to grow food and cook, in investing in their local physical environment, and in learning how to sustain their health and well being on their own. Think of it being like a “60s Revolution”, but instead of focusing on sex, drugs, peace, and love, it would be more about returning “Back to Earth”. Kids who think it’s cool to make their own bread and post that online.

One flaw of the current environmental movement is that it has generally had a negative focus. It’s been about the gloom and doom that awaits us, and fighting the forces that exacerbate climate change. While I praise eco-warriors like Bill McKibben for their fearless work, reading his book “Eaarth