Last year, just prior to the UN Climate Conference (COP 15) in Copenhagen, I enjoyed the immense privilege of collaborating with four-time Juno Award*-winning world musician Alpha Yaya Diallo on the lyrics for a song about climate change-induced drought in Africa.
In describing the kind of lyrics he was looking for, Alpha, who grew up in [...]

I was interviewed on OneClimate TV, part of the One Climate Network, during the Copenhagen climate summit in December 2009.
Anuradha Vittachi, the show’s accomplished presenter and new media pioneer, was part of a broad-based civil society partnership that took on the superhuman task of live-streaming interviews around the clock from within the Bella Centre, helping [...]

On this recent post I wrote on The Huffington Post, I parse a pithy line that Bruce Sterling, sci-fi author, blogger, design critic at large, etc., delivered at South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) 2009. He said,
"In times of trouble like today, pessimists die quickly."
Enjoy my attempt to unpack, and kindly let me know what you [...]

Colin Beavan, a.k.a. "No Impact Man," cites an article on the BBC web site written by Joanna Benn, who, as a "journalist, writer and consultant specialising in environmental issues," writes: "When I see babies, not only do I see the beauty, joy and miracle of life, I also see nappies, landfill waste, vast amounts of [...]

I was surprised and humbled to be included among 100 or so thinkers whom leading sustainability publication Worldchanging asked the following question just prior to Obama's historic presidential victory:
In 100 words or less, what should the next president do in his first 100 days to address the planet’s most pressing problems?
My two cents?
Coordinated Nationwide Public [...]

perfect storm (a) a particularly violent storm arising from a rare combination of meteorological factors; (b) (chiefly US) an especially bad situation caused by unfavourable circumstances.
- from Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Sixth edition, Volume 2 N – Z
"But it would fair for the new administration to point out how conservative ideology, the belief that [...]

Open letter to Barack Obama and John McCain
Dear Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain:
I am a foresight researcher and a fellow North American.
I'm writing this open letter to share my concerns about the United States' future.
Civil rights
In the 1970s, as a school-aged child in Canada, I learned about the U.S. civil rights movement, and the [...]

As earlier noted, the Realistic Sanctuary Blog is now affiliated with Blogburst, a blog syndication network that has relationships with major media outlets, including Reuters, Gannett, USA Today, and the Manchester Guardian.
Well, being part of Blogburst yielded wins two and three today, which, for me, is definitely something to celebrate.
Regarding "The Big Melt," the post [...]

Updates and Correction Appended
"The Arctic sea ice cover appears to have reached its minimum extent for the year, the second-lowest extent recorded since the dawn of the satellite era."
- National Snow and Ice Data Center, Press Release, September 16, 2008
"The unthinkable – a government buyout of much of the private sector's bad debt [...]

Last night, in theory at least, I'd hoped to be somewhere other than at home in Vancouver, nursing a bum knee, calming an upset stomach, and feeling blue about not being at a book reading a thousand miles away.
The original plan, which my fiancée Lissa bemusedly referred to as "wishful," was to be in San [...]