069 – Building a Better World

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Paul Wheaton starts his conversation with Kelly Ware sharing about his take on the Missoula Urban Demonstration Project (MUD), and his disappointments. He shares about his Earth Day experience demonstrating a portable rocket mass heater. Paul is frustrated that the general masses are not ready for his information. Paul mentions the Wheaton Eco Scale, and how people a few points up from each other seem crazy to those a few points below. Paul focuses elsewhere from “the shit’s going to hit the fan,” and focuses instead on things like how awesome rocket mass heaters are.

Paul and Kelly talk about the pain of “small talk,” and living lives of substance towards their passions. Kelly brings up the harvest table, and how she loves her own, and her own kids’ company. They talk about the value of people with similar passions coming together with purpose, even paying good money to do so. On that note, Paul brings up that he is looking forward to the Inland Northwest Permaculture Conference in Spokane. Paul addresses listener questions. He talks about being judgmental. Paul shares about a guy trying to pass out Toby Hemenway‘s book online for free. This guy has lots of anticapitalism hostility. The permaculture principle is to share your surplus, not other peoples’.

Paul and Kelly see the problem being corruption, not capitalism. They talk about voting with your dollar, local governance, and distinguishing between capitalist and “selfish.” Also, for real change, they discuss stepping outside of problem thinking to find something new and move forward. Kelly talks about the value of being present. Paul talks about deciding against his original effort for people to send in video footage.

Relevant Threads

Portable Rocket Mass Heater
The Wheaton Eco Scale
Anti-Capitalism Hostility

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