Global Optimism. That’s a big one. After many years of feeling that there is no solution, I’m convinced that there are solutions. Many. Just to give you an indication, I’ll start with the largest: Afforestation. That’s right. Plant trees. I’m hoping to start a global project where everyone on the planet plants a tree. That’s what? 7 Billion more trees? We have to control industry. We have to change our tax system. We have to change our “monetary” or exchange system. We have to get rid of the fools at the top who think they can control so much all at once. The Federal Reserve in the US is a serious culprit of development. One solution is to dissolve the Federal Reserve in the US. The World Bank must be held accountable. Universal Health Care is essential. Agrarian subsidization is essential. So too is Urban Agriculture. The critical mass of people required to cultivate large amounts of food on minimal land masses is only possible with large human inputs. This is where the argument about population breaks down somewhat. This is where things become complex.

There have been three studies conducted to calculate the amount of useable energy created by the planet from a year’s worth of solar energy (transformed to a usable form via photosynthesis). The natural carrying capacity of the Earth is about 2 Billion people at present. There are many factors involved in this calculation. For example, the moment you pave more roads, your energy conversion coefficient is reduced. So development as we know it now must be redirected to projects that create energy for human consumption. At this moment in time, humanity can’t really afford to invest any effort into luxury items and/or consumer items that offer only token symbolism at best (Diamonds are a great example of this). Cuba is the global example of what I’m talking about. Garden Forests, low level entrepreneurship, etc. If you get a chance, please see the film, The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Oil Peak. Along with all of these changes, military aggression must stop. That’s a no-brainer. Military action is simply too destructive, too expensive, too energy wasteful. The key to all of these solutions is energy. Have you seen The End of Suburbia? Have you seen The Venus Project? Climate Change and energy use go hand-in-hand.

I think we have to confront all of this with a sense that humanity can overcome the catastrophe that is pending. The upside of down is going to be more positive than the disasters that we are creating in so many ways. I think in gaining a sense of the solutions, and the vast number of them, we can establish the collective mindset we require to overcome the hurdle we’ve created for ourselves.

I think you need to collaborate with us, and with other people we manage to bring into the fold over the course of your journey. In that way, you’ll be doing more than just observing this moment in history. Your path might have a changing influence. It’s kind of the theory of relativity to some degree.

I forgot to mention one other thing: WATER. It’s a big one. A dreaded one. As you head south, try and keep your attention on this issue. Water and Waste—really, I mean sewage, waste, garbage, etc. There are so many solutions. We simply have to forgive ourselves of our collective past and concentrate on the solutions. I feel, as we point our attention to the small solutions, we will someday look up and see the results of a greater system of creation than the sum of its parts. Do you know what I mean? If nature itself behaves in cascading ways, so too can our involvement in nature bring about a cascading effect. This is where our possibilities may reside.