Introduction

Living sustainably, but also thinking and writing in a meaningful way about sustainability is a very difficult task in a time that disregards the most basic aspects of sustainability in the most disrespectful ways on a daily basis.

The good news is that all the answers to our sustainability problems are out there, somewhere, on our planet, in little communities or in indigenous people's ways of life or in some other unexpected corner. The problem is neither that we could not live sustainably nor that we need new technology to get there. The problem is that the political will is not there to enable the necessary change, despite all the grand words from the Earth Summits in Rio or Johannesburg, despite all the business worlds' flashy sustainable development annual reports.

This change is difficult because it runs contrary to most of the deeply engrained modern myths of the worldwide consumer class. From 'progress' to 'democracy', from 'development' to 'freedom', from 'market' to 'education' we are brainwashed into concepts which promise the world, but in fact destroy it.

The writings on these pages try to address some of these issues. I'm all aware of the fact that ultimately only our daily actions as people, workers, consumers, citizens count. But if the writings encourage some reflection on this and in the best of cases actual change, they will have served their purpose.

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