Cultural Metamorphosis: Mike Nickerson (#208)

“We could be having so much fun that there just isn’t time to consume resources on a quantity, or produce waste on a quantity that would be problematic for the planet,” according Mike Nickerson. He shares his ideas about how enjoyable it could be to make the cultural shift necessary for human civilization to be sustainable.

Mike Nickerson has spent his career advancing sustainability. In the 1970s he founded and co-directed the Institute for the Study of Cultural Evolution. Today he leads the Sustainability Project/7th Generation Initiative in Canada, a non-profit organization that collects, studies, develops and teaches ideas, information, technologies and customs that promote green values and lead toward a sustainable future.

Nickerson wrote legislation to launch measurement of a Genuine Progress Index in Canada. The Canadian government never followed through, but an independent Canadian Index of Wellbeing was eventually developed. His books include Change the World I Want to Stay On; Planning for Seven Generations: Guideposts for a Sustainable Future; and Life, Money and Illusion. More recently Mike has been helping to build the Lanark Eco-Village in Ontario, Canada.

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