Communities for Future
Online Summit
Our Response to the Climate Emergency

February 1-10, 2020

Charles Eisenstein

Philosopher, Author, Internationally Renowned Speaker
Charles Eisenstein

Charles invites us to look beyond CO2 as the only problem in times of a climate emergency and helps us to see climate change as an initiation into a new way of seeing the world. He introduces us to the four priorities he perceives as most important to focus on for co-creating the more beautiful world our hearts already know is possible and speaks of the significance and his own experience of falling in love with the earth. Furthermore, he encourages us to believe in miracles and the tremendous intelligence of Gaia and all her miracles that could help us not to despair or give faith to the belief that it is already too late for change.

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  • Introduction
  • When do you despair and when do you feel hopeful?
  • The four priorities in times of climate change
  • From a narrative of fear to a narrative of love
  • What helps people to fall back into love?
  • What are the steps we could take?
  • The connection of local actions of love and global change
  • Climate change as an initiation in a new way of seeing the world
  • (Never) too late to change
  • The importance of slowing down in times of climate emergency
Charles Eisenstein

Charles Eisenstein is a popular philosopher, author and internationally renowned speaker and program facilitator. His books include The Ascent of Humanity, Sacred Economics and The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible. His most recent book Climate: A New Story addresses the impacts of climate change. Flipping the script on climate change, Charles makes a case for a wholesale reimagining of the framing, tactics, and goals we employ in our journey to heal from ecological destruction.

References:

Sacred Economics

The Ascent of Humanity

The Most Beautiful World our Hearts Know is Possible

Climate: A New Story

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32 Comments

  • Saranne

    thank you so much for this inspiring talk. I am left feeling a sense of courage to re connect with life.

  • Lynne Tolk

    Wonderful comments! Especially the need for Sabbatical. So much of the destructive situations we humans create come from our tendency to identify with ego. We have a need to go deeper, to find what matters to us and to others. I spend more time and energy now helping people meditate to find ways of “being,” rather than just “doing,” as a path to authentic living and healing. Many thanks to Charles Eisenstein!

  • Sam Sheka Moi

    Thanks

  • DonnaJoy Janovsky

    DonnaJoy

    I really found Charles Eisenstein’s interview very moving as well as motivating. His book, Climate A New Story gives a really fascinating approach to the issue of climate change. I agree we need to move from an ideology of separateness to interbeing.

  • Jen Turner

    Wow, what a first day of deeply inspiring and moving talks. Feel nourished and encouraged. Thank you

  • Kim

    Beautiful way to start kick things off. Thank you Charles. I’m a big supporter of time off. Thanks for pointing out that feeling guilty about that is an old wound.

  • Alice Güntert

    It is some time ago that I read Sacred Economics. It was my motivation for creating “Matchmaker for Sacred Solutions: Permaculture Commodity Production” ( I explain myself on LinkedIn) I realize of course that Permaculture and Commodity Production are quite opposites, as you mention today the words that we use in prayer are declarations of action. That is my hope for Matchmaker. The world of Commodity rely on quantifying everything….what about the prospect of quantifying loving consciousness for our earth? Seriously that is no simple task….projects such as Response Induced Sustainability Effectiveness RISE for loving land use took years of research . This evalutation tool is being used by the staff of Jan Grenz at the College of Agriculture in Zollikofen Switzerland to evaluate landscapes around the world. Maybe RISE could become the basis of a tool for ecovillage consciousness: [email protected] +41 31 910 21 99

  • Jaami Farooq

    Great way to start things off! Looking forward for more

  • In order to protect ecosystems and restore them, it will be critical to gather support from governments and civil society for the draft global deal for nature to protect 30 percent of land and the oceans by 2030. This will be decided at the upcoming UN Summit on Biodiversity in October 2020.

  • Alice Güntert

    In addition to RISE may I suggest that you look into the work of Teri University in India? They evolved Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) to evaluate buildings. The third speaker today from the UN mentions the difficulty of bringing consciousness from small communities into the realm of modern consumers. Ratings like those that arise out of such software help improve this consciousness. A rating is only as good as its honesty, I think Charles Eisenstein will prove the integrity of these two efforts to the ecovillage community.

  • Alice Güntert

    Staying with philosophy of economies…..what about the possibility of changing the face of commodities? Might it be possible to coerce big markets to stop trading pork bellies….and invest in communication techniques? Trade in good communication services could be profitable and would improve conflict resolutions on the planet. Value Match certificates? Dragon Dreaming Certificates, etc GEN has a nice portfolio of these!

  • Arina

    Thank you for this inspiring interview! Oh my god what a beautiful man <3 I admire how clearly he can put into words what probably all of us feel to be true. Thanks to the interviewer also, your questions were really good. Looking forward to the next videos!

  • ShowGen

    Grateful for Charles words. His contention resonates with Zen, especially, Ji Ta Fu Ni (self, others, not two)
    Also it reminded me of the travel through the Sacred Land of the Hopi with The Rainbow Family Gathering in New Mexico decades ago. People were more simple then and just said, Heal the Earth, Love and Peace. Nothing is fundamentally different now, and one person makes a difference no matter what’s/he does or doesn’t do. Thanking all those who made this encounter possible.

  • Teo

    Hearing Charles ‘s priorities really flushed something that was stuck, ie., the pressure for Drawdown and carbon footprint reduction etc. I started to breathe deeply again, coming back to my tanden (belly), my hidden excuse-free here-I am state, which by nature, IS loving and eager to serve LIFE,but in ways that makes sense to my system right now.
    How liberating and inspiring to hear such authentic expression!

  • Leszek Frankiewicz

    Charles, just thank you for that. You are ‘energy charger’ for me and probably for many. I ahave small permaculture farm in Poland, which so far has been completely distant from the social context. Your speeches are moving me into that topic, thanks again !

  • Mireille Lucas

    My co-learners might be interested to read this complimentary article: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/transformation/climate-change-and-attention-economy/

  • Thank you, Charles, for the renewed inspiration, for your authenticity and your will to do what needs to be done to ensure you continue to be real.

  • Charles Petersen

    Kosha and Charles, from listening to your conversation, I’m left with such a hopeful feeling. People of good hearts, in unity with the beings of Gaia and indeed in harmony with what may be called God, or the Only Being, are together moving us onward… Another thought that came to me, is that the essence of what you shared is fully aligned with the essence of the great spiritual teachings: as in a prayer of Sufi teacher Hazrat Inayat Khan “Use us for the purpose that Thy [or Universal] wisdom chooses, and guide us on the path of Thine own goodness.”

  • egidio reale

    Excellent!!
    Thank you very much.
    Wonderful introduction

  • Thank you for these beautiful comments. I do believe we are turning a collective corner and beginning to awaken places in our nervous system that are designed for this shift. A shift we are naming in different ways. I do like the terms deeply connected to life and inter-being. Connection to life holdS the inner-outer beauty we seek.

  • Priscilla Boucher

    What a refreshing perspective … I’m deeply grateful for the wider, deeper, and more life-affirming view! Thank you.

  • Charles: Agree that our loving relationship with Earth is more important than the carbon, and that love and care will result in reducing the carbon.

    Very much support the notion that it is the time to do ecovillage work. If we want substantial long term change, I think we need to create a New Paradigm and expanding ecovillage networks and making them more collaborative and united can be a very large part of that.

  • Arwén Akpolat

    Also this talk (the third for me) is moving and nourishing.
    Thank you to you both, Kosha and Charles!

    ♡~♡~♡~♡~..☆..~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡

  • Charles: what said was a African saying to the effect “Times are urgent, therefore we must slow down”. I heard pretty much the very same statement from a couple Hopi elders.

  • John D Cooper

    Charles and Kosha, This is a wonderful invitation to dialogue. I love your open questions and engaging responses. This is the conversation we need to have. Charles, Your eco-vitalism and heart-centred thinking are inspirational. Zei Gzunt and Hazak Hazak VnitHazek… Shalom, Rabbi John D Cooper Sunshine Coast, QLD AUSTRALIA

  • roberto hinestrosa

    Gracias Charles, inspiring, took many notes, but ” nurture life within ” got into my heart, namaste,
    festino lente, think it’s a roman say despacio que llevo prisa, slow because I am in a hurry

  • Eta Brand

    Beautiful and inspirational. In alignment with all that I connect to as a naturopath in my work and my life in general. Wonderful sentiments that we are part of a connected universe and are being watched over. As above so below. That vitality that is able to renew and recover is inherent in all of us. In naturopathy we call it the vital force – vis medicatrix naturae. A timeless principle for body mind and spirit in alignment. Always moving towards homeostasis … that is our birthright. Nurturing what sustains us is basic. Ignoring the laws of nature we suffer as individuals and as communities and ecosystems. Thank you for sharing your observations and wisdom. Writing from Australia where unimaginable devastation has brought all systems and thinking to a new reality. Change in thinking is now required if we are to renew regenerate and rise above the karmic debt on this continent.

  • Jef Vanbockryck

    Charles speaks out these words in a fast stream – at least this is how it feels to me as a non-native English speaker – and they contain so much meaning that I have a strong urge to go over them, again and again, and to have them sink deeper into my consciousness. Knowing the video will go away provides me some kind of stress, an inability to further explore. I feel it gives me that kind of “urgency” that Charles talks about, while I want to take “my own time”, at my own pace.
    I would greatly appreciate getting a transcript of Charles’ video. I think video has its power but it’s not that “portable” as words are :).

  • John Roy

    How do I access the video, please?

  • Gabriel Siqueira

    Charles Eiseinstein’s video was available only at the first day of the online summit, February 1st. After this date, you need to purchase the Summit Package to get unlimited access to all summit videos: https://summit2020.ecovillage.org/summit-package/

  • Michael Jensen

    tried to share, didn’t work..

  • Mari Sawada

    Thank you so much, Charles, for your call to slow down and for remembering me again of the abundance of miracles in this universe!

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