ways it pays to protect the planet

Rinaldo S. Brutoco is the Founding President and CEO of the Santa Barbara-based World Business Academy and a co-founder of JUST Capital. He’s a serial entrepreneur, executive, author, radio host, and futurist Emphasis on the Environmentwho’s published on the role of business in relation to pressing moral, environmental, and social concerns for over 35 years ‘Peace on Earth, Good Will to Man’ The phrase above originates from the King James Version of the Gospel of Luke, and although gender specific, was meant to refer to all humankind. Hence, a better way to trumpet this phrase is “Peace on Earth Good Will to Study: How has the pandemic changed our relationship with nature? Ateam of researchers from the University of Vermont is diving deeper into how the pandemic has changed our relationship with nature and what implications that could hold for environmentalism. In their study, researchers scattered QR survey codes throughout urban forests and parks in the Burlington area. They found that 26 percent of visitors who responded had not been there in the past year and the majority reported All.” This week is the most appropriate time of the year to pause and recall a very highly valuing the opportunity to get out into nature during this stressful ancient tradition in the West: Ceasing our constant power struggles for a moment period of isolation. to wish for “peace on earth.” How badly human civilization has thus far failed Senior author Brendan Fisher, Ph.D. said, “My hope is that these are the kind in living this profound truth. We should wish for peace and good will for all. We of gateway experiences that get people more engaged with their local nature.” should want for all our efforts to lead to greater levels of peace and prosperity. Another study, also from the University of Vermont, found that a significant Why wouldn’t we? number of people had engaged in more outdoor activities since the pandemic

It’s hard to wrap our minds around the profound concept of “peace on earth.” began. A significant 59 percent of respondents also reported that nature had What could “peace” possibly mean given the current pandemic conditions, com- also helped improve their mental health and well-being during the pandemic. plicated by the global recession, and fueled by an appropriate angst over climate The researchers hope this data will help inform public space allocation decisions change? There are many troubling clouds darkening our sense of security and and strengthen the case for nature-based mental health and education programs. domestic satisfaction this Holiday Season. Yet, there are glimmers of blue sky we can clearly see if, and when, those clouds begin to part and give us back a sem- Bay Area service delivers groceries without a trace of plastic blance of safety that the world we live in is inherently a good place. We are big supporters of the zero-waste movement and we’re always happy

One “cloud” that has partially lifted is a fascinating recent study by the to share with you the initiatives that are driving it. One of the latest that we’ve University of York proving the level of global violence has actually gone down come across is Bay Area startup Zero Grocery. the past 30 years. Conducted by York’s Department of Mathematics, the study in If you order groceries on their platform, they come in reusable packaging June used sophisticated algorithms to conclude that battlefield deaths from the that the company later collects from you, leaving no plastic waste behind. Napoleonic Wars to the present (particularly the enormous carnage of the period The process is simple: Once you have finished the food contents, you leave of 1910-1953) has fallen noticeably in the last 30 years. Beginning in the early the containers outside your door for a delivery person to pick up when the 1990s, the actual percentage of battlefield deaths that occurred has dropped sig- next order arrives. nificantly. The study is Eurocentric due to the source of data, but the conclusions “I wanted to make it easier for as many everyday, hardworking Americans have been separately acknowledged with appreciation by Dr. Steven Pinker, a as possible to adopt a plastic-free lifestyle,” says Zero Grocery founder cognitive psychologist at Harvard University, who has written extensively on Zuleyka Strasner. Virtually all of the 1,110-plus items available on its platthe subject of the global drop in per capita violence since the Second World War. form come in reusable packaging, with the exception of meat and fish prod-

Although “battlefield deaths” is but one index of whether the world had ucts which come in compostable wrappers. become less “violent,” it is probably the best one we can analyze from the array As part of the service, customers pay $25 for a monthly membership, which of other considerations. For example, has the world become less violent reflected includes unlimited free deliveries and avoids the need to charge deposits on in our willingness to reach out to disadvantaged populations globally as we did the reusable containers. to address the HIV epidemic and the even more deadly Ebola virus that was With consumers increasingly shifting towards more sustainable lifestyles African centric? Most likely yes. We saw that Ebola in Africa threatened all of us it’s great to see such initiatives pop up in greater numbers. •MJ on every continent. And now we have another indication that we will, as human civilization and not just one nation or group of nations, again address a global crisis with the awareness of “oneness.” secure.” With that summary of Dr. Afeyan’s observations, the veil has been pulled

Dr. Noubar Afeyan, chairman and co-founder of the health company Moderna, back on the key characteristic of the newest expression of human evolution. was recently interviewed by Fareed Zakaria on the lessons we’ve learned Most people don’t stop to think about the fact humans have now gone through from the COVID infection and how some very positive things will come out approximately 32 evolutions (the exact number depends on which anthropologist of the international nightmare we’ve all been living. Dr. Afeyan, an Armenian- does the counting, but you get the point). All the prior species have died off since American born in Beirut who immigrated to the U.S. from Canada has more our lineage broke from the pre-hominid ancestors of the chimpanzees, bonobos, than 100 patents to his name. As you can tell by the trail of countries in his past, and great apes more than six million years ago. There are no more Neanderthals, he is essentially convinced that we are all one humanity, sharing one planet, and no more Homo Erectus, no more Australopithecines (that was the famous “Lucy” required for our own safety to care about the wellbeing of those in distant lands. of 2.5 million years ago). They all died out as modern humans evolved.

When Zakaria asked whether we should be concerned that some countries And soon, the dominant species that created our present civilization, Homo like the U.S. or Britain might engage in vaccine nationalism and not be willing to Sapiens Sapiens, will also be fully gone. It is dying off. You are presently witnessprovide the vaccine to everyone on the planet regardless of whether they could ing its death throes. Collaborative research I conducted more than a decade ago pay for it, he observed that a case of COVID anywhere in the world will replicate with my recently deceased dear friend Barbara Marx Hubbard landed on a new with ferocity and blossom into a full-scale health pandemic that will return to U.S. name for our species: “Homo Universalis.” shores given the high degree of international moblity. Zakaria summarized this Homo Sapiens means the man (or woman) “who knows,” which is “consciouspoint by saying “So you mean, we are all only going to be secure if everyone is ness” itself. They are all long gone, probably by 40,000 years ago. Along we came as Homo Sapiens Sapiens, which means the man (or woman) “who knows that DADIANA they know.” This is known as “reflective consciousness.” The newest species, the one emerging as we write is Homo Universalis, which means the man (or woman) “who knows that they know, and what they know is we are one. This is SALON • COSMETICS • NAILCARE • FRAGRANCE • BATH & BODY known as “universal consciousness” – the idea that we are all one part of a larger GIFTS • HAIRCUT, COLOR AND HIGHLIGHT SPECIALIST universal awareness of the oneness of all life. DIANE MEEHAN Homo Universalis doesn’t have to be taught that we are one with each other, OWNER one with the biosphere, or one with the cosmos. They are inherently aware of it. “COME IN FOR AN IMAGE CONSULTATION” DADIANA • 1485 EAST VALLEY ROAD #10 • MONTECITO By understanding the oneness of all things, the civilization Homo Universalis is creating knows that healing nature is healing ourselves, that healing our relation(805)969.1414 • WWW.BEAUTYKEEPER.COM ship to all people on the planet is the future basis of how we will, at last, be able to experience true “Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All.” 22 MONTECITO JOURNAL “In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” – William Blake 24 – 31 December 2020

Here We Go a-Carol-ing: by Steven Libowitz Dickens of a Time for a Ghost Story

Degrees from Physics departments of MIT and UC Santa Barbara. Career in designing atomic-resolution microscopes. Childhood spent in Europe and the East of the US. Passion to understand the Big Questions of life and the universe. Duty to be a good citizen of the planet.

Can We Discuss Politics and Religion?

“If you want to avoid heated arguments, never discuss religion, politics, or whether the says something you disagree with? It is good to visualize and mentally practice this in advance.

Ensemble Theatre Company’s new A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas is a stitched together virtual staged reading of the classic Charles Dickens story

Just like redemption doesn’t come easy, recovering from the wounds of 2020 from the COVID pandemic and other tough situations this year will likely take significant time. But perhaps a local take on a legendary allegory can go a short way toward helping the healing, or at least create a satisfying enough diversion to bring a little happiness to the holidays.

That’s part of the plan for Ensemble Theatre Company’s new A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas, a stitched together virtual staged reading of the classic Charles Dickens story featuring the cast and artistic team from ETC’s 2019 production of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play who will once again play all the characters in a beloved holiday work. Teri Bibb (credits include Phantom of the Opera on Broadway), Louis Lotorto (The Royal National Theatre’s American Tour of An Enemy of the People), Matthew Floyd Miller (ETC’s productions of 39 Steps and Measure for Measure), Hannah Tamminen (Richard II and The Merry Wives of Windsor at Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival), and Peter Van Norden (ETC’s Crime and Punishment) once again are directed by ETC’s Brian McDonald, who already had two previous takes on A Christmas Carol during his time at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura before heading up the coast a few years ago.

The performance will also feature original music by Santa Barbara folkrock composer and singer-songwriter Doug Clegg as well as live foley sound effects, both created live to accompany the pre-recorded show shot at the actors’ homes. The video will be available to stream on demand for free for a few days starting, appropriately, on Christmas Eve, and will also have an optional free pre-show lecture about Charles Dickens and the history of A Christmas Carol with retired UCSB professor and ETC board member Simon Williams.

McDonald talked about his approach to the well-known Christmas cautionary tale over the phone earlier late last week.

On Entertainment Page 304

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GENERAL CONTRACTOR FOR LUXURY CUSTOM HOMES FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1983 toilet paper roll should go over or under.” So said the wise sage “Weird Al” Yankovic.

Religion and politics go to the very heart of our deepest values. If we avoid discussing what matters most to us, how can any learning and progress occur in a democratic society?

“Weird Al” reveals several profound points. First of all, almost any choice or topic in life can turn into a heated argument. Which sports team do you support? Do you care about sports at all? Do you use a PC or a Mac? An Android or an iPhone? Or no such technology at all?

How about food? Try talking food in mixed company of a carnivore and a vegan.

How about pets? Try talking pets in mixed company of a cat person, a dog person, a horse person and/or someone who finds owning pets wasteful, annoying, and abhorrent.

The classic “safe” topic of discussion? The weather. Really? Is it even honest to talk about current extreme weather events without discussing the climate crisis?

As for the toilet paper, there is a tribal aspect to this. Each family has its traditions. My mother always put it down the back. My college girlfriend came from an over-the-top family. She made a rational case for why it is easier to reach the toilet paper that way.

It was a transformative moment for me in many ways: I realized I did not have to follow what my family did. They might even be wrong. I also realized that such a contentious topic could in fact be settled by rational discussion. Listening, learning, and changing is possible.

Is there a better way than making politics, religion, or any other topic taboo? The circle of taboo topics is ever widening as people form ever more tribes and hook up with ever new closed silos of social media.

Perhaps we can learn to discuss all topics in a civil and respectful way instead of avoiding them?

I do not claim that I am necessarily the best model for civil discourse. But I do try my best at times. The first step is to start with yourself. Are you able to stay calm when the other person

The next step is to remember to listen and understand as much as possible before speaking at length. Think of it as a gift that you have a chance to hear the views of someone outside of your usual circle of friends and familiar views. You may even find that they have a valid point.

Everyone has needs in life. It is not reasonable to deny a person’s needs. If someone has a basic need like shelter or food, it is not reasonable to ask them to wait for a long-term solution. By listening and acknowledging needs it may be possible to satisfy that need in a way that is acceptable to all sides.

We might want to draw the line at some acceptable limit. Perhaps sexism, racism, homophobia, etc.? But even in such obvious cases it might be worth listening to find out what need they are expressing. Even if they are mistaken. A person might believe that they were not hired due to affirmative action. Or that are not safe living next door to a person of a certain background.

It may be impossible to convince them they are mistaken. But it also may be that you need better facts on your side.

Consider the current political situation where each side creates a caricature of the other side. I am on the mailing list of Trump and many spin-off right-wing lists. They claim that people like me want the U.S. to be a Communist dictatorship. Do they really believe that?

Conversely, does anyone really think that all 70 million Trump voters are racist haters? Believe it or not, some of them really do like what others find most offensive: His unfiltered way of speaking. They see him as a refreshing alternative to “professional politicians” who speak a good game but never deliver on raising their quality of life.

I see his actions as largely self-serving, dishonest, and harmful to most Americans. But I make my case with facts and I am grateful to listen to what his supporters have to say. As long as they are willing to listen to what I have to say.

Can we please listen and discuss what matters most to us? •MJ MONTECITO JOURNAL 23