Anthony Weston leads “Green Dreaming” workshop

Weston’s presentation, this year’s Distinguished Scholar Lecture, was built on his notion of “the coming great change,” that includes ecological crises, including climate change, resource depletion and extinctions. He encouraged the 50 people in attendance to see the emergency as a passing stage that connects with the emergence of a new ecological paradigm. He says the new watchword must be “radical sustainability,” in which there is no waste.

Weston said environmentalism can — andmust — also offer a new set of hopes and visions: waysto re-animate the culture, re-direct technology, re-imagineeconomies. “Green dreaming” may be just asnecessary to the work of the moment as recycling andrenewable energy.

Using a workshop format, Weston asked small groups to open their minds to highly creative thinking, and challenged them to envision Elon University 50 years in the future, when there is little energy for transportation, a changing climate and a shortage of resources such as water.

One group said Elon could “re-village,” raising its own food, drawing the campus closer together and relying on the railroad for transportation.

Weston plans to post the ideas from the workshop on a Web site he has created, http://org.elon.edu/elonvisions.

To see a video excerpt of Weston’s remarks, click on the link below…