(Formerly the Project to Make Wellbeing a National Priority)
Andrew Gaines, Convener
Given Australia’s ecological and social deterioration, many of us believe wellbeing rather than sheer economic increase should be our national focus. We need to reorganise every level of our society to be ecologically viable and humane.
For ecological sustainability and social wellbeing to become priorities at a national level they must be understood at a personal level. Accordingly the Futures Foundation has launched the Project to Make Wellbeing a National Priority.
The Project combines a national grass roots educational program with briefings for particularly influential people.
The goal is for people to systematically think through the many changes that are possible and necessary to create a viable society for the future, and then work within their sphere of influence to actually bring about those changes. At the least, people will be prepared to intelligently support leaders who arise with constructive initiatives.
The vision is to mobilise thousands of facilitated discussion groups around Australia, and also produce events and workshops. As an outcome we want to turn the tide towards environmental sustainability and social health.
To support this effort we have developed:
An 8-week Discussion Group course. The manual, Evolving_a_World_That_Works, explores the systemic connections between ecology, industrial design, economics and psychology, thus enabling us to identify constructive points of change that can shift the system for the better.
There are many suggested_books. Scroll down to find a list of supporting_articles with links to the actual articles.
Workshops and training
1-day Leadership Forums for making Australia a world leader in ecological sustainability and social wellbeing. These Forums give you an integrated overview of how economics, psychology and the environment work together. They equip you, if you so choose, to lead a discussion group using the Manual.
The Project Overview – tells more about the Project
Issues & Ideas Forum
This Forum is a space for us to explore ideas relating to the process of achieving a cultural shift to well-being in Australia. It is an opportunity to present unsolved problems, or to request help on a particular problem… and as well as presenting feedback and observations on what has worked.
Special teaching modules using graphics
This is a growing library of short teaching modules. Only a few people can read and integrate large amounts of information. Using graphics makes it much easier for people to see patterns of connection.You are welcome to download these modules from this web site, and use them in your own teaching or in conversations with friends and colleagues.
You are also invited to submit new modules or improve the modules we have. Contactandrew.gaines@futuresfoundation.org.au
Friends_of_the_ProjectThese are organisations and individuals who support the Project.
Contact us To find out more about the Project, or to register your interest as a Discusiion Group facilitator, please contact
Andrew Gaines:
(02) 4782 2004
andrew.gaines@futuresfoundation.org.au
Project supported by:
Schweisfurth Foundation (Germany)
Photo Credit: Torvald Lekvam
Supporting Articles
Thinking Skills
| Lovins, Amory et al |
Winning the Oil Endgame – Amory Lovins
Shows how the application of integrative design strategies in industry can dramatically reduce cost, energy use and pollution. |
| Hill, Stuart B |
REDESIGN AS DEEP INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY – Stuart Hill Lessons from ecological agriculture and social ecology
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| Martin, Glen | The Cloaking of Evil An exceptionally clear article about the essence of ethics and today’s world. |
| Meadows, Donella | Places to Intervene in a System – Donella Meadows A classic article about which level of intervention have the most influence. Thinking (mental models) comes tops! |
| Meadows, Donella | Problems Are Interconnected and So Are Solutions |
| Monbiot, George | Wind power is a technological fix for a political problem An example of thinking to find the most effective point of change. |
| Pearce, Joseph Chilton | The Holographic Heart – Joseph Chilton Peirce New research shows that our hearts have nerve cells and contribute to intelligence |
Partnership or dominator – which style will shape our future?
| Gaines, Andrew | the_journey_to_workplace_excellence Reviews how Ricardo Semler (Maverick) converted his company from an autocratic to a partnership mode |
| Hull, Daryll | Simply the Best – Workplaces in Australia |
| King, Martin Luther | Why I am Opposed to War – Martin Luther King |
| Meadows, Donella | Two Approaches to Sewage Treatment and to the World How the Partnership-Dominator contrast plays out in technical design. |
| Valiente, Doreen | The Charge of the Goddess A lovely poem. |
Ecological limits and positive initiatives
| Brown, Lester | Water shortages will lead to food shortages |
| Deligiannis,Tom | The Crash of the Peruvian anchovy fishery |
| Foran and Poldy | Dilemmas Distilled
A summary and guide to the CSIRO technical report Future Dilemmas: Options to 2050 for Australia‘s population, technology, resources and environment |
| Lovelock, James | The Revenge of Gaia – reviews “The Earth is about to catch a morbid fever that may last as long as 100,000 years.” |
| Lovins, Amory | Amory Lovins has a vision The US economy keeps going and going and going-without any oil |
| Morrow. Rowe | The Blossoming Of Suburbia |
| Pimentel, David et al | Will limits of the earth’s resources control human numbers? |
| Shiva, Vananda et al | The Seven Deadly Myths of Industrial Agriculture |
Economics
| Balson, Scott | Multinationals have paid little or no tax in Australia How money is drained out of Australia. |
| Global Trade Watch | The Shrinking Gains from Trade – Global Trade Watch |
| Komisar, Lucy | How Big Business Evades Taxes |
| Levy, Nicole | Mother Nature and Her Dedicated Sweethearts vssweethearts vs. the Problem Children Charming clarity from a seventh grader who was impressed by Donella Meadows. |
| Lietaer, Bernard | Beyond Greed and Scarcity
Alternative currencies for a positive world |
| Littora, Gary | How freight drives us to unsustainable outcomes in Sydoutcomes in Sydney |
| McFadden, Louis T. | The Federal Reserve as a Public Swindle Congressman McFadden was angry that a private bank was given control of the United States money supply. |
| Montague, Tim | Re-establishing Local Economies |
| Norberg-Hodge, Helen et al | Ripe for Change – rethinking California‘s food economy |
| Rothbard, Murray | Fractional Reserve Banking Clearly explains how money enters the economy in America |
| Sapolsky, Robert | How Income Inequality Makes People Sick |
| Steffen, Alex | Ending Poverty Explores low cost approaches to ending absolute poverty |
| Warby, Michael et al | Two articles against the Accord plus one for it |
Cellular Health
| Author unknown | Why GM Free – includes business case for organic farming |
| Bate, Phil | The Health Revolution Makes the process of sorting out mental issues through supplying key nutrients and eliminating allergies come alive. |
| Borlag, Norman | The Green Revolution Revisited – Norman Borlag Norman Borlag is the scientist who developed the ‘Green Revolution’ |
| Clapp, Richard et al | Environmental and Occupational Causes of Cancer – A Review of Recent Scientific Literature |
| Fischer, Douglas | Half Of Breast Cancers Tied to the Environment Analysis of 350 studies finds half of cases are unrelated to genetic risk or lifestyle choices |
| ox, MagFgie | Unborn Babies Soaked in Chemicals, Survey Finds |
| Mercola, Joseph | Doctors Are The Third Leading Cause of Death in the US, Causing 250,000 Deaths Every Year https://www.mercola.com/2000/jul/30/doctors_death.htm |
| Montague, Peter | Cancer stats, industrial toxins and the economic system |
| Morris, Jeff | The diseases of aging are a result of toxins – therefore detox older people A new scientific perspective emerging. |
| Rath, Matthias | Cellular Health Series – Cancer |
| The Healthy Foundation | Children + vitamines = increased school attendance |
| Wikopedia | The Green Revolution – Wikopedia |
CODEX and the TGA
| Alexander, Kathryn | Natural Health Products – Guilty until proven innocent |
| Harris, Suzanne | How CODEX works Gives the behind the scenes big picture of how CODEX works |
| Hillary, Eve | TGA Skeletons – Who Privatised the Regulator An account of the drug company agenda behind the destruction of vitamin manufacturer Pan Pharmaceuticals. |
| Hillary, Eve | The War on Natural Healthcare – w ref re german Vitam Field experience of how CODEX already works |
| Organic Consumers Association, USA | Congress Poised to Pass Bill Taking Away Right to KnowWhat’s in Your Food |
| Therapeutic Goods Administration press release | Pan Pharmaceuticals Limited – Regulatory action and product recall information The TGA’s public position. |
| Therapeutic Goods Administration press release | TGA intensifies warning about Travacalm Original travel sickness tablets The TGA’s public position. |
| Tipps, Scott | The Summer of Our Discontent – re Codex meeting in Rome This is a report on the July 2005 meeting of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in Rome. |
Healthy childrearing
| deMause, Lloyd | The Six Psychogenic modes and their dates of evolution in the most advanced countries DeMause’s summary of how childrearing has been getting better. |
| Gerhardt, Sue | In order to develop a social brain babies need loving, babies need loving one-to-one care Research that love and contact are essential for developing brains (how remarkable it is that we don’t already know this!) |
| McFarland, Robert | Creating a Community Parenting Center-1 McFarland did something to improve parenting – a model for all communities |
| Weinstein, Sam | Family Nurturing Centre More on improving parenting |
| Miller, Alice | The Essential Role of an Enlightened Witness in Society Knowing someone sees and cares, even if abuse cannot be stopped, makes a big difference. |
| Prescott, Jim | Prescott – Bonding or violence
Reviews research evidence showing protracted breastfeeding and maternal/paternal contact are essential for healthy balanced adults – the absence produces bullying and crime. |
Mental Heath
| Breggin, Peter | Psychostimulants in the treatment of children diagnosed with ADD ADHD: Risks and mechanism of action. How Ritalin and other drugs damage kid’s brains. Scientific review of the literature. |
| Coultan, Mark | Reduced overall armed conflict and death Good news that supports deMause’s assertion that as childhood improves wars reduce |
| Gaines, Andrew | Quick Renewal Through Nurturing Touch |
| Hill, Stuart B | Spontaneity and being in the present are the most reliable indicators of psychological and emotional wellbeing |
| Hoffer, Abraham | Mental Health Treatment That Works The key (and cheap) nutrients that will reduce much mental illness. |
| Prescott, James W. | Body Pleasure And The Origins Of Violence Nurturing touch in childhood is crucial for healthy societies. |
| Prescott, James W. | Pleasurable touch in prisons Prisons should make people healthier, not more hardened. |
| Seed, John | Rituals to remind us we are par of the web of life areessential |
| Stanley, Fiona | The Real Brain Drain – Why Putting Children First Is So Important For Australia Links worsening statistics on children’s health to economic rationalism |
| Von Hilsheimer, George | Using Biofeedback To Treat The Untreatable A remarkable account of how bio-feedback reduced prison recidivism to 15- 45 %. Could be easily replicated. |
| Whitaker, Robert | Drugs increase mental illness Evidence that adult’s brains are damaged by common prescription drugs |
Corporate Evil
| Author unknown | The Revolving Door Between Business and Government |
| Britt, Lawrence | The 14 Defining Characteristics of Fascism |
| Gaines, Andrew | Who Will Stand Up For Democracy? |
| Gittins, Ross | WorkChoices class war By Ross Gittins |
| Hartmann. Thom | Nixon eliminating fear and neo-1Cons Reinvigorating It |
| Ho, Mae-Wan | Puncturing the GM Myths |
| Leser, Eric | Carlyle Empire How US Presidents and presidential advisors profit through Carlyle, a major military investment company |
| Light, Luise | The Shocking Truth Behind the Original Food Guide Pyramid |
| Montague, Tim | Science Under Seige |
| Rapielle, Clotaire | Reptilian Advertising – Interview with Clotaire Rapiel
A method of finding people’s deep emotional resonances with specific products, so that advertisers can play on them. Brilliant & nefarious.
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