Stop doing. Stop consuming. Stop. Period. Could doing nothing be an easier and more pleasurable way of saving the planet? We discuss with author and editor of the Idler, Tom Hodgkinson.
Programme produced by Phil England for Climate Radio. http://climateradio.co.uk Please drop me an email to let me know if you rebroadcast this programme: phil [at] switch-online.co.uk
Making the transition to a low carbon economy necessitates a fresh look at the skills we have and the jobs that we do. What activities are going to be most valuable in a world without fossil fuels? How will we organise ourselves in a world that is less wasteful, more local, and more about self-sufficiency and community resilience? What interested me in talking to Tom Hodgkinson - author and editor of The Idler - was the fact that the ideas he had been exploring about freedom, and a life of leisure matched increasingly closely to some of the visions that are emerging of what our low carbon future will look like. In a sense, Tom has been beavering away on the development of a philosophical justification for and historical precedents for environmentally-friendly lifestyles. Check out Tom's books - "How to be Idle" and especially "How to be Free".