The great fossil-fueled parade of the past three centuries is over. The oil’s getting expensive, the weather’s going crazy, and we, as a species, have found ourselves at the brink of a vast and unexplored territory: the wild green yonder. Most of us never saw it coming… yet here we are. It’s a little scary out here, and it’s not entirely clear whether we’ll make it through unharmed. But it’s also a place of wonder, a place of bounty – and, potentially, a place of healing.
Sustainability has arrived. From plants that clean toxic soil to intelligent collaborative networks, we now have the tools we’ll need to start living in balance with the planet’s resources. But focusing on technical solutions alone won’t get us there. We’re also long overdue for a shift in the way we think: from viewing things in isolation to seeing the patterns that connect them. From maximizing quantity to nurturing quality. From rigid, top-down hierarchies to emergent, bottom-up communities.
These are the values that inform the Wild Green Yonder, an ongoing examination of what it means to live in New York City at the dawn of the regeneration. As you look around, you’ll come upon personal anecdotes, analysis of current affairs, and a whole bunch of solutions – particularly in the areas of urban sustainability, alternative economics, and ecological design.
Here at WGY, we firmly believe that the future lies in our hands. But much remains to be solved: How will we balance the benefits of technology with the substantial risks it poses? How will we design self-sufficient cities of ten (or fifty) million? And what is the role of community and a sense of place in a globalized, networked world? We don’t really know… but we’re working on it. Come along for the ride.
