“Comfort is the greatest enemy of change.” – why the world is one unity and why economics is a highly overrated brain disease.

Guy Dauncey, Speaker, Sustainable Communities Consultant, President BC Sustainable Energy Association, Author & Publisher of EcoNews; Earthfuture, Victoria, Canada

Guy Dauncey’s life is about solutions, not problems. In contrast to quite a few of the environmental experts we met, Guy is still optimistic about humanity’s future and gives his best to contribute to a positive outcome of the human experiment. In endless speeches, conference presentations, workshops and his series of “101 Solution Books” he tries to make people aware of the solutions which already exist in our world, and which wait to be implemented by more people. Guy has established various initiatives, including the “British Colombia Sustainable Energy Association”, and the Victoria Car Share Cooperative, and he has no problem finding new challenges and new solutions. He enjoys working as his own boss and picking the projects he finds most important and most urgent.

Enjoy Guy’s selected thoughts and statements of our discussion in the following lines. You may be able to read more about his fantastic work and solutions in our book “MyImpact”.

Guy Dauncey’s selected quotations:
"Ever since I was a child I knew just one thing - that the world was one unity. It had to be. My concern was why nature seemed to be so well organized, while people were in such a mess and in wars."

"I was not religious, but in my innocence I knew that there was something bigger."

"Economics is a form of brain disease and highly overrated. I knew for a fact that the spiritual world was much more solid than the material."

"In the world we have set up, babies have 200 toxic chemicals in their blood at birth, including many carcinogens. Is this not crazy?"

"We are the first generation that thinks that the future will be worse than the past. What’s wrong?"

"I am sure that there is other life in the cosmos, and sometimes I imagine them talking about us: 'Do not approach primitive planets, especially if they have nuclear weapons. When they figure it out and establish a global governance, we can contact them and welcome them to the planetary community - on a very low entry level'."

"A lot of people in the field of environment don't want to do the math, don't like to crunch numbers and get to the real science. It is my strength that I question numbers and check them again and again."

"I love public speaking, it is just a joy. The feeling of inspiring people is just great."

"I decided not to run for a parliamentary seat because I think I am more effective with the freedom I have now."

"Next year I want to finish the cancer solutions book and make sure the newly founded Sustainable Energy Association works well. Then, I am dreaming up a musical on changing the world, Rays of Hope. Once again it is difficult to prioritize projects."

"I cannot imagine any other goal that would be more satisfying than what I do now. I get so much joy. Never ever did I have to do a job that I did not enjoy. My second choice would have been to be a musical composer; for that, though, I would have to improve my discipline to sit down and practice."

"We live in a world of taboos and disconnection. We keep the spiritual part of us far out although it could be so helpful. Imagine if I said: ’This will be a more powerful meeting if we first hold hands and exchange energy.' This is taboo! Why?"

"When it comes to my choice of occupation, I believe that if I'm doing something other people could be doing, I probably should not be doing it. Today, I focus on connecting, initiating, and setting things up. I know that at some point I will end up in the field of evolution and syntropy."

"You cannot seek happiness and achieve it. You can only get there by giving to others. Seeking happiness directly is not worth the effort."

"I am 57 years old and I have been constantly happy for 30 years. It was and is not just about happy moments in an ocean of frustration. I am talking about a solid foundation of happiness, of no things to feel guilty about and of well slept nights."

Some background on Guy Dauncey:
A futurist and sustainable communities consultant who specializes in developing a positive vision of a post-industrial, environmentally sustainable future, Guy Dauncey is the author of “Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate Change”. His earlier books include “Earthfuture: Stories from a Sustainable World”, which has been described as inspiring and life-changing, and “After the Crash: The Emergence of the Rainbow Economy”.

He has given over 900 workshops, lectures and presentations to conferences, schools, colleges, churches and nonprofit organizations. He speaks on climate change, sustainable communities, smart growth, and sustainable solutions to the peaking of oil and gas supplies. He also speaks on global and spiritual evolution, and on the growing crisis of hope created by the prospect of ecological collapse.

Some background on Guy Dauncey’s current activities under the umbrella of Earth Future:
• BC Sustainable Energy Association: Ongoing president of this new association, working to develop sustainable solutions for all BC’s energy needs. www.bcsea.org

• The Solutions Project: Ongoing development of project to publish a series of titles, each on 101 Solutions to one of the world’s major social or environmental problems. www.earthfuture.com/solutionsproject

• Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic: 2002-5 producer and co-author of this major new book with Liz Armstrong, for publication in Spring 2007 (New Society Publishers)

• Common Ground Magazine, Vancouver: Ongoing regular monthly column, including a special 4-page feature on proportional representation, and features on organic food. www.commonground.ca

• EcoNews: Ongoing publisher & editor of this monthly newsletter serving the vision of a sustainable Vancouver Island, since 1991. 158 issues published. Circulation 8,000. www.earthfuture.com/econews

• 101 Ways to Stop the War on Iraq: 2003 development of the website www.earthfuture.com/stopthewar 700,000 hits during March and April.

If you would like to engage with the work of Guy Dauncey or get to know more about Earthfuture please visit www.earthfuture.com,
or, for more specific opportunities, contact joanna.stefanska@myimpact.ch or wolfgang.hafenmayer@myimpact.ch directly.