

Making politics work isn't simple. We need to show people what's in their long-term interests. We need to show them how the future could be better, and band together to create the conditions for that better future. We need to bring forward new ideas, and connect people who are passionate about seeing them implemented. We need to demand transparency in government, elect the best politicians we can find, and hold accountable leaders who do wrong. We need, in short, to spread, grow, and protect democracies.
image from nilazilla

by Regine Debatty Back in July, while I was visiting Documenta 12 in Kassel, I saw a 16-metre-long flower-bed raised above the ground, with 70 packets of seeds sprouting from the grass, each of them carrying worrying labels that documented...

by Clay Shirky I was recently reminded of some reading I did in college, way back in the last century, by a British historian arguing that the critical technology, for the early phase of the industrial revolution, was gin. The...

On previous Earth Days, readers were sure to expect some startling statistics about pollution, global climate change and environmental destruction from most mainstream newspapers. But on Earth Day 2008, we at Worldchanging noticed that much of this year's coverage was...

by Gary Gardner Rumor has it that Pope Benedict may address climate change during his visit to the United Nations this week. Whether he does or not, his young papacy can claim to be the "greenest" ever. Benedict has identified...

We Can Solve It is barely out of the chute, and already there's widespread clamor in the green media that its approach is, well, flawed. One of the biggest questions is why what's known about the project's $300 million three-year...

We've long thought of Ben Goldhirsh and the folks at GOOD Magazine as fellow travelers, and have enjoyed collaborating with them, so it's a real pleasure to be able to announce that Worldchanging contributor (and friend) Jonathan Greenblatt is taking...

At a conference in Maryland - where I’m dropping in for a 24 hour visit - I met Charlie Stross, geek and sci-fi writer extraordinare, who’s responsible for the very excellent (and Hugo-nominated) “Halting State”. I’m a big fan of...

Quote of the day: "We must abandon the conceit that individual, isolated, private actions are the answer. ...That means adopting principles, values, laws and treaties that release creativity and initiative at every level of society..." -Al Gore, in his Peace...

As Zimbabwe faces a pivotal presidential election on March 29, expect a great deal of conversation about whether polls were free and fair. It may be very difficult to answer that question decisively, as the Zimbabwean government has been extremely...

I've written before about my belief that in times like these, optimism is a powerful political act. As I put it in the book, Optimism is a political act. Entrenched interests use despair, confusion and apathy to prevent change. They...
"The most important web site on the planet."
- Bruce Sterling
Have an idea or know about a great new tool or solution? We want to know about it!
Suggest a Story
Submission Guidelines
Design:
Matt Chapman
Logo Design:
Egg