Running a business accountable to a community is hard, whether it’s an Indigenous corporation or an artists’ collective. Not only do you have to manage the business successfully, but you also have to address the expectations, aspirations and needs of the community. Managing this relationship well means that the business can draw on the support, … Continue reading Managing the “Community” in Community Business
the regeneration economy
The regeneration economy is the next big thing in sustainability – except it is out to replace the whole idea of sustainability altogether. It argues that sustainability is a limited concept because a. you can’t sustain what you have already destroyed b. to keep on doing what were already doing isn’t going to solve our … Continue reading the regeneration economy
Revaluing Tropical Diversity
Why clear vast swathes of rainforest, with up to 75,000 tree species per kilometre, and replace it with a single species of oil palm? Why are custodians of a vast amount of cultural knowledge forced to live in poverty on the sidelines of society? The short answer is because there is a huge difference between … Continue reading Revaluing Tropical Diversity
How visual data and mobile technology can improve Indigenous decision-making and accountability
Following on from my last post, I started to write about how better access to meaningful, accessible information for Aboriginal leaders can improve decision-making, but I realised the issue was bigger than that. This post discusses how graphical data collection and display, app proliferation and mobile technology can improve decision making and accountability, both for … Continue reading How visual data and mobile technology can improve Indigenous decision-making and accountability
Rethinking Aboriginal Governance II – the NT’s Regional Councils
This article is the second in a series which discusses how current our current institutional landscape hinders Aboriginal community development. The usual explanation for dysfunctional institutions is that unskilled or unsavoury directors are not carrying out their function properly, yet what if the problem is the current institutional set-up itself? In 2008, the Labor government instituted reform of … Continue reading Rethinking Aboriginal Governance II – the NT’s Regional Councils
The Maasai Warrior and the Holy Mountain
Tanzania is home of some of Africa’s greatest natural spectacles but it also feels, well, just that - a spectacle - its roads lined with German tourists in safari vehicles and its traditional African hospitality coming with a (large) price tag. You have to search harder for the magic here than elsewhere in Africa, but … Continue reading The Maasai Warrior and the Holy Mountain
Madagascar, the Nothing and the Neverending Story
Madagascar feels like a fairy tale. In its varied landscape, around 90% of its 200,000 known species are unique to the island; lemurs, fossas, tenrecs, pygmy chameleons and giant geckos are just some of the wonders. Originally settled by Indonesians, its culture is a strange mix of Indonesia, Africa and France, where people grow rice, … Continue reading Madagascar, the Nothing and the Neverending Story
Tropical sustainable design case studies from Cairns
James Cook University and the Tropical Green Building Network in Cairns have together released a comprehensive series of Tropical Sustainable Design Case Studies from Queensland, well worth a look. Covering residential, commercial, civic and civil building projects, these case studies present tropical design principles and theories (for environmental and social sustainability) put to the test, often with … Continue reading Tropical sustainable design case studies from Cairns
A Balinese spa treat, plus lessons on tropical architecture and ethics
Cantika is one of my favorite places in Ubud. To mix desert-tropical metaphors, it is an oasis of beauty and integrity in a land already full of beauty, but sadly not presently always full of integrity. I’d been to Cantika Alami (one of three Cantika massage and spa centres) on a previous visit and been … Continue reading A Balinese spa treat, plus lessons on tropical architecture and ethics
Sometimes the battle for the future of the Tropics isn’t just a war of words…
Death of Community Member in Sumatra Places Asia Pulp and Paper’s Social Responsibility Commitments in Question Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has recently learned of the tragic news that on Friday, February 27, 2015, Mr Indra Pelani, a resident of Lubuk Mandarsah village in Tebo district, Jambi Provine, Sumatra and a member of the Sakato Jaya … Continue reading Sometimes the battle for the future of the Tropics isn’t just a war of words…
tropicalism 