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Here we delve into Ernest Callenbach's novel Ecotopia which is set in a region seceded from the United States in 1980. Ecotopia, comprising Northern California, Oregon, and Washington, is a decentralized, ecologically conscious society with stable state systems, such as total recycling of waste into fertilizer. The Ecotopians value technology responsibly, work 20 hours a week, and have equal incomes. They are governed by a woman-led party, the Survivalists, focusing on biological survival. The conversation also touches on the broader implications of ecological consciousness, the challenges of secession, and the need for a shift in societal values and economic systems. (hosted by Ray Couture and Justine Willis Toms)
Bio
Ernest Callenbach (1929 - 2012) was an American author, film critic, editor, and simple living adherent. He became famous due to his internationally successful semi-utopian novel Ecotopia.
Ernest Callenbach's books include:
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Ecotopia (Banyan Tree Books 1975)
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Ecotopia Emerging (Banyan Tree Books 1981)
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Living Cheaply with Style: Live Better & Spend Less (Ronin Press 2000)
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Ecology, Revised and Expanded: A Pocket Guide (University of California Press 2008)
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The Complete Ecotopia (Banyan Tree Books 2021)
Topics explored in this dialogue include:
- What is Ecotopia’s portrayal of a future that includes ecological sustainability, social structure, and politics
- What do Ecotopians believe
- What are the differences between living in a rural setting versus a city setting
- What is the ecotopian family structure
- How imagining ecotopia could be compared to what the forefathers and mothers of the U.S. tried to imagine in forming a new nation on new principles beyond monarchies
- What is the equalitarian approach of men and woman in the novel
- How secession has precedent in the world
- How the ecological movement involves a change in consciousness
- What is the sludge drying and fertilizer program in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- In the novel Callenbach emphasizes the importance of producing rather than consuming
- How was Callenbach influenced by the work of Jerry Mander who wrote about the elimination of television
- How Callenbach was influenced by his childhood in a rural setting and how he learned firsthand where his food came from
- How does the Native American philosophy differ from the Judeo Christian ethic that tends to be exploitative
- What does research say about Bucky Fuller’s idea that there is enough to go around
Host: Ray Couture & Justine Willis Toms Interview Date: 11/3/1976 Program Number: 1098
