On Ecotopia with Ernest Callenbach

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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: 

• Ecotopia (Banyan Tree Books 1975)
• Ecotopia Emerging (Banyan Tree Books 1981)
• Living Cheaply with Style: Live Better & Spend Less (Ronin Press 2000)
• Ecology, Revised and Expanded: A Pocket Guide (University of California Press 2008)
• 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