The Cobb Institute: Ecology, Education, Planning, Collaboration

https://cobb.institute/

THE COBB INSTITUTE

FOR ECOLOGICAL AWARENESS, EDUCATION,

STRATEGIC PLANNING, & COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

We believe planet Earth is best viewed as a living organism and human beings are a part of it. We lament the degraded condition of our common home and the role that human beings have played in causing it. We cherish promoting its healing through education, dialogue, and initiatives that cultivate not only sustainability but also communities of compassion and equity.

https://cobb.institute/

DREAM BIGGER WITH US!

“If we want a society in which the sense of belonging is strong, people are concerned for one another, and there is strong commitment to the common good, we need a metaphysics that shows that we are in fact part of larger societies and have no existence apart from our relations to others.” - John Cobb

Community Collaboration

The Cobb Institute is a Think Tank with Legs. We often spark new ideas and encourage others to carry them forward as we support the effort. We are luring, assisting, and nurturing a variety of initiatives in the Claremont area in hopes that they will be a model and that their successes can be replicated elsewhere. But we’re also concerned with our common home, so we ignite efforts to develop the process movement and advance the common good in the United States and around the world by creating new communities and partnering with organizations who have connections countries like China and India. Our successes include:

Global Relationships

• Claremont Process Nexus

• Institute for Postmodern Development of China

• EcoCovenant Academy in India

• US-China Cooperation Campaign

Local Impacts

• Sustainability Major at the University of La Verne

• Economic Forum for Affordable Housing in Pomona

• CHERP Solar Works

• Urban Agriculture in Pomona

Educational Development

The Cobb Institute creates classes, hosts discussions, and sponsors workshops to educate people about process thought and ecological civilization. As we inch closer to a planetary crisis point and the need for an urgent change in our understanding of our relationship with the earth, our Learning Lab seeks to transform education to foster personal growth and wisdom. Our successes include:

John Cobb & Friends Gatherings

• David Orr, Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics Emeritus, Oberlin College

• Rebecca Parker. Former Professor of Theology and President of Starr King School for the Ministry

• Jeremy Lent, Founder and President of the Liology Institute

• Sophia Said, Founding Chairperson of the Madina Institute

Courses

• Whitehead & Jung - Integrating Resources for a Fragmented World

• The Rebirthing of God - Exploring the Ways in Which “God is Being Reborn”

• Suffering & Meaning - Understanding from a Process-Relational Perspective

• Walking With Whitehead - A Careful Reading of Key Passages in Process & Reality

Learning Circles

• An Awakening Planet - Contemplating the Vision of Teilhard de Chardin
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• Women in Process - A Space for Women Who Want to Explore Their Becomings & Possibilities

Workshops

• The Process of Gardening - An Introduction to Gardening from a Process-Relational Perspective

• The Process of Dying - Forgotten Wisdom

Spiritual Integration & The Arts

The Cobb Institute promotes a process-relational approach to personal spirituality and faith communities. Creativity is celebrated and included through poetry, music and visual arts as we feature artists at our weekly gatherings, on our website, and in a new series to feature the art of process. Our successes include:

Process & Faith

A Multi-faith Network for Relational Spirituality and the Common Good

Process & Coffee

A Discussion Group About Books That Foster an Integral Spirituality

International Poetry Forum

An International Conference to Consider the Purpose of Poets in an Age of Ecological Civilization

Featured Artists & Novel Becomings Series

Spotlighting the Beauty and Multiplicity of Art in All its Forms by Process artists

 

Our dream in 2022 is to make a greater impact personally by providing an integrated and wholistic approach to making meaning in our world, locally by creating compassionate communities, and globally by inspiring each community to build an ecological civilization. Dream big with us! The world needs a truly creative transformation toward the common good.

About the Institute

The Cobb Institute, named in honor of our founder John Cobb, promotes a process-relational way of understanding and living in the world. As a philosophical outlook it shares wisdom, emphasizes harmony, and focuses on the common good. We live out this philosophy by working to build an ecological civilization.

With the knowledge that all life is interconnected and in process of becoming, we use education, creativity, and an open view of spirituality to help each other and our communities thrive. This is a bold collaborative view that recognizes our interdependence, and thus emphasizes that we have a responsibility to care not just for our own lives but also for the world we share with everyone and everything else.

Our Mission

The Cobb Institute promotes a process-relational worldview to advance wisdom, harmony, and the common good. It engages in local initiatives and cultivates compassionate communities to bring about an ecological civilization. These aims will be accomplished by fostering creative transformation through educational development, community collaboration, sustainable practices, and spiritual integration.

Our History

Originally named the Claremont Institute for Process Studies, the Cobb Institute was established in the spring of 2019 as a non-profit corporation in the State of California, for the purpose of continuing the mission and legacy of the Center for Process Studies (CPS)—a Faculty Center of Claremont School of Theology (CST), established by John Cobb and David Griffin in 1973)—anticipating the relocation of CST and CPS in the summer of 2019. The Cobb Institute is part of a family of process-relational organizations affiliated with the Center for Process Studies and the International Process Network.

As the Institute engaged in self-assessments and underwent various developments during the latter part of 2019, its leadership determined that the name "Claremont Institute for Process Studies" didn't adequately express its character as an emerging community with a shared interest in a process-relational way of understanding the world, along with a commitment to implementing its values in concrete ways. Because of John Cobb's role as the founder, his bold vision for an alternative future, and the importance of his life's work, in January 2020 the Board decided to change the name of the organization to the Cobb Institute: A Community for Process & Practice. The name change was officially announced at his John Cobb's 95th birthday celebration on February 11, 2020.

Ecological Civilizations - Bill Gates 2021 60 Minutes Interview

 

Bill Gates: The 2021 60 Minutes interview

"Without innovation, we will not solve climate change.

We won't even come close." - Bill Gates

Anderson Cooper reports for 60 Minutes.

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNKdlnoAqIs

CBS - https://www.cbsnews.com/video/bill-gates-climate-change-60-minutes-2021-02-14/

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February 16, 2021

Good morning. Bill Gates takes over as guest editor of the Fortune website today, providing a look at the steps needed for a climate breakthrough. You can read the whole package, along with updates, at fortune.com. Especially worth attention is Gates’ lengthy interview with editor-in-chief Clifton Leaf, available here. In it, he makes the point that during the last recession, in 2007-2008, concern about climate change receded. But this time, the opposite has happened: “During the financial crisis … people were like, “Hey, things are tough now and that climate stuff, that’s way out there.” Even by 2010, if you polled the public, you’d find that interest in the climate had gone way down. It began to build up gradually over the next decade, but as we hit the pandemic, I thought, ‘Okay, what’s gonna’ happen?’ But it’s actually gone up somewhat during the pandemic, which is kind of weird.” Gates believes the global challenge to meet net zero carbon emissions will have to rely heavily on innovation. And in his new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, he lays out the innovations needed. (Read Leaf’s review of the book here.) It’s a daunting agenda. But as we reported last month, 60% of CEOs surveyed recently are now on board and have adopted their own plans for achieving net zero by 2050 or before. And many executives I’ve talked with recently share the view that GM CEO Mary Barra expressed at a recent Fortune meeting—that 2021 could be an “inflection point.”   For its part, the Biden administration is rapidly turning the U.S. government toward the net zero goal. The recent COVID vaccine effort has shown what can happen when business and government collaborate with a clear purpose. If they do the same on climate change, anything is possible. Separately, Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya is the subject of a new documentary, which debuted last night on Vice. The film focuses on the work he has done to resettle and provide jobs to refugees. I spoke with Ulukaya about the film last week. He says he grew up “hating CEOs and business and wealth,” and wanted to show it could be done better. He believes other businesses increasingly share his view, for two big reasons: “One is the people who want to come and join these companies. They want to work for companies whose values align with theirs. That’s the new force, and it is getting more and more powerful… The second big force is the consumer…That’s also becoming more and more powerful.” And finally, Magic Leap’s new CEO Peggy Johnson was our guest on Leadership Next this week.  She believes she has a plan to turn the troubled augmented reality headset maker around. You can listen on Apple or Spotify. More news below. Alan Murray @alansmurray alan.murray@fortune.com

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RESOURCES, READING MATERIALS, GRAPHICS, & SPECULATIONS IN GREEN

https://cobb.institute/

https://ecociv.org/

https://earthcharter.org/

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RESOURCES

Is There Any Difference Between

Process Philosophy & Process Theology?

Examining Process Philosophy

& Process Theology, Part 1

Examining Process Philosophy

& Process Theology, Part 2

Relational Theology. What Is It?

Whitehead's "Philosophy of Organism" Explained

INDEXES

Index to Process Philosophy & Theology

Index to Process-Based Integral Philosophy

Index - EarthCare and Ecology

Index - Post-Capitalist, Post-Socialist CosmoEcological Societies

Ecological Civilizations - Bill Gates 2021 60 Minutes Interview

Toward Ecological Civilization, Preface

Toward Ecological Civilization, Introduction to Incompleteness

Toward Ecological Civilization, Chapter 1

Toward Ecological Civilization, Chapter 2

Toward Ecological Civilization, Chapter 3

Toward Ecological Civilization, Chapter 4

Toward Ecological Civilization, Chapter 5

Toward Ecological Civilization, Chapter 6

Toward Ecological Civilization, Chapter 7

Toward Ecological Civilization, Chapter 8

Toward Ecological Civilization, Conclusions

12 Environmentalists You Should Know

A Personal Introduction

As of today there is one week left from completing four quarter-term college classes before starting the next term of classes. For those in my area who were interested I had encouraged them to join me in reading the poetry of Wendell Berry, an environmentalist, anti-industrialist, activist, and author. I had read his biography of short stories last fall in his book, "That Distant Land," and I suspect he will be as profound this time around in his poetry as he was in his prose last year.

Today, as I attended an Aldo Leopold seminar we ended class with a short walk around an adjoining preserve enjoying the warm spring weather while embracing the many new growing things beginning to emerge. Our host was an ecological biologist who invited the preserve's land manager last week, and resource educationalist today, to co-host with him of Leopold's life ethic as he developed from an industrial mindset of usury and utilitarianism to perceiving the then unseen flora and fauna biotic web of interconnected life in all its complexities. In simpler terms we know this as "the circle of life" aka the Disney film, "Lion King."

Of course, had he known of the early 20th century philosopher Alfred North Whitehead and his work on process philosophy in the early 1900s this would have helped him immensely. However, let us not fault Aldo as the entire corpus of cosmology had by then been disregarded and forgotten nearly two hundred years ago after Immanuel Kant (c1724-1804) and Soren Kirkegaard's (c.1813-1855) summary cosmological work engaging what the ancients knew to how it was understood in their late enlightenment centuries. From their observations philosophy took several directions across the European and Western continents.

Be that as it may, process philosophy has evolved to include many new forms of cosmology including process ecology. Yet this tool Aldo did not have when studying forestry at Yale University under America's first forester and conservationist, Gifford Pinchot. This he would have to learn on his own as he moved from post to post examining and re-examining what he had been taught from differing eyes and viewpoints. Actually, had we as a nation listened to the native Americans whom we disregarded as ignorant savages we would have learned about nature's centrality much more quickly, and I believe, with a much more thorough appreciation, empathy and love for the land we have not loved, destroyed and plowed under as a simple thing unworthy of care and appreciation

Alas, our history abounds with societal / cultural shortsightedness even as our recent years of abusive politics and Christian form of religion has displayed contempt for non-majorities and non-nationals we use and throw away. Human history has not been so very kind to those different from us in color, complexion, thought or speech. Nor have our passionate presumptions been true guides for conduct and civilization which usually have proven wrong, misguided, and ultimately harmful.

Be that as it may, as we grow older, those of us who are willing to unlearn what we think we know to relearn what may become a fuller comprehension of life are the better for it. Aldo Leopold was one of those late disciples even as I suspect John Muir, Henry David Theoreau, and a host of other early ecologists who similarly learned to unlearn perceptions and relearn wisdom. As we know, this happens more commonly than we care to admit with people from all walks and experiences of life. To some, this whole being and life process becomes more profound than for others. It is more complete, more expressive, even more expansive. It can upset an entire life when relizing the errors one is making in judgment, contact, or perception. As a simple example, I would point to the many testimonies from young to old who come to Jesus when finally perceiving what his atoning death and resurrection really means to this life we live. Like the renewing rains of winter's end spring comes to a life in need of growing, birthing, blooming, and regenerating future lives ahead of itself.

Lastly, I have put together a very, very brief introduction from another contributing source portraying the lives and passions of those early conservationists of the past mid-American century. I think of them as America's first generation of environmental apostles speaking the gospel of nature to a modern society which had lost its hearing and its ears to the songbird on the wing, the whisper of the pine in the winds, and how one thing affects another thing so delicately as to affect all things. Follow the link below to discover what these men and women had to unlearn to be able to see aright again.

R.E. Slater

March 10, 2010

Marco Bottigelli / Getty Images

12 Environmentalists You Should Know

https://www.thoughtco.com/environmentalists-you-should-know-1709040

by Marc Lallanilla

Updated November 15, 2019

Environmentalists have had a big impact on our lives, but most people can't name one famous environmentalist. Here's a list of 12 influential scientists, conservationists, ecologists, and other rabble-rousing leaders who have been central founders and builders of the green movement.

John Muir, Naturalist and Writer

Conservationist John Muir

John Muir (1838–1914) was born in Scotland and emigrated to Wisconsin as a young boy. His lifelong passion for hiking began as a young man when he hiked to the Gulf of Mexico. Muir spent much of his adult life wandering in—and fighting to preserve—the wilderness of the western United States, especially California. His tireless efforts led to the creation of Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park, and millions of other conservation areas. Muir was a strong influence on many leaders of his day, including Theodore Roosevelt. In 1892, Muir and others founded the ​​Sierra Club "to make the mountains glad."

Rachel Carson, Scientist and Author

Ecologist Rachel Carson | Photo: JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado/ Getty Images

Rachel Carson (1907–1964) is regarded by many as the founder of the modern environmental movement. Born in rural Pennsylvania, she went on to study biology at Johns Hopkins University and Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory. After working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Carson published "The Sea Around Us" and other books. Her most famous work, however, was 1962's controversial "Silent Spring," in which she described the devastating effect that pesticides were having on the environment. Though pilloried by chemical companies and others, Carson's observations were proven correct, and pesticides like DDT were eventually banned.

Edward Abbey, Author and Monkey-Wrencher

https://www.theinertia.com/environment/edward-abbey-desert-solitaire-environment-relevant-50-years-old/

Conservationist Edward Abbey

Edward Abbey (1927–1989) was one of America's most dedicated—and most outrageous—environmentalists. Born in Pennsylvania, he is best known for his passionate defense of the deserts of America's Southwest. After working for the National Park Service in what is now Arches National Park in Utah, Abbey wrote "Desert Solitaire," one of the seminal works of the environmental movement. His later book, "The Monkey Wrench Gang," gained notoriety as an inspiration for the radical environmental group Earth First!—a group that has been accused of eco-sabotage by some, including many mainstream environmentalists.

Aldo Leopold, Ecologist and Author

Conservationist Aldo Leopold of The Land Ethic

Aldo Leopold (1887–1948) is considered by some to be the godfather of wilderness conservation and of modern ecologists. After studying forestry at Yale University, he worked for the U.S. Forest Service. Though he was originally asked to kill bears, cougars, and other predators on federal land because of demands of protesting local ranchers, he later adopted a more holistic approach to wilderness management. His best-known book, "A Sand County Almanac," remains one of the most eloquent pleas for the preservation of wilderness ever composed.

Julia Hill, Environmental Activist

Conservationist Julia Hill | Photo: Andrew Lichtenstein/Getty Images

Julia "Butterfly" Hill (born 1974) is one of the most committed environmentalists alive today. After nearly dying in an auto accident in 1996, she dedicated her life to environmental causes. For almost two years, Hill lived in the branches of an ancient redwood tree (which she named Luna) in northern California to save it from being cut down. Her tree-sit became an international cause célèbre, and Hill remains involved in environmental and social causes.

Henry David Thoreau, Author and Activist

Henry David Thoreau | Photo: FPG/Getty Images

Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) was one of America's first philosopher-writer-activists, and he is still one of the most influential. In 1845, Thoreau—disillusioned with much of contemporary life—set out to live alone in a small house he built near the shore of Walden Pond in Massachusetts. The two years he spent living a life of utter simplicity was the inspiration for "Walden, or A Life in the Woods," a meditation on life and nature that is considered a must-read for all environmentalists. Thoreau also wrote an influential political piece called "Resistance to Civil Government (Civil Disobedience)" that outlined the moral bankruptcy of overbearing governments.

Theodore Roosevelt, Politician and Conservationist

President Theodore Roosevelt with Conservationist John Muir

It might surprise some that a famed big-game hunter would make it onto a list of environmentalists, but Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) was one of the most active champions of wilderness preservation in history. As governor of New York, he outlawed the use of feathers as clothing adornment in order to prevent the slaughter of some birds. While president of the United States (1901–1909), Roosevelt set aside hundreds of millions of wilderness acres, actively pursued soil and water conservation, and created over 200 national forests, national monuments, national parks, and wildlife refuges.

Gifford Pinchot, Forester and Conservationist

Gifford Pinchot, Forester and Conservationist

Gifford Pinchot (1865–1946) was the son of a timber baron who later regretted the damage he had done to America's forests. At his insistence, Pinchot studied forestry for many years and was appointed by President Grover Cleveland to develop a plan for managing America's western forests. That career continued when Theodore Roosevelt asked him to lead the U.S. Forest Service. His time in office was not without opposition, however. He publicly battled ​​John Muir over the destruction of wilderness tracts like Hetch Hetchy in California, while also being condemned by timber companies for closing off land to their exploitation.

Chico Mendes, Conservationist and Activist

Conservationist Chico Mendes | Photo: Alex Robinson/Getty Images

Chico Mendes (1944–1988) is best known for his efforts at saving the rainforests of Brazil from logging and ranching activities. Mendes came from a family of rubber harvesters who supplemented their income by sustainably gathering nuts and other rainforest products. Alarmed at the devastation of the Amazon rainforest, he helped to ignite international support for its preservation. His activities, however, drew the ire of powerful ranching and timber interests —Mendes was murdered by cattle ranchers at age 44.

Wangari Maathai, Political Activist and Environmentalist

Conservationist Wangari Maathai | Photo: Wendy Stone / Getty Images

Wangari Maathai (1940–2011) was an environmental and political activist in Kenya. After studying biology in the United States, she returned to Kenya to begin a career that combined environmental and social concerns. Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement in Africa and helped to plant over 30 million trees, providing jobs to the unemployed while also preventing soil erosion and securing firewood. She was appointed Assistant Minister in the Ministry for Environment and Natural Resources, and in 2004 Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while continuing to fight for the rights of women, the politically oppressed, and the natural environment.

Gaylord Nelson, Politician and Environmentalist

Gaylord Nelson, Politician and Environmentalist

No other name is more associated with Earth Day than that of Gaylord Nelson (1916–2005). After returning from World War II, Nelson began a career as a politician and environmental activist that was to last the rest of his life. As governor of Wisconsin, he created an Outdoor Recreation Acquisition Program that saved about one million acres of parkland. He was instrumental in the development of a national trails system (including the Appalachian Trail) and helped pass the Wilderness Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and other landmark environmental legislation. He is perhaps best known as the founder of Earth Day, which has become an international celebration of all things environmental.

David Brower, Environmental Activist

Envrionmental Activist David Brower

David Brower (1912–2000) has been associated with wilderness preservation since he began mountain climbing as a young man. Brower was appointed the Sierra Club's first executive director in 1952. Over the next 17 years, membership grew from 2,000 to 77,000, and the group won many environmental victories. His confrontational style, however, got Brower fired from the Sierra Club—he nonetheless went on to found the groups Friends of the Earth, the Earth Island Institute, and the League of Conservation Voters.