How to change the world in 10 easy steps

…So I offer 10 strategies for how to win the peak oil and climate change PR battle and change our society and the world. This is not something I can do by myself – so some of you had better get to work on this stuff. I will point out that I have ethical issues with lying here, so that somewhat limits the possibilities for me, but not all that much. I recommend against lying, because it can come back to haunt you. Besides, we’re unlikely to be better at it than Karl Rove. Better we spend our time making him, and the rest of the voices look stupid. That’s not so hard.

Practical Suggestions for Changing the World

1. We need video – lots of it. This is not, sadly, one of my gifts, but there is no question that that’s how most of the world is accustomed to seeing things. We need to persuade people that what we are offering is better, prettier, nicer, cleaner, healthier, happier, more loving. We need video – I don’t mean YouTube video of people sitting in darkened rooms talking about peak oil, but agitprop video – inspiring music, beautiful images of what can be.


People immediately think that giving up their comforts means living in a degraded, filthy hell. We’ve got to show them that isn’t true, and let them envision this as a better life. We need funny videos – anyone who saw the Massachusetts Gubenatorial “Head Up Their Asses” campaign ad last year knows that there is a lot of opportunity for good, smart, funny video out there. And there’s a lot out there for beauty – one of the things we are selling is a better life.

We need to show pictures, still and moving, of people living better, being healthier, being happier. Sell it like a patent medicine, with testimony and pictures of what can be. If we don’t give people a “Morning in America” image of their own, of little Johnny walking down the street to pick up his eggs and fruit at his neighbor’s garden, and skipping home, people will be vulnerable to whatever stupid lies they are told that give them that dream. Beat them to it.

Energy Bulletin