Peter Baldwin lives entirely sustainably.

We envision, actualize, and occupy the sane, peaceful, and sustainable world we want not just because we want to, but because we have to. The current consumptive path of civilization is arguably leading us to collapse and extinction. The way it is going, the pedal to the metal and in denial of the finiteness of resources and environmental degradation, we will be lucky to reach mid century.

We are also proactive because if we waste all our energy being reactive to each and every destructive endeavor and stupid idea of the corporate-military-industrial complex, we will never get out of our own tracks and they win. When they frame the debate, they win. When they keep us on the defensive, they win.

I'm not saying we shouldn't speak truth to power, dog them at every turn, and “double team” them in a “full court press”. However, I believe that that important work is only part of the broader opportunity of “Occupy”. Joanna Macy speaks of a triangular construct for realizing the “Great Turning” that has such holding action at one point; changing consciousness on another, and new creative functional operational forms on the third.

So, perhaps you will take a turn at the “holding actions” to try to hold the consumptive complex at bay, but don't wear yourself out. And perhaps each of us can benefit from informing ourselves about the situation and alternatives and share with others creatively and contribute to shifting consciousness and awareness. Changing consciousness is also the work of art, music, writing, and media. However, the third point or a new format for how we live on this earth is what I'm suggesting needs more of our attention, focus, and effort and just perhaps, it might call for most of it. Occupying the world we want may be the most powerful game changer and there are several reasons why.

When you fight with someone violently or not, they naturally go into reaction fighting back. You force them to entrench and fortify their position doing more of the things that need to change.

Child psychology tells us that it is more productive to offer an alternative to a dangerous object than it is to try to take it away directly.

People resent it or at least rarely respond when you tell them what they should do. Proselytizing is a turn off. We humans are hard wired to “monkey see, monkey do”.

Also, when we drive, fly, consume, etc. while condemning it culturally, we are hypocritical and don't think that that is not noticed.

However, perhaps the biggest reason to “Occupy the World We Want” is that if we were successful in dismantling the corporate consumptive complex, we have a moral and practical responsibility to replace the life support infrastructure that we all rely on. If we want people to jump on our bandwagon, then we need to demonstrate that they will not fall through the cracks in the floor boards. The family in the trailer down the road can't stop getting their supplies and food from Walmart until localization kicks in enough to pick up their needs and supports them joining in.

Furthermore, putting our money where our mouths are may simply be all we need to do. If more and more people everywhere were to model simplifying their lives and learning to live on less carbon energy as well as fostering vibrant communities and full employment economies producing food and essential goods and services locally, two things would happen. Changing consciousness would be accomplished by our example and there would be no stopping people from wanting to follow suit. The other thing is that the ending of predatory destructive corporatism would be accomplished effortlessly as more and more people ceased to patronize them essentially effecting a passive boycott. Large corporations would just fade away.

So, if we choose having fun in the streets and I personally know full well the high of beating my drum and chanting “What Does Democracy Look Like” on Pennsylvania Avenue and we are somehow successful in ousting our “Mubarek”, I ask you, then what? The Egyptians had passion to put us to shame and what do they have now, but a mess.

I suggest we all get bicycles, gardens, solar panels, and learn a craft. Another world is possible, but not unless we create it. I am angry and frustrated too and I can hardly contain myself when I hear about the insidious practices of Monsanto, etc., yet I don't think another world is going to happen just in the streets.

In this vision, rural living, small family/collective farms, and homesteads are accented. While urban areas are likely to contract to what can be sustained and supplied by the small farms within perhaps a 25 mile radius, they, of course, can grow food too. Havana has 8,000 organic gardens within the city limits. You can see that the central aspect of this is for everyone to have as direct a connection to their food's production as possible. For many it will be growing their own, others might join a CSA (community supported agriculture) or patronize a farmer or farmer's market. More urban citizens will utilize community, roof top, and south wall terraced and vertical gardens. Everyone can grow sprouts in the kitchen and herbs on the windowsill.

Another major aspect is simplification. We can reorganize our homes to provide essential functions on micro levels of energy. The technology exists to do this, however, it does require us to reduce the size and to majorly retrofit or replace our homes. We can live comfortable modern lives on way less energy than most of us use now. Many have demonstrated this. For example, I live off grid in a small home with all the amenities and grow much of my own food.

What drives the wars in the Middle East and the degradation of the planet? Our excessive consumptive lifestyle, that is what, pure and simple and I mean mine, yours, and all of ours. Ever aspect of our civilization is based and dependent on oil, from our agriculture to our shoes, from our plastic bags to our tires, and from our laptops to our homes, there isn't any aspect of our lives that is not built on it.

I have a ways to go myself to wean all the parts of my life away from it, but working on it individually, I believe, is job one. Possibly, leading a populist consumptive fast/boycott could be a focus for the Occupy movement.

Those who control energy, media, and the technological infrastructure that the global culture and economy is surfing only controls the world as long as we are consumers and participate in their game.

As far as a political party is concerned, who needs them? They are just an intermediary between us and our governing system much as churches insert themselves between us and our inherent spiritual aspects. We have the technology and there is no reason the will of the people can not be electronically tabulated and expressed in real time.