Ideas For The New Millennium

(Paperback)

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As the technological and information revolutions continue to transform our lives, the world is moving towards a planetary society. The forces of globalization are creating greater interdependence between individuals, enterprises, communities and nations, leading to a culture that Peter Ellyard calls "Planetism" - the values of the "spaceship culture" - will he argues, shape the global market-place of the early 21st century. In this volume, Ellyard offers a vision for human prosperity in the next century. About 70 per cent of the job categories, products and services of our Planetist future have yet to be invented, and great opportunities exist for innovators with a vision for this future. He argues that the world needs more "leaders" - that is, people who have the vision and energy to direct change - and fewer "managers" - that is, people who simply react to change. Ellyard describes what these transformations in society will mean for leadership and management, for education and learning, for health and wellbeing, for industrial development, for food production and agriculture, for environmental management and for intercultural relations and understanding. We can do well economically, he argues, by doing good environmentally. In urging the creation of an ecologically, economically, socially and culturally sustainable Planetist society in the twenty-first century, Ellyard intends to provide a vision not only for our own future but for that of our children, our grandchildren and the generations to come.

Reviews

"As this century and this millennium draw to a close, there is a cause for reflection. The mistakes of the past are exposed. We're trying to clean up the unfinished business of the 20th century. With creativity and imagination Ellyard prods us to think the unthinkable. With persistence and hope he demands of us nothing but the best. For him it's simply a matter of planetary survival." --Elizabeth Dowdeswell, executive director, United Nations Environment Programme,1992-1998

"This is a stimulating and provocative book by a distinguished futurist, who is dedicated to challenging us to strive for a future we want rather than passively accepting the future we seem likely to get." --The Professional Reading Guide

Author Bio

Dr Peter Ellyard is a futurist and strategist who lives in Melbourne. A graduate of the University of Sydney and Cornell University, he is currently Executive Director of Preferred Futures Pty Ltd, and Chairman of the Universal Greening Group of companies and of the MyFutureFoundation. A former Executive Director of the Australian Commission for the Future, he held CEO positions in a number of public sector organisations over 15 years. He is Adjunct Professor of Intergenerational Strategies at the University of Queensland, and a Fellow of the Australian College of Education, the Environment Institute of Australia, and the Australian Institute of Management. He has been a senior advisor to the United Nations for over twenty years.