Bill McKibben, Riptonite, on communities and climate change: part 3

Here's part 3 of our interview series with Riptonite Bill McKibben. (Here's part 1, part 2)

7. (from Twitter) More generally, how can the internet strengthen a small community, and how weaken it?

i think for the first time we can really imagine staying at home in a local
economy and still being a part of the larger world. there's no longer the need
to choose between staying by your roots and 'going out in the world to make
something of yourself.'

8. (from Facebook) What role can cohousing play in building a more sustainable world?

cohousing is a completely great movement, but not mostly because it's more
efficient (though that's nice). it's because it is helping us recover the idea
of community and connection. most humans at most times and places have lived in
close emotional and physical proximity to many other people; it's only in our
brief postwar moment that we've embraced the idea of building bigger houses
farther apart from each other as the 'American dream.'

9. (from Facebook) "As people start to feel the pinch of limited resources (think: impending peak oil), they tend to get more conservative. I'm thinking of Europe that seems to blossoming in so many ways (including sustainable design) but is also building a bigger wall around itself) Is there any way to avoid this slide into localized survivalism?"

a very important question. i think we need to do everything we can to build real
solidarity. it's one of the reasons we've organized 350.org as one of the
planet's few true global movements, with people participating in every corner of
the planet. climate change is truly the best example of 'if we don't hang
together, we hang separately'

One more interview part might be forthcoming, if we get more questions.

Please comment!