Page 24 RAIN January 1980 R A I Whi~e the new decade promises to be a dynamic one, frankly, the thought of it scares the shit out of us. Appropriate technology, whether called that or not, has been receivi1:1g increased recognition and gaining nat10nal and international prominence as a key component in the transition to a more ecologically and socially balanced world. At the same time, the recent whirlwind of attention has precipitated a kind of "gr?wth" in appropriate technology not unlike the growth we've been discussing the "limits" of for so many years-an undifferentiated, somewhat out-of-control growth that's happening so far and so wide N D R and so fast it seems nearly impossible to keep track of until it's already become history. One thing we've learned from the "limits to growth" debate is that "growth," like "development," is a word with many connotations. As far as the growth of appropriate technology, we have to ask what kind of growth are we working toward? And further, what kind of move- . ment should the appropriate technology movement become? There are hard questions to be answered. What does it mean after being on the outside for all these years to now find ourselves on the inside? What does it mean to 2270 NW Irving, Port/and, OR 97210 AIN 0 p s have a surge of public attention, corporate interest, and government support (though still a piddling amountwhen compared to things ljke nuclear power and defense) in ourwork toward local self-reliance? Some pretry- important distinctions are getting blurred-.do we need to draw the line? We're sermonizing, we admit-but we're getting impatient. We can define our terms, or have them-defined for us. A remark by Jim Parker at a recent talk at .AERO (Alternative Energy Resources Organization-Montana) crystallized our concern. "Waiting for the old order to collapse of its.own weight," he said, "just doesn't seem as appealing anymore. It might fall on me." -RAIN Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 1890 Portland, OR Forwarding and Return Postage Guaranteed
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