Fritjof Capra, Ph.D., founding director of The Center for Ecoliteracy, author of "The Web of Life," and visionary systems theorist offered insights for a crowd of 100 people at a local bookshop on "Integrating The Biological, Cognitive, And Social Dimensions Of Life Into A Science Of Sustainability" from his new book, "The Hidden Connections."

Capra noted that the values of the global justice movement (e.g. interdepenence, partnership, flexibility, diversity, sustainability) challenge the values of the minority of elites benefiting from global capitalism, and argued, "The great challenge of the twenty-first century is to change the value system currently underlying the global economy to one that is compatible with the demands of human dignity and ecological sustainability."

His understanding of interconnectedness and interdependencies among all living and non-living things along with his ability to communicate in a clear, precise, and organized fashion left the electrified Santa Cruz community nodding their heads, committed to strengthening our movement toward a sustainable way of life on Earth.