Wealth of natural resources and systems of sustainability define true wealth of a country. In sustainability there is never an end. There is always osmosis from other disciplines. Knowledge of beginning and end of production and consumption is sustainability. Communities are responsible for measuring a corporations level of sustainability. Unless the way corporations are run changes, they will continue to trash the environment/ecosystem to the point at which life or huge segments of the human species will be unsustainable. Humanity needs to base its wants on the scientific principles of sustainability. Corporations can work with each other to expand the use of renewable resources.
Historical reflections on human collective behavior show deep adaptability. 3 billion people on Earth are starving and in depravation because of monetary calculation not scientific calculation. In 1790, the total population of the U.S. was 3.9 million and 90% of them were needed to grow food to feed the rest of the population., leaving 10% of the population to perform every other job in society. Today, there are over 300 million people living in the United States but only 2% of the labor force is needed to sustain the rest, leaving 98% of us to figure out some other way to earn a living. Humans aren’t free from the order of nature. Either you align or suffer. Currently our systems of Capitalism promote the idea that we all have the right to as much of what we want of anything we might want and by extension the right to use any means available to get it. Capitalism requires the extraction of resources. The free market system is decoupled from the regulatory awareness of physical science. All our economies are based on ecocidal activities.
Our economic system must grow 3.5% annually or it will crash. If you live on a planet with finite resources and expanding population would you encourage an economy based on the need for growth and consumption to keep everything going? Our economy requires constant consumption and growth to keep GDP afloat. GHG(Green House Gas) raises with GDP(Gross Domestic Product). The 2009 economic decline was the only time there was a decline in GHG. This illustrates the ironic fact that economic collapse has the power to stop runaway climate change. Not to mention that countries must start focusing more on Gross National Happiness. The most important green technology is conservation which is fundamentally counter to economic growth and thus intensifies the money crisis. Growth is not necessary for prosperity. When Wall Street pays attention to sustainability the world will change quickly.
Any authentic civilizational shift will require a fundamental shift in money. The money system has lost its psychic foundation and we’re beginning to explore what we can create that embodies our values. Money must become consistent with ecology. Money is one of the most neglected areas of critical thinking. Money is the primary conduit for giving up responsibility and conscious energy. Money exists because we accept it as valuable. Proponents of fiat currency don’t care what backs it up. They care about who controls the quantity. We give control of faith based money to a private corporation(Federal Reserve) instead of the federal government. The federal reserve prints money out of thin air. There is no difference between this and counterfeiting. Increasing the money supply without increasing a standard on which the money is based, dilutes the currency. This is inflation. The gold standard was replaced by U.S. Wealth and Military Power. Wages stopped rising when we ended the gold standard because countries started demanding their debt in gold. Money must be based on resources. You can’t print an infinite amount of money on a planet with finite resources.
It is too expensive to not do something about climate change. We must invest in systems which have zero carbon footprints. Solar energy is important yet before solar energy we must invest in conservation. A transition from ornamental to edible front and backyards with rainwater collection systems, PV integrated systems, worm compost, indoor vertical farms, aquaponics, and knowledge of indigenous edible plants and seed saving tips will help make the Earth more habitable.
Many families like this one have been living off grid for more than 9 years. Watch this video for true off grid wisdom from a man with over 3 decades of off grid experience. Here is a man who hasn’t paid an electric bill in over 6 years. Some cities are changing their development codes to allow for Tiny Homes. Homesteading and going off grid is a great way to live a lifestyle of self-sufficiency that can incorporate renewable energy and subsistence agriculture. There is an elegant simplicity in the harmonic defiance of current ecocidal systems. People like Merren Tait have gone a year without using plastic. A kind but fierce attitude is needed. Japan’s central bank has made a shock decision to adopt negative interest rates. Cuba has been attracting attention in recent years for its model of agriculture, as it has been able to develop cheap and eco-friendly technologies that have helped the country to reach a certain level of food security without damaging the environment. Large corporations like Target are now going organic.
Social innovations such as Relocalization, Permaculture, Biodynamics, Biodiversity, Urban Forest, Farmable City Land, Lawns into Food, Eco-Cities, Co-Creative Gardens, Apps that help people grow their own food, Coral Gardening, Edible Perrenial Polyculture Gardens, Organic Produce Delivered to your Doorstep, School Districts Serving 100% Organic Foods, Zero Packaging, Edible 6-Pack Rings, Banning the Sale of Plastic Bottles, Zero Waste Lifestyles, Water Conservation, Banning the Throwing Away and Spoiling of Unsold Food, Negative Interest(Demurrage), Gift Economies, Car Share, Airbnb, Couchsurfing, and Criagslist coupled with the restoration of the commons, more park land, Urban Food Forests, mass transit, tree planting, Wind Trees, electric cars, green roofs, smart grids, Products that last a lifetime, Fair Trade Products, and conflict free products are pieces of a larger revolution which will help heal all life.