Living Well Within Planetary Limits

260 Pages·2011·2.95 MB·English

Gaian
Economics
living well within
planetary limits
Economic Key
Editors
Jonathan Dawson
Ross Jackson
and
Helena Norberg-Hodge
Gaian
Economics
living well within
planetary limits
Permanent Publications
Published by
Permanent Publications
Hyden House Ltd
The Sustainability Centre
East Meon
Hampshire GU32 1HR
United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Overseas: (international code +44 - 1730)
Email:
Introduction To The Four Keys Series
The Four Keys to the Design of
Sustainable Communities
Gaia Education is a not-for-profit institution founded by an international
team of educators in sustainability from leading ecovillages around the
world. Gaia Education’s major focus is on developing curricula and courses
on the holistic design of sustainable urban and rural settlements. While
drawing upon best practices within ecovillages worldwide, Gaia Education
works in partnership with universities, ecovillages, government and non-
government agencies and the United Nations.
Our team has to date developed two such programs:
(1) The Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) and
(2) The Gaia Education Design for Sustainability (GEDS)
The EDE is a four week comprehensive course on the fundamentals of
ecovillage design. The GEDS is a broader 10 month Internet university level
version of the EDE in Spanish and English offered in cooperation with the
Open University of Catalonia in Barcelona.
The EDE Curriculum has the endorsement of the United Nations
Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and is an official contribution
to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development – UNDESD
(2005-2014).
Gaian Economics: Living Well within Planetary Limits (The Economic Key)
is the second in the series of Four Keys that supplement the Curriculum. This
particular book is for anyone seeking solutions to the economic problems
facing both global society and local communities in a sustainable world.
The four volumes are stand alone anthologies as well as supplements to the
EDE and GEDS teaching programmes for both students and teachers, and
are edited by the same ecovillagers from all over the world who designed the
curriculum.
Other titles in the series:
Beyond You & Me: Inspirations & Wisdom for Building Community
(The Social Key) Editors: Kosha Anja Joubert, Robin Alfred (Permanent
Publications, UK, 2007)
v
vi GAIAN ECONOMICS
The Song of the Earth: A Synthesis of the Scientific and Spiritual Worldviews
(The Worldview Key, Permanent Publications, UK, nyp)
Editors: Maddy Harland, William Keepin
Designing Ecological Habitats: Creating a Sense of Place
(The Ecological Key, Permanent Publications, UK, nyp)
Editors: E. Chris Mare, Max O. Lindegger, Maddy Harland
Overall editors and publishers of the Four Keys are Maddy and Tim Harland
of Permanent Publications, UK, while the inspirer and overall coordinator
of the project is Hildur Jackson of Gaia Trust, Denmark.
The Four Keys project has been sponsored by Gaia Trust Denmark (www.
gaia.org) and Permanent Publications (www.permaculture.co.uk).
Enjoy!
Ross and Hildur Jackson, Gaia Trust
May East, Program Director, Gaia Education
Maddy Harland, Editor and Publisher, Permanent Publications
Contents
Foreword Mark Richmond xi
Introduction Jonathan Dawson, Ross xiii
Jackson & Helena Norberg-Hodge
1 Shifting the Global Economy towards Sustainability
Rebuilding True Security in an Age of Vandana Shiva 2
Insecurity
The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth David Korten 5
Community
Sustainable Growth: An Impossibility Herman E. Daly 11
Theorem
Shifting the Global Economy Ross Jackson 17
Shifting Direction Helena Norberg-Hodge 21
Beyond the Bailout: Agenda for a New David Korten 30
Economy
Adapting to the Lean Economy David Fleming 36
Descending the Energy Staircase with Rob Hopkins 40
Tradable Energy Quotas (TEQs)
Global Warming and the South Helena Norberg-Hodge 44
Climate Solutions: Part I. Ross Jackson 49
Comparing Alternatives
Climate Solutions: Part II. Ross Jackson 61
The Carbon Board
2 Community Banks & Currencies
Financial Stability: A Case for Margrit Kennedy 68
Complementary Currencies
v i i
The Politics of Money Hazel Henderson 81
Reforming the Financial Casino Ross Jackson 86
The Saber: A Complementary Currency for Bernard Lietaer 91
Learning
A Tale of Two Ecovillages: Reviving the Jonathan Dawson 94
Health of Local Communities
Beyond Equality:Work, Money, and Jan Martin Bang 99
Equality in the Economic Fellowship of
the Camphill Communities
The Second Foundation at The Farm Albert Bates 103
The Permaculture of Pensions: Making Jonathan Dawson 106
Savings work for People and Planet
Freecycle: Something for Nothing Simon Bradbury 109
3 Right Livelihood
Buddhist Economics E. F. Schumacher 114
Simplicity: A Cool Lifestyle for a Hot Planet Duane Elgin 121
Sarvodaya Means ‘Everybody Wakes Up’ Joanna Macy 127
Designing Your Local Economy Hildur Jackson 130
Rules for a Local Economy Wendell Berry 136
In Defence of Pleasure: The Slow Food Aldra Robinson 138
Movement
Tallying National Happiness The Japan Times: editorial 142
Economics of Happiness Helena Norberg-Hodge 144
4 Local Economies
The Specialization Trap J. M. Greer 150
Fifty Million Farmers Richard Heinberg 154
Why You Should Think Local First Michael H. Schuman 170
Reclaiming our Future: Reclaiming our Food Helena Norberg-Hodge 175
Profits of Place Josh Harkinson 180
Short Tails: The Coming Small-Mart Michael H. Schuman 185
Revolution
vi i i