Hi Ecolady,
Making a small profit selling one thing in order to buy something else
within a local community is, in my opinion, just fine. Continually
aiming to increase the GNP, creating a larger and larger surplus of
stuff that nobody can use, and having to find somewhere to ship it off
to in order to get the money for it, flooding already struggling third
world economies, as is currently the case, is not good and would need to
stop in a conserver society.
Here's what someone has to say on the current system's position on
reducing waste and consumption. I got this post from my cyber-friend,
Mike Nickerson. I'm not sure where he got it from, I must ask him. I
think he said it came from a book.
Lee.
Reduce, Reuse, Recession
A dire warning from the economic cycle.
Unless the economic bubble has burst since this was written,
economists are saying that we're doing fine. The economy is growing and
all is well. But is it?
We are so immersed in the values, procedures, and promotion of
growth economics that it is hard to look at society's well-being in any
other way. Events of the last decade, however, reveal serious omissions
in
the economic world view.
In the late 1980's we all learned Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. These
three 'R's' were a popular response to the "urgent notice" issued in
1987
confirming that human activity is growing into confrontation with
planetary
limits.
The response was tremendous. Recycling is the only 'R' that can
be
measured. Statistics showed a rapid and massive acceptance.
Participation
rates of 80% and 90% were realized within months of start up. Reduction
and Reuse, which are even more effective solutions to the limitations in
question, likely received similar attention.
Whether or not the recession that followed was directly related
to
reduction and reuse efforts would be an interesting topic of research.
Another connection to explore would be the simultaneous occurrence of
the
'Black Monday' stock market crash and the tabling of the United Nations
report that issued the "urgent notice" mentioned above. Both occurred
October 19, 1987. The UN date had been known since April when the
report
was released. Could sales of shares in offending industries have
triggered
the computer enhanced crash that shook the financial world?
Whatever the causes, the events that followed illustrate a point
of
critical importance.
Popular concern for environmental adaptation could have
transformed
civilization. Momentum grew rapidly as soon as the cause gained
legitimacy. People were ready and it is well within our knowledge and
ability to develop satisfying ways of living that fit within ecological
bounds.
Why did we stop?
Legitimacy was withdrawn from Reduce and Reuse when our
'leaders'
realized they are in direct conflict with the goal of economic
expansion.
How can a population reduce and reuse in good conscience when the
primary
value of society is to expand production and consumption? There is a
fundamental moral conflict here.
Recycling is OK because it expands commerce and provides
resources
for ever hungry production machinery. Reduction and reuse clearly
inhibit
growth.
It is time for a public review
of the value systems that are at odds here!
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"The marketplace has been constantly evoked over the last
quarter-century
as the source of freedom and democracy as well as the only possible
force
to lead us back to growth. But after two decades of having their way,
the
exponents of this theory have no results to show us. . . . they have
held
and continue to hold the levers of power, and they have not produced.
This
is a very long trial period . . ."
John Ralston Saul, 1995 Massey Lectures
http://www.cyberus.ca/choose.sustain
Sustainability Project - Inviting Debate
P.O. Box 374, Merrickville, Ontario
K0G 1N0
--
Conflict between separated parents
http://www1.tpgi.com.au/users/resolve/ncpreport/
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. .
/|\ /|\
Live simply...we're killing the planet
http://www1.tpgi.com.au/users/resolve/globalcrisis/
Sustainable Future Webring
http://www1.tpgi.com.au/users/resolve/globalcrisis/webring.html
