This is also what E.F. Schumacher generally had in mind when he wrote Sm= all is Beautiful (in which he coined the phrase =93natural capital,=94 a= s an aside). Perhaps it will also be of interest here that, at a Schuma= cher commemorative conference last December, the conference adopted a po= sition on economic growth, calling for the establishment of steady state= economies, beginning in the wealthiest nations. A news brief and the p= osition itself are found here: <?xml:namespace prefix =3D o ns =3D "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:o= ffice" /> http://www.steadystate.org/News.html =
Cheers, Brian Brian Czech, Ph.D., President Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy SIGN THE POSITION on economic growth at: www.steadystate.org/PositiononE= G.html . EMAIL RESPONSE PROBLEMS? Use [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- "Warren W. Aney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Stan, what I had in mind is really an improvement on the 1930s era agrar= ian based society. An example of this can be found in Sweden. Most Swedish= villages and towns have their own industries, frequently based on local resources. Young people do not have to leave town to find meaningful a= nd rewarding employment. Too many other countries, including the U.S., concentrate industry. This means concentrated populations with all its attendant and non-sustainable effects. Warren Aney (503)246-8613 -----Original Message----- From: stan moore [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, 06 April, 2007 07:32 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [email protected] Subject: Re: Equilibrium/Steady State and Complexity/Evolution Warren -- What you seem to be describing is a return to an agrarian society (with islands of urbanism), something like we had in the U.S. in the 1930's. Which is what Richard Clark Duncan and James Howard Kunstler said as the= direction we are forced to go because of the depletion of petroleum resources. The trick is to manage the transition so as to avoid international wars = and destructive competition as well as catastrophic consumption. Maybe the first step would be for people to turn off their televisions and let the= marketing agencies starve... Stan Moore San Geronimo, CA [EMAIL PROTECTED] >From: "Warren W. Aney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: [email protected] >Subject: Re: Equilibrium/Steady State and Complexity/Evolution >Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2007 23:32:29 -0700 >Received: from listserv.umd.edu ([128.8.10.60]) by >bay0-mc12-f18.bay0.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.2668); F= ri, >6 Apr 2007 06:36:07 -0700 >Received: from listserv.umd.edu (IDENT:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >[128.8.10.60])by listserv.umd.edu (8.12.11.20060308/8.12.11) with ESMTP= id >l365kR8U025164;Fri, 6 Apr 2007 09:36:06 -0400 (EDT) >X-Message-Info: >oG9qAjD2BNFCgnAhY5ZngAMtczCONYJZvh08d4iFaIy2ysq9bdeDzLP9rZ50vmY3 >X-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Precedence: list >List-Help: <http://listserv.umd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?LIST=3DECOLOG-L>, ><mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ECOLOG-L> >List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >List-Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >List-Owner: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >List-Archive: <http://listserv.umd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?LIST=3DECOLOG-L> >Return-Path: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >X-OriginalArrivalTime: 06 Apr 2007 13:36:07.0844 (UTC) >FILETIME=3D[880A4640:01C77850] > >Andrew says, "The problem is that there is nobody anywhere in the world= who >can >envision a practical, politically feasible, and equitable version of >where we want to be." > >And Maiken says, "But to me predictions of extremely gloomy futures see= m to >be counter-productive to stimulate productive changes." > >So how about if we all try to envision a future that is both bright and= >feasible? I'm willing to try to do my part in starting this process >(warning, this is pretty long, and it's aimed primarily at the U.S. >situation): > >First, I would hope to see an economy and population that is stabilized= and >optimized world wide. One in which wealth and amenities are fairly >distributed across urban, suburban and rural communities. Where >economically and socially viable communities are well dispersed around = the >world, and each such community has its own stable economy based on a cl= ean >and sustainable industry. And less than half of the world=92s populati= on >lives in metropolitan areas or communities of over 100,000 population. > >Second, each and every future community is served by a passenger transp= ort >service such as a rail or bus line. All city and town neighborhoods ha= ve >walking distance access to parks, schools, libraries, places of worship= and >small shopping centers. All city and town neighborhoods are interlaced= and >connected by walking and bicycle paths as well as roads. Long haul fre= ight >moves primarily by rail and water. Even in what we is now the first wo= rld, >what we call alternative transportation has become preferred transporta= tion >and freeways are becoming an anachronism. > >Third, each and every community has its own public school, public parks= , >places of worship and full-service, locally-owned businesses. Each >community has its own medical and dental service center or clinic. Thi= s >means area residents can take care of all their ordinary needs and want= s >without leaving their own community: they can shop locally for groceri= es, >clothing, hardware, building supplies and farm equipment; they can obta= in >routine medical, dental and veterinary care; they can attend the worshi= p >center of their choice; they can check books or DVDs out of a well-stoc= ked >local library; they can bank locally; and they can read a local newspap= er, >listen to local news on the radio, watch regional news on TV, and get >meaningful news via computer. > >Fourth, I would see distinct town and urban boundaries with little or n= o >urban sprawl. Rural small acreage home sites are primarily found in >clusters on land that has low value for agriculture, forests, wildlife = or >recreation. And these rural small acreage home developments pay full c= ost >for infrastructure services such as roads, utilities, mail and parcel >delivery, police and fire protection and school transportation. This d= oes >not mean that we are not honoring and supporting our farming families, = but >it does mean that the rest of us are not subsidizing non farmers who ch= oose >to live in a rural setting. > >Fifth, large numbers of food-producing family-owned farms are close eno= ugh >to population centers to provide easy and cost-efficient commercial >interaction. These farms provide products that can be bought in urban >stores as well as in farmers=92 markets and at farm site stands. Also,= a >large part of the grocery products sold in even the biggest cities are >grown >and processed within the region. A family can eat well year-round with= out >ever buying a product grown outside the region. > >Sixth, high quality wildland recreation is available within 2 hours tra= vel >of everyone=92s home =96 recreation such as hiking, camping, fishing, h= unting, >bird watching and boating. Nearly all ocean beaches, rivers, lakes and= >streams are available and open to public access, use and enjoyment. > >Seventh, all of our children complete high school fully educated and >qualified for college, technical training, apprenticeship programs, gai= nful >and rewarding employment, or are otherwise achieving a successful and >satisfying life. School success is evaluated on the basis of the succe= ss >of >its graduates. > >Eighth, affordable and complete medical care (including psychiatric, de= ntal >and optical) is fully available to all. Persons who are physically or >mentally unable to earn a decent income are fully supported and >comfortable, >served by programs designed to make them as useful and productive as >possible. Antisocial behavior is treated with a goal of rehabilitation= , >not >punishment. > >Ninth, all forest, range and other wildlands provide a healthy and >sustainable mix of extractive, recreational and esthetic resources and >values. Forest products are processed within the region so as to provi= de >meaningful employment in the woods, in the mills and in wood products >factories. No raw materials or unprocessed resources are exported out = of >the region; rather all such resources are turned into manufactured prod= ucts >before being exported. There is a sound balance between productive lan= ds >and those lands managed and preserved for other values. For example, a= bout >half of the world=92s forest lands are devoted to intensive but diverse= >silviculture, and about half are left primarily for maintaining other >values >such as biodiversity and scenery. > >Tenth, even urban and suburban areas are nature-friendly. Interconnect= ed >habitat supports a diversity of native wildlife and plant communities. >Urban >stream corridors are lush with native growth and the streams support >healthy >populations of native fish. Backyards and schoolyards and institutiona= l >properties provide places to enjoy a quiet visit with nature. > >Eleventh, our air is clean. Granted, this condition can only be met if= the >whole world effectively controls air pollution. But the first world >economies can at least boast that their output of greenhouse gases and >other >atmospheric pollutants is being reduced and stabilized to levels near t= hose >that existed prior to civilization. > >Twelfth, like the air, water remains a publicly owned resource. All of= our >streams and lakes provide water that is clean enough to support a healt= hy >range of native species. Ground water and surface water is being equit= ably >distributed without diminishment to support farms, homes and industries= . >Dams no longer present an impediment to fish migration. Native fish >populations are self-sustaining and productive, supporting a healthily >diverse biotic system as well as recreation and an important commercial= >harvest. Ocean resources are being sustained =96 providing for stable a= nd >productive marine ecosystems as well as supporting a stable and importa= nt >level of recreational and commercial utilization. > >Am I unrealistic? I challenge you to offer something even better, mor= e >complete and achievable. > > >Warren W. Aney >Senior Wildlife Ecologist >Tigard, OR >[EMAIL PROTECTED] (email) > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news >[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Andrew Park >Sent: Thursday, 05 April, 2007 16:05 >To: [email protected] >Subject: Re: Equilibrium/Steady State and Complexity/Evolution > > >Re: economic growth versus steady state, > >There is a big problem with getting from where we are (catastrophic >EXPONENTIAL economic growth) to where some of us would like to be >(Steady state, dynamic flux around some mean value, call it what you >will). > >The problem is that there is nobody anywhere in the world who can >envision a practical, politically feasible, and equitable version of >where we want to be. I have read Daly and others on this subject, adn >their major weakness always revolves around the policies that will >give us steady state. > >Its not their fault though. The problem is that we all have a vested >interest in seeing growth continue. Yes folks, growth is not just a >sop for politicians and the opiate of uber capitalists. Surpluses >generated by growth are what pays for roads, social services, and >other infrastructure of civilization. Growht is what pays for your >pension (if you have one) and it provides dividends on your >investments so that you can retire. Growht is what pays for foreign >aid, even though that is only a pitifully small part of our bloated >GDPs. > >And of course the alternative to growth is stagnation courtesy of the >multiplier effect. Loosely speaking (economists, please correct me), >due to the fact that money circulates in the economy, an additional >dollar of investment translates into several additional dollars of >consumer and other spending. Thus the net effect of spending an >additional dollar is disproportionately translated through the economy >(positive feedback?). > >Unfortunately, it can work in reverse. If you choose not to buy that >one dollar pack of gum (or that shiny new SUV or a cell phone or a >second helping of dessert for that matter), the effect of money >withdrawn from the economy can ripple through it, reducing aggregate >demand disproportionately to the original withdrawal. A positive >feedback with very negative consequences :( > >So how do we get off this treadmill. Beats me...... > >Andy _________________________________________________________________ The average US Credit Score is 675. The cost to see yours: $0 by Experia= n. http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=3D660600&bcd=3DEMAILF= OOTERAVE RAGE
