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Friday, January 11, 2008

Sustain


Interesting article on the upcoming/present recession. In this excerpt, the term sustainable is used to describe a possible and perhaps even a desirable economy.

We use the term sustainable to designate energy systems and food systems but this is in regard to an entire economy.

It is almost un-American to think of a sustainable economy in the US. This is the land of opportunity meaning possibility to get rich usually off of someone else's labor. Can we imagine America land of sustainability - not in the near future although many would appreciate it, maybe even crave it.

Recession--Who Cares? by Barbara Ehrenreich
What is this fixation on growth anyway? As a general rule of biological survival, any creature or entity that depends on perpetual growth is well worth avoiding, lest you be eaten alive. As Bill McKibben argues in his book Deep Economy, the "cult of growth" has led to global warming, ghastly levels of pollution, and diminishing resources. Tumors grow, at least until they kill their hosts; economies ought to be sustainable.

2 comments:

Glynn Kalara said...

Having a sustainable economy is a joke to capitalists. To those of us just trying to sustain ourselves on a daily basis its already a reality.

Jim Sande said...

Amen. The idea I use is to try to live a little below my means. In other words, a little below my means and a little bit above the sidewalk ;)