Rather than view a degrowth economic model (due to peak oil, peak debt, climate change, and peak soil) as mere doom and gloom, re-localizing our economies represents an opportunity for healthier and happier living. Here's why...
Community: the interconnected nature of local economies means that we strive to use more authentic ways to communicate and interact. How do you feel about the current economic crisis sweeping the globe? What are some of your hopes and fears about the future? How can we come together in our communities to work together for the benefit of all involved? In order to answer some of these questions, authentic communication must become a prerequisite. Try communicating this way with your neighbors, friends or family and observe the way it brings you together to meet each others needs and enhance the sense of belonging and community inherent among you.
Well being: re-localizing our economies can have a significant impact on the way we live our lives. It gives us the opportunity to take responsibility for our own health and well being. No longer being reliant on big food corporations requires that you grow your own food or support local farmers. This produce, if organically grown, is much better for you. Likewise, using your bike in the neighborhood or walking and running instead of using your car which increases your dependence on expensive fossil fuels, means that you're living a more active lifestyle. Whether it involves eating nutrient rich, locally grown organic food or cutting dependence on fossil fuels to use your bike to get you somewhere, re-localizing our economies can significantly improve our health and well being.
Connection: the industrial growth economy was built on separation. Local economies need to be built on connection and trust. If we are to stand any chance of tackling problems like climate change, debt and high food and petrol prices, we need to cooperate more at the local level. This means banding together in our communities to see how we can use our unique skills and talents for the good of the whole. Whereas the industrial growth economy has been driven predominantly by ego, more local economies will be driven by networks of people who can work together. Not only are we tapping into a more resilient pool of resources, but we'll be learning how to communicate and build real connections to enhance individual, community and environmental well being. Is there any way you can build local, resilient connections with friends, family, your neighbors or people in your street?
Environment: I believe that coming together in local communities to best understand our impact on the environment is a critical first step to bridging the divide between humans and the environment made prevalent by the industrial growth complex. This could mean chipping together to get a good deal on solar panels or rain water catchment systems. It may mean car pooling so not everyone has to do the school run, thereby reducing emissions while saving money and freeing up time to work on other projects. It could mean creating a bike sharing or tool sharing program in your street. To reduce our global footprint on the environment we are going to have to learn what it means to live more economically at the local level.
The industrial growth system emerged out of the assumption that we need to continually work at amassing more wealth and power to the detriment of human health and ecosystems around the globe. Statistics show however, that this is not true. The magic number: $75 000 a year. Anything one earns above that doesn't actually serve to make one happier.
So what's more important: the destruction of forests, fisheries, the contamination of underground aquifers, the depletion of healthy soil, and the extinction of whole species of plants and animals for more money and power? Or, something more real, more beautiful, more connected and more alive for generations to follow?
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