In the midst of unprecedented wealth throughout the bioregion,
there are still rural and urban pockets of poverty, hunger, sub-standard
housing, and poor health-care.
The long-term cross-cultural studies of economist Manfred Max-Neef
suggest that fundamental needs fall into nine universal categories:
Subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, participation,
idleness, creation, identity, and freedom. A Conservation Economy
is structured to meet these needs for all people. Household Economies,Local
Economies, and Bioregional Economies ensure that these needs are
met as locally as possible.
A regional food system provides healthy food from reliable regional
sources, minimizing the need for food imports of unpredictable
price and quality. It emphasizes broad access to food resources
across the landscape, as well as stable land tenure for farmers
and fishing rights for fishermen. It treats food security –
availability of affordable, healthy food – as a fundamental
right.
Health is the most fundamental need of all, and the health of
people is utterly dependent on broader Ecosystem Services like
pure water, clean air, fertile soil, habitat for food production,
a stable climate, and many others. These ecosystem services must
be properly maintained as an investment in public health. In addition,
a wide range of health care modalities (e.g. Western, Eastern,
Naturopathic , Ayur Veda, ) should be made available at affordable
cost.
Shelter for All implies that a wide range of housing types is
available, with an emphasis on sufficient levels of affordable
and healthy housing. In a conservation economy, there are abundant
opportunities for people of all ages to have Access to Knowledge
in order to develop new skills and livelihoods, participate in
Civic Society, and deepen their Sense of Place.
Fundamental needs are best met in ways that build Community and
Social Capital. They are the foundation for human development.
An emphasis on fundamental needs leads to a sufficiency for all
rather than an excess for a few. This in turn reduces resource
consumption while greatly enhancing the quality of life. As work
is aligned more and more closely with genuine needs, it gains
meaning and becomes more joyful.
Ensure that everyone in the bioregion has fundamental needs met
as a non-negotiable condition of attaining a conservation economy.
At a minimum, these needs include nutritious food; shelter; healthcare;
education; and ecosystem services – all provided affordably
and reliably.
Examples of this pattern in action:
Partnerships For Change
Partnerships For Change is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) "social
profit" organization, dedicated to the acceleration of social
and economic transformation through innovative media, participant-centered
conferencing, and public policy initiatives.
Organizations whose work incorporate this pattern:
Sustainable Community Roundtable
Smart Growth
In Europe To be added after research
References: Illich, Ivan. Celebration of Awareness: A Call for Institutional
Revolution. Heyday Books. Berkeley, CA. 1989.
Max-Neef, Manfred A. Human Scale Development: Conception,
Application, and Further Reflections. The Apex Press. New York,
NY. 1991.
People are often dependent on distant, unhealthy food sources.
This reduces ties to the local landscape, further eroding the
stability of the food system.
Healthy food with a connection to place is a Fundamental Need
, Productive Rural Areas maintain a stable land base for a wide-range
of crops, with Value-Added Production used to process and store
foods off-season and greenhouses and cold-frames used to extend
the growing season. People in towns and cities can garden in backyards
and community gardens, supplemented by urban farms. In Portland,
a project called Growing Gardens teaches low-income people vegetable
gardening skills and helps them install their first garden.
Wildlands represent material abundance for people living in rural
and remote areas. It is the pickup truck full of firewood that
will warm a house through the coldest fortnight of the year. It
is the basketful of chanterelles gathered in the autumn forest
that will turn a simple meal into a gourmet feast, or provide
a little extra money in a cash-poor economy.
All of these are gifts from the wild, which must be harvested
with care and forbearance so the fount of these gifts may flow
on undiminished. Our harvest binds us in a reciprocal tie to the
wild, caring for it so that we may in turn be provided for.
Traditional First Nations uses of Core Reserves and other wild
areas, including food and medicine gathering, ceremonies, and
spiritual quests, should always be respected. Subsistence Rights
ensure that people can meet needs for food, water, and spiritual
connection within their ancestral lands.
For those just beginning to become native to their places, Subsistence
Rights imply secure access to nutritious, affordable food, whether
from harvesting in the wild, growing one’s own garden, or
eating local produce.
Protect the ability of people to access food and other resources
from nearby wildlands, provided that care is taken to maintain
the health of these ecosystems. Enhance regional food systems,
drawing on the entire landscape to reconnect people with place
and provide a nutritious diet. Health
The Makah harvest of gray whales for the first time in several
years is culturally significant because it marks a return to ways
of old. Traditionally, the Makah have taken gray whales to provide
sustenance and to culturally celebrate the whale via ceremonies
and rituals.
Fighting For Subsistence Rights In Southeast Alaska
KETCHIKAN, AK - So many of the controversies in the coastal temperate
rain forest are portrayed as battles between preservation and
consumption that it's refreshing to run across a conflict which
pits one kind of livelihood against another.On the Cleveland Peninsula,
just across Behm Canal from Ketchikan, an unusual coalition of
subsistence hunters, fishers and recreationists is fighting to
protect 200,000 acres of wildlands from clearcuts and roadbuilding.
Their agenda isn't to protect the cuddly animals and the pretty
landscape, it's to preserve an opportunity to forage for the venison,
salmon and crab that comprise an substantial part of their diet…
Organizations whose work incorporate this pattern:
The Makah Nation
Products from the Forest of the Pacific Northwest
In Europe To be added after research
References: Berkes, Fikret. Sacred Ecology: Traditional Ecological Knowledge
and Resource Management. Taylor & Francis. Philadelphia, PA.
1999.
Morgan, Nancy, et al. More Than the Sum of Our Parks: People,
Places and a Protected Areas System for British Columbia. Ecotrust
Canada and Ecotrust. Vancouver, BC. 1997.
Many people in the bioregion live in substandard, unhealthy housing.
For others, housing costs are so high that their household’s
financial security is endangered.
Housing types vary widely in cost, density, suitability for different
population groups, and support of Community. When housing types
lack variety, it is more difficult to sustain both Cultural Diversity
and a mix of income levels. Monolithic neighborhoods tend to physically
separate generation from generation, disconnect people from their
jobs, and isolate both rich and poor.
In a Human-Scale Neighborhood, a wide mix of housing types make
it possible for people of all ages, classes, and family configurations
to live in close proximity. Detached houses, small "granny
flats" in backyards, duplexes, rowhouses, apartment buildings,
co-housing, and other types provide a continuum of affordability
and privacy. If designed properly, higher density can yield both
greater affordability and an enhanced sense of community. Humane
and healthy dwellings are a . The ownership of such dwellings
is a critical foundation of Social Equity.
Even neighborhoods built without a diversity of housing types
can be retrofitted and infilled to increase the range of choices
and densities. With the agreement of neighbors, adjacent buildings
can share yards, gardens, and common buildings; infill cottages
and flats can be added; streets can be slowed down and circulation
patterns altered.
Affordable housing is critical to providing Shelter for All.
It should be constructed using Green Building techniques that
minimize toxicity, enhance indoor air quality, emphasize natural
light, and reduce utility bills. Green affordable housing has
lower maintenance costs and makes an important contribution to
the Health of its residents.
It is essential to maintain policies in support of affordable
housing, along with a community based financial infrastructure
that supports homeownership.
Promote a mix of housing types in every neighborhood, accommodating
a wide range of income levels. Establish strong policies in support
of affordable housing construction and homeownership. Use green
building techniques when constructing affordable housing.
Transfer Development Rights
As part of a larger package of tools and techniques to help protect
the Lake Whatcom Watershed, the Whatcom County Council adopted
(in December of 1999) amendments to the county zoning ordinance
and maps to enable a Transferable Development Rights program…
Belmont Dairy Rowhouses
This row house project is the second phase of a two-block redevelopment
project in the Sunnyside neighborhood of southeast Portland. It
reuses an infill site and addresses the problem of how to increase
density while fitting into the existing urban fabric. The developer
worked with the City of Portland to meet the City's goals for
compact, pedestrian-oriented development that would fit in well
between the single-family neighborhood to the north and high-density
commercial street to the south of the project. The project features
a landscaped pedestrian courtyard separating two C-shaped clusters
of row houses. Garages are located off private auto courts. The
public side of the project features balconies, decks, and bay
windows; the courtyard side features small private gardens and
stone paving. The Belmont Dairy Rowhouses show that high density
and livability can be brought together in a very marketable package.
City Life
A remarkable partnership of public, private and non-profit members
created a steering committee committed to the belief that infill
housing could be attractive, affordable and marketable. Located
within Portland's Brooklyn neighborhood, City Life demonstrated
how to build moderate density in existing neighborhoods which
was compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. Included in
the project were REACH Community Development; Portland General
Electric; the City of Portland Bureau of Planning; the Home Builders
Association of Metropolitan Portland; the American Institute of
Architects/Portland Chapter; West One Bank; and Livable Oregon.
Infill Lots in Walnut Park in Portland, OR
These 16 townhomes on infill lots in the Walnut Park area, an
urban neighborhood in Northeast Portland, were developed by the
Northeast Community Development Corporation (NECDC). The project
goal was affordable home ownership for first time homebuyers with
low to moderate incomes. The jury recognized this project for
its contribution to the overall revitalization of the neighborhood
by using infill lots to construct new homes which are both affordable
and reminiscent of existing architecture in the neighbrhood. The
homes are within walking distance of the Walnut Park Community
Policing and Retail facility, also a Governor's Livability Award
winner, as well as area services, churches, and the Boys and Girls
Club
Organizations whose work incorporate this pattern:
Liveable Oregon
In Europe To be added after research
References: Brand, Stewart. How Buildings Learn; What Happens After They're
Built. Penguin USA. New York, NY. 1995.
Smart, Eric. Making Infill Projects Work. Urban Land Institute.
Washington, DC. 1985.
Health
Our present economy is systematically contaminating every living
cell; destroying and fragmenting habitat; and providing great
stress to human populations. At the same time, large numbers of
people lack health insurance and access to basic medical services.
The health of people and the ecosystems upon which they depend
is inextricably linked. All life is ultimately cellular, and cells
all have their limits. They cannot grow too hot or cold, withstand
too much or too little pressure, become too acidic or too alkaline.
At a certain point, mercury compounds, or DDT, or dioxins overwhelm
a cell's vitality, stressing an organism, and eventually impairing
its intelligence, reproductive success, immune system, and other
functions.
What we do to ecosystems, we ultimately do to ourselves. Environmental
burdens are typically borne by the poorest amongst us, those who
live near toxic dumps and contaminated sites. The establishment
of Sustainable Materials Cycles, with the resulting phasing out
of toxic contamination, is a great contribution to Social Equity,
environmental justice, and the health of all beings.
When we degrade a forest, a wetland, or a sacred site, we ultimately
degrade our very humanity. To maintain a vast system of Connected
Wildlands for the sake of other species, is also to maintain our
ancient evolutionary home, one that we have shared with all life
on this planet for close to four billion years. To restore living
systems is to restore our very cells, tissues, memory, and imagination.
Nothing could be more selfish, more altruistic, or more necessary.
When we create magnificent parks and open spaces in the heart
of the city, we give ourselves opportunities for Beauty and Play.
When we slow down, and begin to dwell in Human- Scale Neighborhoods,
we rebuild Community and Civic Society, our very sense of cultural
identity and participation. When we construct which shine with
natural light, use non-toxic materials, and offer unsurpassed
indoor air quality, we heal or spirit and directly enhance our
health.
Preventive healthcare, emphasizing maintaining health, is cheaper
and more effective than waiting for illness to occur and treating
the symptoms. Western healthcare should be complemented with Eastern,
Naturopathic, and other modalities that have shown themselves
to be cost-effective for a wide range of ailments. Health, as
a Fundamental Need, must be supported by policies making affordable
health insurance and access to medical services broadly available.
Recognize that the health of humans and ecosystems is indivisible.
Arrange all economic activities to be conducive to the continued
health and vitality of this generation of living beings, and all
generations to come. Diversify the medical system and make it
more affordable and accessible to all.
For a Just & Sustainable Bay Area! - Urban Habitat
Program
Urban Habitat Program of the Earth Island Institute. The Urban
Habitat Program (UHP) functions as a catalyst for the environment
and social justice, seeking to promote multi-cultural leadership.
UHP believes that socio-economic and environmental problems are
connected in their causes, effects and solutions. Poor people
and people of color use fewer resources than most, yet they bear
the heaviest burden of environmental degradation and pollution.
United Indian Health Village - Ecosystem and Community Restoration
The United Indian Health Village is an integrated landscape and
health clinic, designed to restore native plants, wetlands, and
garden food production to the landscape and to nurture the health
of the region's Native American population.
Organizations whose work incorporate this pattern:
Commonweal.org
Center headwaters.org
Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health http://www.idrc.ca/ecohealth/
The Political Ecology Group
http://www.igc.org/peg/
In Europe
To be added after research
References: Raffensperger, Carolyn and Joel Tickner. Protecting Public
Health and the Environment: Implementing the Precautionary Principle.
Island Press. Washington, DC. 1999.
Steingraber, Sandra. Living Downstream: A Scientist's Personal
Investigation of Cancer and the Environment. Vintage Books. New
York, NY. 1998.
Conventional education, at all levels, largely ignores the broad
context and specific skills that define an emerging conservation
economy. Fragmented by discipline and disconnected with place,
it leaves people ill prepared to direct the enormous transitions
that are occurring.
A Conservation Economy depends on the Access to Knowledge of its
citizens. This includes both access to basic literacy skills,
math and science, history, geography, and so forth and a new kind
of ecological literacy grounded in the core knowledge areas of
a conservation economy. Access to Knowledge must be universal,
and available to all ages.
Ecological literacy requires a broad familiarity with the functioning
of the biosphere and the distribution of cultures and ecosystems
across its land and waters. It entails a more detailed knowledge
of the local bioregion and its flora, fauna, rivers and mountains,
forests and fields, soils, geology, climate, and history. It demands
an even more intimate knowledge of the immediate region, its mingled
cultural and natural history, its economic activities, patterns
of settlement, its elders and its storytellers. It is sensitive
to local and ways of knowing.
Ecological literacy extends from Ecosystem Services to Green
Building , from True cost Pricing to Sustainable Agriculture.
It provides the conceptual tools to map and invest in , , and
capital. It includes the practical tools to participate in Civic
Society, along with skills like placing erosion control structures
on a riverbank or tending a salmon hatchbox. The schools, centers,
and universities that teach ecological literacy are a critical
resource, and educational activities should be designed to give
back to the community.
While ecological literacy is best instilled in the very young,
it continues to be refined through high school, university, and
work experience, and is fundamentally intergenerational in character.
It can be transmitted through environmental curricula within traditional
educational institutions; broadcasted through a wide range of
bioregional media; incorporated within green marketing campaigns;
passed on by skilled mentors; and continually renewed through
festivals, celebrations, and rituals.
Ecological literacy creates opportunities for new products and
services by facilitating greater understanding of local ecosystems
and broader living processes. It celebrates and nurtures knowledge
of place as a critical resource for sound stewardship. It encourages
a base of shared knowledge that is widely distributed among the
inhabitants of a bioregion, and emphasizes community access to
data of local relevance. For these reasons, Access to Knowledge
is a critical supporting element of Local Economies. It is the
irreplaceable intellectual capital that pervades the Conservation
Economy from the smallest village to the largest city, providing
both new economic opportunities and renewed ties to place and
biosphere.
At all educational levels, provide a fully-integrated ecological
literacy curriculum which grounds students in the science of living
systems and the practical skills necessary to create a conservation
economy. Place particular emphasis on local and bioregional topics,
and carefully connect educational institutions with their surrounding
communities. Ensure that access to knowledge is universal, and
available to all ages.
Examples of this pattern in action:
Teton Science School
"If you’re trying to teach kids about the wonders of
nature, you’d be hard pressed to find a better setting than
the Teton Science School outside Jackson, Wyoming. For thirty
years now, youngsters have come to this cluster of log cabins
at the foot of the towering Teton mountain range to learn the
basics of ecology and get a grounding in scientific observation."
Eric Whitney, Producer, High Plains News Service, National Public
Radio, August, 1997
Astoria Community Information Center
People and communities of the Lower Columbia Pacific region have
experienced a loss of traditional resource based jobs and are
isolated from the centers of commerce, culture, information and
education. The changing world of telecommunications can have a
profound positive impact on our people if we choose to use these
new technologies. To utilize technology requires two things, access
and training, and the CIC provides both.
Center for Ecoliteracy
The Center for Ecoliteracy is dedicated to fostering the experience
and understanding of the natural world. They recognizes food systems
and watersheds as essential systems that provide meaningful contexts
for achieving ecological literacy (ecological understanding).
To ground education in the uniqueness of place, they work with
whole schools on projects that take school children out of the
classroom and into the natural world.
Sea Resources
Sea Resources strives to improve student performance and understanding
while improving the ecological processes of the Chinook watershed.
Rediscovery International
For more than 20 years Rediscovery programs have pioneered new
approaches to experiential education, self discovery, cross-cultural
understanding and environmental awareness. It has been done so
not in a formal classroom setting but through immersion. There
is an old saying: "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember,
I do and I understand."
Organizations whose work incorporate this pattern:
E/The Environmental Magazine
Ecological Literacy Project
The Orion Society
In Europe To be added after research
References:
Bowers, Chet. Educating for an Ecologically Sustainable Culture:
Rethinking Moral Education, Creativity, Intellige. State University
of New York. New York, NY. 1995.
Cajete, Gregory. Look to the Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous
Education. Kivaki Press. Durango, CO. 1994.
Orr, David. Ecological Literacy: Education and the Transition
to a Postmodern World. State University of New York. New York,
NY. 1992.
Smith, April A.. Campus Ecology: A Guide to Assessing Environmental
Quality and Creating Strategies for Change. Living Planet Press.
Los Angeles, CA. 1993.
The frenetic pace and physical isolation of contemporary life
is making it difficult to sustain both the ongoing informal interactions
and long-term formal organizations that sustain communities.
Community is the convivial, day-to-day gathering of people of
all ages and kinds to maintain family and friendships; transact
business; establish neighborhoods; and join in common purpose.
It provides for several Fundamental Needs: participation, identity,
a shared story, and Health. It is at the root of what it means
to be human, and constitutes one of the most critical components
of Social Capital. It helps replace apparent needs for conspicuous
consumption with the genuine benefits of solidarity and companionship.
When Compact Towns and Cities are woven together by Human-Scale
Neighborhoods with a wide mix of uses, income levels, and transportation
options; which are walkable; and which offer many informal places
to gather for conversation, Community and will most often flourish.
When neighborhoods are zoned for only one use, accommodate only
one income level, and are dominated by cars, it is more difficult
to sustain Community. The physical design of places critically
determines the degree and kind of community that will flourish.
Communities are the incubators for Cultural Diversity and Cultural
Preservation. They allow people of many different races, faiths,
and worldviews to enrich each other, providing an enduring sense
of Security. Communities enhance Social Equity by providing a
variety of safety nets - including religious organizations, neighborhood
associations, and non-profit entities - that help marginalized
people meet their needs.
Communities engage in a wide range of cultural activities that
promote Beauty and Play. They provide many ways to celebrate and
connect with nature, creating a Sense of Place.
Communities that engage in deep dialogue about their values and
direction create significant amounts of Social Capital. This cultivation
of Civic Society reduces the kind of polarization that has recently
characterized everything from natural resources to transportation
planning. It also prepares the way for a Just Transition to A
conservation Economy that has widespread support and commitment.
Encourage human-scale neighborhoods that create opportunities
for community and democracy through their physical design and
mix of uses. Support community efforts to enhance social equity,
celebrate cultural diversity, and create a sense of place. Build
community capital over the long-term to aid in the just transition
to a conservation economy.
Examples of this pattern in action:
Real Change Homeless Empowerment Project (RCHEP)
Excerpts taken from: "Real Change - Seattle's Homeless Newspaper"
by Amber Himes, ATR member and office intern Real Change Homeless
Empowerment Project (RCHEP) , which is one of the few homeless-empowerment
projects in the United States, provides an environment to create
support and a community for the poor and homeless, and gives them
skills to express themselves, both politically and creatively.
The newspaper has had a total of approximately 4000 vendors since
its inception and now boasts a print run of up to 30,000 papers
per month. More importantly, selling the newspaper becomes a vehicle
for changing the lives of the homeless. Shane Thompson, a vendor
of almost two years, saved enough money from selling the newspaper
to get an apartment and off the streets after four months. "It
doesn't improve your life," Thompson insists. "But instead
makes your life less difficult and miserable. You also meet a
lot of people and friends by selling the paper." Comments
another vendor, who wishes to remain anonymous, "I had been
panhandling which is very basic, but selling Real Change makes
me not a beggar but a small businessman, a more honorable position."
Bicycle Community Project
The Bicycle Community Project unites at risk youth and environmentalists
in integrating extensive youth development programs with bicycle
services, thereby increasing job and training opportunities and
the use of bicycles while improving the quality of life for individuals
and communities.
Organizations whose work incorporate this pattern:
A Territory Resource
National Community Building Network
Communities for a Better Environment
In Europe To be added after research
References:
Etzioni, Amitai. The Spirit of Community: The Reinvention of American
Society. Touchstone Books. Carmichael, CA. 1994.
Kemmis, Daniel. The Good City and the Good Life: Renewing
the Sense of Community. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York, NY.
1995.
Kretzmann, John P and John L. McKnight. Building Communities
from the Inside Out: A Path Towards Finding and Mobilizing a Community's
Assets. The Asset-Based Community Development Institute. Evanston,
IL. 1993.
Security
As inequities within and between nations increase, new threats
to security are emerging.
Security in its broadest sense is a trust that Fundamental Needs
are being met in a community free from fear and violence. When
basic needs for Food, shelter, meaningful work, or cultural identity
go unmet, people become insecure and, ultimately, desperate. A
Coservation Economy increases everyone's sense of well-being,
while also addressing these root causes of violence and alienation.
In a conservation economy, strategies for building Household
Economies and Local Assets and spread wealth much more broadly
throughout society. Long-term enhancement of Social Equity is
the most reliable way to guarantee security. Short-term expenditures
on additional prisons, conventional "security" measures
like guards and surveillance cameras, and home alarm systems actually
exacerbate the problems they are designed to solve and divert
resources away from addressing their root causes.
Security also depends on a sense of affiliation to a broader
Community . This affiliation can be provided by participation
in Civic Society, through a Sense of Place, or any of the myriad
ways that human beings form strong bonds with each other and the
landscapes they depend on. A Conservation Economy honors these
bonds of family, friendship, culture, and land.
Finally, security also depends on a reliable stream of Ecosystem
Services, including Soil Fertility, climatic stability, and fresh
water. As these services deteriorate, severe social dislocation
can occur. Conflicts over natural resources are increasing in
frequency and intensity all the way from the watershed to the
international scale, and pose significant threats to security.
Security can only be maintained by addressing the root causes
of violence. This requires that fundamental needs be met, community
capital be increased, and ecosystem services be stabilized.
Examples of this pattern in action:
Tahoma Food System
The Tahoma Food System was formed in 1997 when farmers, gardeners,
government, food bank staff, and environmentally conscious people
came together to ensure the viability of existing community food
projects, create new projects, and to develop community awareness
of the value of supporting the local food system.
Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is a not-for-profit organization that exists to alleviate
suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure,
productive, and just communities. The agency now operates in more
than 25 countries reaching 5 million people worldwide. With headquarters
in the United States and Scotland, Mercy Corps is an international
family of humanitarian organizations that includes Mercy Corps,
Mercy Corps Scotland, Pax World Service in Washington, DC, Proyecto
Aldea Global in Honduras, Proyecto Aldea Global Jinotega in Nicaragua,
and MerciPhil Development Foundation in the Philippines.
Organizations whose work incorporate this pattern:
Community Food Security Coalition
Reach Community Development, Inc.
Rocky Mountain Institute Global Security Program
In Europe To be added after research
References: Graham, Kennedy, ed. The Planetary Interest: A New Concept
for the Global Age. Rutgers University Press. Piscataway, NJ.
1999.
Klare, Michael T. Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global
Conflict. Metropolitan Books. New York, NY. 2001.
Wealth and income inequities within the United States, and between
the United States and other nations, continue to increase rapidly.
The average income disparity between a line worker and CEO in
a large corporation is now more than four hundred to one.
Social Equity implies fair access to livelihood, education, and
resources; full participation in the political and cultural life
of the Community; and self-determination in meeting Fundamental
Needs . As Martin Luther King observed, "where there is injustice
for one, there is injustice for all." Social Equity is the
cornerstone of Social Capital, which cannot be maintained for
a few at the expense of the many. Increased equity results in
decreased spending on prisons, security enforcement, welfare,
and social services. It also creates new potential markets.
Inequities magnify the challenge of creating A Conservation Economy
in several ways. Those who are marginalized may be tempted to
eat into reserves of Natural Capital and Social Capital to meet
immediate needs, while those with abundant choices may seek conspicuous
forms of consumption which - unintentionally - have the same depleting
effect. Current toxic production activities are extremely unjust,
with increased health impacts along racial and class lines. Sustainable
Materials Cycles which do not use airsheds and watersheds as pollution
sinks have significant favorable equity implications.
Social Equity leaves plenty of room for individuals, households,
and communities to seek the mix of economic, social, and ecological
assets that best reflects their values. It critically depends
on diverse Local Economies that provide a wide range of work options
for those of all ages and skills. Social Equity is enhanced by
forms of ownership and community-based financial institutions
that build Local Assets. It further requires that historical inequities
be addressed and compensated fairly through a Just Transition
.
Social Equity is promoted by Human-Scale Neighborhoods that provide
Shelter for All. Neighborhoods that offer a range of housing options,
a mix of uses, and access to a variety of jobs, are often intergenerational
and diverse. Such neighborhoods are encouraged by regional tax
revenue sharing, which promotes an equitable distribution of tax
revenues between the core city, inner suburbs, and rapidly developing
outer suburbs. This prevents disinvestment in neighborhoods, improving
the overall livability and safety of Compact Towns and Cities.
Over time, True Cost Pricing will improve Social Equity by assigning
prices which accurately reflect social costs and benefits. This
will allow practices that are socially just to compete effectively
in the marketplace, including living-wage compensation for workers.
Promote diverse local economies that provide a wide range of employment
opportunities. Build local assets that broadly distribute the
wealth of a community. Encourage human-scale neighborhoods that
provide shelter and community for all. Work towards a tax shift
that fully values social costs and benefits.
Examples of this pattern in action:
The Social Equity Branch
Ministry of Education, BC, Canada
Social Equity is all about meeting the demands of our changing
society and searching for innovative solutions to the many issues
that affect children and their education. Established in September
1994, the Social Equity Branch provides additional support services,
policies, and programs to children in the education system who
are disadvantaged in various ways.
Social Equity & Justice
In a sustainable community, human culture holds a high standard
of equity and justice in the relationships among people and in
their relationship with the natural world. People honor and uphold
the well-being of the whole community.
Organizations whose work incorporate this pattern: Transition Projects, Inc
Sustainable Community Roundtable
inequality.org
In Europe To be added after research
References: Brill, Hal, Jack A. Brill and Cliff Feigenbaum. Investing
with Your Values: Making Money and Making a Difference. Bloomberg
Press. Princeton, NJ. 1999.
Korten, David C. The Post-Corporate World: Life After Capitalism.
Kumarian Press and Barrett-Koehler Publishers. San Francisco,
CA. 1999.
The richness of life is in its immense diversity. The great diversity
of languages and cultural groups in this bioregion - from Tlingt
to Mattole, from Pomo to Haisla, has suffered grave damage for
the last two centuries. Now these ancient voices are being supplemented
by a dizzying range of new cultures taking root in the region.
How can the wisdom of those who know this place well be blended
with the vibrant voices and traditions of those who are just learning
its ways?
A world rich with Cultural Diversity honors the unique qualities
and contributions of many cultures. Different religions, ethnicities,
languages, and cultural traditions create a human tapestry that
greatly contributes to Social Capital. Honoring this diversity,
turning it to advantage, is a fundamental aspect of Social Equity.
Ask yourself what specific communities or populations know about
certain mountains, or wetlands, or farming a special crop, or
wildcraft harvesting a rare medicinal plant. You will learn that
a specific soil in just the right climate will grow certain plants
well. People co-evolve with place similar to the way plants and
animals co-evolved with their ecosystems. Cultural Diversity respects
local knowledge and the role each culture has to play in creating
A Conservation Economy.
The Columbia River tribes tend the salmon runs and with a salmon
feast as the fish return. In honoring the life of the salmon,
and the flesh they feed to people and dozens of other species,
they honor the exquisite poetry of living systems in our bioregion.
Mennonite farmers have their own way of honoring the land, and
so do practitioners of Sustainable forestry falling in love with
the interconnectedness of life in the forest.
Cultures can grow and diversify in a place within a few decades
if they are attentive. Media tied to a Sense of Place provide
a twenty-first century fire circle, allowing hundreds of local
communities a chance to witness and share their unique relationships
to their beloved rivers, forests, and mountains.
In time, people grow into the contours of their place. People
living in place have always acknowledged the practical skills
of those who knew how to sew fishing nets, prepare an herbal poultice,
or track animals. One role of Cultural Diversity in A Conservation
Economy is to learn how to live well in place by putting the stories,
songs, dances, and special knowledge of many cultures to appropriate
use.
Celebrate the intrinsic worth and richness of cultural diversity
in all its forms. Find ways to harness this diversity in the service
of a conservation economy.
Examples of this pattern in action:
Redwood Rabis
It was a ritual at once traditional and radical that drew 250
people to an ancient redwood grove ten miles from Northern California's
Headwaters Forest on a stormy January day in 1997. Between rain
squalls they were celebrating Tu B'shevat, the Jewish New Year
of the Trees. But this ceremony was not just about spiritual connection
with the plant kingdom, and included more than the usual ritual
meal of fruits, nuts, and wine. The forestry chair of the local
Sierra Club chapter gave an overview of the threat posed to the
old-growth redwood forests by the Houston-based Maxxam Corporation.
Another worshipper chanted the haunting Kaddish, or mourner's
prayer, in memory of creatures displaced or killed by logging.
Most radical of all, the ceremony set the stage for an act of
civil disobedience: the planting of redwood seedlings on an eroding
stream bank on Maxxam property to symbolize hope for the restoration
of land already clearcut and creeks stripped of their tree cover.
Maxxam had refused permission to plant, but the worshippers vowed
they would break the law and trespass, seedlings and shovels in
hand...
Sustainable Alternatives to the Global Economy (SAGE)
SAGE works with community-based organizations and networks primarily
in the San Francisco Bay Area, but also nationally and internationally,
to develop greater understanding of the social, economic and environmental
impacts of economic globalization on local communities and the
region. SAGE also works to foster the development of sustainable
alternatives to the global economy that promote multicultural
community, ecological sustainability and justice. SAGE undertakes
this work in three program areas: (1) Research and analysis (2)
Issues articultation and education (3) Constituency building and
advocacy
Organizations whose work incorporate this pattern: Aboriginal Mapping Network
Commonway Institute
Institute of Cultural Affairs
In Europe To be added after research
References: LaDuke, Winona. All Our Relations. South End Press. Cambridge,
MA. 1999.
Nabhan, Gary Paul. Cultures of Habitat: On Nature, Culture,
and Society. Counterpoint Press. Washington, DC. 1998
Each time a language or culture is lost, we loose an irreplaceable
and exquisite way of being. Each time a well-loved building is
torn down without a trace, or a gathering place paved over, a
strand of culture is frayed.
Culture is the highest expression of what it means to be human.
It is a measure of our species' contribution to planetary Biodiversity.
Cultural Preservation emphasizes the need to protect, restore,
and honor all forms of Cultural Diversity. It is a cornerstone
of Community.
Cultural Preservation recognizes the many strands of culture:
language, stories, songs, dances, practical skills; buildings;
sacred sites; artifacts; arts and crafts; relationships to the
land; and forms of subsistence. In the context of the built environment,
the appropriate re-use of well-loved and culturally significant
buildings and sites can provide cultural renewal. Landscapes retain
memories of old patterns of use, from the long trails of oaks
planted across California for food and game; to the fire-maintained
savannas of the Applegate now closing back in with forest; to
the ancient salmon weirs on the British Columbia coast. These
sites can be celebrated, and these patterns of use hold clues
for twenty-first century management systems grounded in traditional
ecological knowledge.
In Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia, a wide range of representatives
from First Nations, governments, commercial fisheries, and environmental
groups has formed the Regional Aquatic Management Society. This
group is using local knowledge, some of it ancient, to manage
local fisheries for the health of the whole ecosystem, and with
benefits to flow fairly to all participants. Traditional cultural
methods for managing ecosystems are extremely sophisticated and
timely. They offer powerful models for monitoring, restoring,
and sharing the benefits from ecological commons.
The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Townsend,
Washington teaches, and thereby preserves, a number of traditional
maritime crafts, including fine wooden boatbuilding. The U’mista
Cultural Center in Alert Bay, British Columbia, teaches the Kwak’wala
language to a new generation. The Sitka Arts and Ecology Center
in Neskowin, Oregon blends craft, fine art, and science. Such
institutions keep the old arts and ways alive, blending them with
the emerging Conservation Economy.
Find ways to keep the whole
spectrum of cultural practices vibrant and alive.
The Royal British Columbia Museum is a place of discovery. Through
three unique galleries, the Museum showcases the human and natural
history of British Columbia.
Organizations whose work incorporate this pattern:
Communities need opportunities to celebrate themselves and their
connection to place.
Celebration is a profound response to the magnificence of the
mountains and rivers, creatures large and small, sun and moon,
storm and clearing which define the rhythms of life in our chosen
place. It binds Community and ecosystem, reminding us of our ancient
allegiances to the more-than-human domain.
A Sense of Place takes many forms: annual festivals, fairs, gatherings;
rituals; paintings, sculpture, and site art; gardens; local currencies
and trading Systems; restaurants featuring regional and seasonal
cuisine; crafts using local materials; buildings reflecting the
changing seasons; songs, stories, and dances; plays and poetry;
community bookstores, coffeehouses, and gathering places; essays
and novels. A Sense of Place is built on acts as humble as a ramble
in the woods or as grand as a day of Longhouse feasting.
A Sense of Place is universal to all cultures, with expressions
reflecting the full range of Cultural Diversity. It can be created
in the heart of a city as well as in the heart of the wild. Examples
include the annual Procession of the Species, when people decorate
themselves as native species like salmon, cedar, and red-winged
blackbird; the Wild Olympic Salmon event interpreting the natural
history of salmon on the Olympic Peninsula; and Portland’s
Natural Building Convergence bringing earth builders together
with community members to construct five cob sculptures in public
areas.
A Sense of Place is also nourished by bioregional media sources
- newspapers, magazines, websites, CD-ROMs, radio, and television
- that cover the cultures and landscapes of a particular region.
Such media tell the stories of local people and places, valuing
them, honoring their complexities, creating opportunities to connect
with them. They may be fast or slow, sophisticated or homespun.
Bioregional media can help build Local Economies, honor Cultural
Diversity, and provide Access to Knowledge.
Tidepool.org is a bioregional website which is devoted solely
to news from the coastal temperate rainforest. Every weekday morning
the website is updated with the day’s breaking news, drawn
from dozens of newspapers, periodicals, and on-line sources. The
Inforain.org website complements Tidepool.org by providing a visual
and data-rich information system for the same region. Inforain.org
is a site to generate maps of one’s home watershed on-line,
to examine the status of local salmon stocks, to query a database
of regional conservation groups, or to browse a wide range of
spatial data layers and maps.
Bioregional media like Tidepool.org and Inforain.org, while nascent,
hint at the kinds of media that can support local cultures and
Local Economies.
Encourage the sense of place in a variety ways, from regional
presses and publications, to restaurants featuring seasonal local
food, to public gatherings. Support bioregional media sources
that provide coverage of local cultures and landscapes.
"The Procession of the Species is an artistic and environmental
celebration of the natural world created by the community for
the community using the mediums of art, music, and dance to give
the natural world a greater presence in our streets." It
is a parade of the human species sharing creations of individual
expression of their awe and appreciation of the natural world.
Designed as a cultural exchange rather than an entertainment event,
it engages people from all walks of life - regardless of age,
experience, or background - from local schools, social service
organizations, tribal groups, churches, community groups, and
individual area residents.
Raven and Crow's Potlatch
The Potlatch is an important custom among the nations of the North
Pacific coasts, as tribal communities gather to feast and celebrate
with singing, dancing and storytelling. The preparations are extensive,
often taking a couple of years. The occasion of the Potlatch might
be to honor the dead (which required two feasts a year apart),
to celebrate a marriage or a birth, or to establish the host's
claim to names, rank and privileges. Often the raising of a totem
pole or the dedication of a house (which usually housed several
extended families) would be the occasion for the feast. Always
the Potlatch included lavish gift giving to the guests. In fact,
the name "potlatch" comes from the Chinook word for
"giving".
Salmon Homecoming
Most Northwesterners share a common dream of restoring and protecting
salmon runs for the benefit of their children, culture, environment
and economy. But ideas for achieving this dream are diverse and
often in conflict. The 2000 Salmon Homecoming Forum: Salmon Recovery
Comes Full Circle will provide an opportunity for those involved
in and affected by salmon to make connections that will help move
beyond conflict for real progress.
Wild Olympic Salmon Festival - Chimacum
Every two years, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Chimacum
has a Salmon Festival in Chimacum County Park. The festival lasts
all day until late at night. It usually begins with a parade of
people or a story and ends with a big bonfire and a dance. Those
who come are outside most of the time or at least walking back
and forth to the big tent. The salmon dinner, costumes, music,
storytelling, artwork and other entertainment make it a special
day for our community.
Earth Day
Events all around the world celebrating Earth Day.
Return of the Brant festival
A festival to celebrate the return of the Brants from their Arctic
feeding grounds.
Migratory Species Project
Tries to unite communities along the migration route of the gray
whale from Baja California to Alaska.
Organizations whose work incorporate this pattern:
Bird and Nature Festivals
Potlatch
References: Abram, David. The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language
in a More-Than-Human World. Vintage Books. New York, NY. 1997.
Sale, Kirkpatrick. Dwellers in the Land: The Bioregional
Vision. Sierra Club Books. San Francisco, CA. 1985.
Snyder, Gary. The Practice of the Wild: Essays. North Point
Press. San Francisco, CA. 1990.
We need opportunities for deep relaxation, to absorb the beauty
and fullness of life, and to simply play
Beauty and Play is an inalienable right of all beings. Two young
girls from Richmond, California on their first trip to an ancient
forest play handgames with the sawed-off end of a thousand-year
old redwood tree in Muir Woods. A sun-dappled crowd gathers at
a waterfront park for an afternoon of Blues. An old couple strolls
through an art gallery, admiring the work of centuries past.
Beauty is the measure of life well-lived and a place well-stewarded.
Ugliness tends to demean and stunt the spirit; it is usually a
symptom of injustice and poor design. A Conservation Economy promotes
wholeness and life, and that which is playful and high spirited.
Beauty and Play can be found in the wild veins of an ancient forest,
within , and throughout the daily life of a Community.
The Health of people and ecosystems are directly linked. Each
benefits from the other's vitality. Beauty and Play allows us
to interact with the ancient ecosystems that are our evolutionary
birthright and original teacher. In the countryside our senses
relax and harmonize with the environment. Dragonflies and cicadas
gently catch our gaze.
Beauty and Play is a Fundamental Need for all people - and all
creatures - and is a basic indicator of vitality. It correlates
directly with the effectiveness of the Ecological Infrastructure
of any . Healthy urban rivers, wetlands, and forests attract both
wildlife and people, offering abundant opportunities for recreation
and sensory immersion.
Beauty and Play is also correlated with the strength of Community
and the sense of Security and relaxation that one feels in Human-Scale
Neighborhoods and amongst great public spaces.
Celebrate beauty, wholeness, and play as central features of life.
Enormous amounts of wealth are tied up in economic activities
that are not likely to play a significant role in a conservation
economy. Many people perceive a significant stake for themselves
- personally and economically - in perpetuating the status quo.
Allocations of resources in the current economy depend on a complex
set of historical circumstances. First Nations in British Columbia
are actively fighting for recognition of traditional territories
currently under control of the provincial government. Farmers
along the Snake River and in the Klamath River Basin have based
their investment decisions for generations on the availability
of affordable water. Fossil fuel use has been predicated on the
perceived ability to emit unlimited quantities of carbon dioxide
into the air at no charge.
A Conservation Economy requires a vast shift in investments and
resources to redress historical injustices and lay the foundation
for a non-toxic, Resource Efficient, renewable, and equitable
society. The key issue is how to make a Just Transition from the
current economy to a conservation economy. First Nations and other
groups suffering from historical injustice need the opportunity
to negotiate fair restitution and regain sufficient resources
to meet their needs. Individuals and businesses invested in unsustainable
practices require a viable exit strategy, allowing them to bring
their skills and assets to new uses in a conservation economy.
A just transitions strategy implies that no one is left behind
in designing a pathway to a conservation economy. Those most invested
in activities inconsistent with a conservation economy should
be given fair compensation for their holdings and provided new
opportunities. This allows communities to shift from the divisive
question of "Why make any changes?" to "What would
it take for each member of the community to embrace change?"
Leadership on just transitions has been provided by the Oil,
Chemical, and Atomic Workers Union. Beginning in the early 1990s,
the union recognized the declining role of many of its core occupations
and gave its members job retraining, preparing them for work in
new fields. In another instance, substantial federal assistance
was given to displaced forest workers in the Northwest during
the 1990s, giving them new skills in restoration and related fields.
Redeploy skills and assets from the current economy to the conservation
economy, offering training and compensation where necessary. Redress
historical injustices through transparent dialogue and negotiation.
Just Transition is a process to ameliorate the conflict between
jobs and the environment. It brings organized labor, the traditional
environmental community and the people of color environmental
justice movement together to develop policies and relationships
to avert clashes. Through a process of dialogue and common projects
these groups are defining a policy of Just Transition that calls
for financing a fair and equitable transition for workers and
communities in environmentally sensitive industries as we necessarily
move forwards towards more sustainable production.
Organizations whose work incorporate this pattern:
Canadian Labor Congress
Environmental Justice Resource Center
Health Care Without Harm
References: Labor Institute, . Just Transition. Labor Institute. New York,
New York. 2002.
As wealth and political power become increasingly concentrated,
it becomes difficult for human-scale democracy to flourish.
Civic Society is that component of social life that falls outside
the domain of governments and commerce, yet is concerned with
building Community. In order to flourish, civic society requires
informal "third place" meeting spaces (outside both
home and work), non-governmental organizations, and independent
media.
One significant role of civic society is to maintain a barrier
between commerce and government. In the absence of major campaign
finance reform, citizens must pay constant attention in order
to resist the undue influence of wealth on politics. Immediate
and democratic participation in shaping the built environment,
land-use, taxation and spending, laws, and policies is intrinsic
to A Conservation Economy. It is vital that this participation
be provided through spontaneous channels and not just through
formal governmental processes.
Non-profit organizations, associations, trade unions, churches,
bookstores, cafes, and related community assets play a critical
role in hosting and shaping civic society. They provide ongoing
ways for citizens to engage in the great conversations about society’s
meaning and direction. Such dialogue allows fundamental values
to be explored and profound new directions to emerge. It forms
an important counterpoint to both the formal governance process
and the expression of immediate consumer values in the marketplace.
Independent media - including newspapers, radio and television
stations, and websites - provide additional communication channels
for civic society. They disseminate ideas to much broader audiences
and permit ongoing critical examination.
A Conservation Economy promotes civic society through its emphasis
on local control and accountability and Social Equity. Capital
that is rooted locally is responsive to local concerns. Citizens
with a sense of Security whose Fundamental Needs are met are more
likely to shape civic society. In turn, a conservation economy
depends on an ongoing transformation in values that can only result
from meaningful public debate.
Promote the gathering places, non-governmental organizations,
and independent media that give civic society full expression.
Honor civic society as a barrier between and alternative to both
government and commerce.
Civil Society International
Civil Society International (CSI) publishes information and provides
services to strengthen citizen organizations worldwide working
for civil rights, democratic institutions, social assistance,
and economic reform.
Organizations whose work incorporate this pattern:
Mercy Corps
Moving Ideas
References: Etzioni, A. Rights and the Common Good: The Communitarian
Perspective. St. Martin's Press. New York, New York. 1995.
Gittel, R and Vidal A.. Community Organizing: Building Social
Capital as A Development Strategy. Sage Press. Thousand Oaks,
CA. 1998.
Hasselbein, F., et al. The Community of the Future. Jossey-Bass
Publishers. San Francisco, CA. 1998.
