Alternative Globalization Addressing Peoples and Earth

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with its finances balanced again through proportionally shared effort
and sacrifice, the firm launched new programmes with the workers’
families in the community around the factory. It started a communityoriented
school, with activities for the youth and other educational
initiatives. It began promoting ecological behavior among individuals,
the community and the enterprise. At another stage, the firm adopted a
two-pronged policy of profit-sharing and democratization of the stocks:
it started granting stocks to employees with two or more years of work at
the firm. Today the employees control as much as 20% of the firm’s assets.
Finally, the firm began transforming its own production lines, in order to
fulfill an agro-ecological production plan. Beyond the firm, its
entrepreneurs are active in city and country politics on behalf of a social
order that enables the full exercise of individual and citizens’ rights,
and for the construction of a economy based on cooperation, reciprocity
and solidarity.
5.2 Eco-justice
Social justice has been at the
centre of ecumenical ethics in
the past decades. The impact
of neo-liberalism on the earth
gives urgency to the call for a
just interaction between
creation and humanity. Many
environmental and feminist
movements have placed the
demand for ecological justice
at the centre, remembering
that economy and ecology
represent two interrelated and
inseparable perspectives on
God’s household of life (oikos).
Churches therefore need to
reflect on how God acts to
protect and promote justice in
creation and in human society.
Climate change is a justice
issue. Those consuming high
proportions of fossil fuels put
at risk other peoples’ lives -
people on low-lying islands
and coastal zones, people
exposed to severe droughts,