Designing Ecological Habitats - Gaia Education

12 Designing ecological Habitats
1. Adopt far simpler material living standards
2. High levels of self-sufficiency within households, nations and especially
neighbourhoods and towns, with relatively little travel, transport or trade.
There must be mostly small, local economies in which most of the things we
need are produced by local labour from local resources
3. Basically cooperative and participatory systems, whereby local citizens
govern themselves
4. A quite different economic system, one not driven by market forces and
profit, and in which there are far less work, production, and consumption,
and a large cashless sector, including many free goods from local
commons. There must be far lower GDP than at present, and no economic
growth at all
5. Most problematic, a radically different culture, in which competitive and
acquisitive individualism is replaced by frugal, self-sufficient collectivism
The argument here is that these elements are not optional; if our predicament
is more or less as has been sketched, we have to move to these kinds of
practices whether we like them or not. But this need not be a matter of
reluctantly doing what survival requires. Advocates of the Simpler Way
believe that its many benefits and sources of satisfaction provide a much
higher quality of life than most people experience in consumer society (see
Note 4).
As I see it, the principles and designs I have put in terms of the Simpler
Way correspond to those advocated by the ecovillage and permaculture
movements. If there is any significant difference, it is probably only in focus.
I have been most concerned to argue at the whole-system level; for instance,
for the need to get rid of a growth economy, to transcend market systems
and production for profit, to take local control of local economies, and to
move beyond an acquisitive, competitive culture. But when it comes to the
design and functioning of towns, neighbourhoods and households, it should
be obvious that the ecovillage and permaculture movements are pioneering
the essential ways.
Transition Issues: How on Earth do we Get There?
The transition cannot be driven or forced on people by government. The
new local societies can only be built and made to work by the willing efforts
of local people who understand why the Simpler Way is necessary and
who want to live that way because they find it rewarding. Only local people
know the local conditions and social situations so only they can develop the
systems, networks, trust, cooperative climate, etc. that suit them and will
generate enthusiastic and energetic contributions.
Thus, the most important task for people concerned about the fate of
the planet is to help ordinary people where they live to understand the need
for transition from consumer society, and to move toward willing and happy
acceptance of alternative ways. By far, the best way for concerned people