The US economy depends on perpetual dissatisfaction — the myth
that if we buy just one more thing we’ll feel complete.
So how can anyone, rich or poor, hope to be satisfied? How does
the average person find happiness in a culture that calculates
self-worth in dollars and cents? The answer, according to a group
of people calling for an economic paradigm shift, is simple: we
just do.
‘Human beings and human workers can no longer serve as cogs in
the machine of accumulation,’ argues author Brian Milani, member of
the Coalition for a Green Economy. ‘Ecological development requires
an unleashing of human development and an extension of democracy.
Social and ecological transformation go hand in hand.’
Green Economics, according to Milani, demands a complete
overhaul of the current economic system. This means substituting
positive alternatives in all areas of life and every sector of the
economy and building incentives for ecological merit into the new
system.
The new and improved economic plan revolves around ten core
principles. The first and most important being ‘The Primacy of Use
Value, Intrinsic Value and Quality:’ that the function of a green
economy is to satisfy real human and environmental needs. The list
also includes highlights such as ‘Following Natural Flows,’
‘Diversity,’ and ‘Human Creativity and Development.’
— Marca Bradt
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What is Green
Economics?
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