The New Economy

From Here to There

With the "discovery" that 70% of the American economy was based on consumption, the current economic slowdown has hit many of us and effected many parts of our daily lives.

So for me, the questions that seems to rise to the surface are this.

What kind of an economy do we need which will allow us to live within our means (i.e. much less credit) yet still maintain a healthy and vibrant lifestyle?

If we are not in a position to buy so much stuff, we will move our focus to those things we really have to have. And what are they? Well let's start at the very beginning and food and clean water. We will always need food and water, and the healthier the better.

In the years ahead, I expect many Americans to start adding food growing into their lives. I do not see us all heading back to the farm but the expectation of digging in the dirt a few hours every day would not be unreasonable. I also find it therapeutic as long as it is not a grueling all day/every day routine.

But I am speaking about much more than lots and lots of gardens everywhere, I am talking about creating the "industry of small-scale urban farming." This section of the economy includes every task required to maintain a sustainable food production system. This includes Food farmers, market stands, seed growers, animal husbandry, and composters. We will also be reviving the arts of reusing, repairing and refurbishing out possessions. The stuff that is left over can then be recycled in local centers.

I do not believe that we should set up giant corporate networks to capture all this new business, I am more suggesting that as the economy continues to contract, as I think it will, we will see these kind of business networks emerging out of the growing realizations that the "new normal" will look substantially different than the "previous normal."

The City of Berkeley Zero Waste Commission has taken this even further by stating the following:

Reduce – Just use less. We are so use to thinking more is better that we have forgotten that using less is sometimes better.

Reuse - Stop throwing things away. So many items can be used again and again if not by you then by someone else.

Repair – Reclaim the lost art of fixing things. Many items just require a bit of effort to make them usable once again.

Rebuild – Complex items are well worth the effort and can end up better, stronger or more powerful that the earlier generation.

Refurbish – Sometimes it only takes a little sprucing up to be ready for use.

Refinish – Adding a new cover, color, or stain can make all the difference.

Resell – If it has value others may very well buy it from you. Ebay and others are growing rapidly!

Recycle - Send it back to be used again. Support your local recycling center.

Compost – Send it back to the earth – literally!

If this is not possible then the item should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production.

In addition to food and water we need shelter and clothing. The McMansions are on the verge of being converted into large shared homes. When we look back from the not too distant future, will smile to have all these enormous homes. Concepts like cohousing, shared housing, coops and a host of other as yet unnamed living arrangements will fill these voids. Hell an owner and their bank will be happy to get "rent" from a bunch of unrelated folks before letting the house rot away. But new housing will also reemerge in a new and shrunken variety. Katrina cottages have helped to bring the small home back into vogue, right when economic realities offer us little choice.

More to come...