“Alternatives to Capitalism: Materialism, Consumption and Waste” - Online Discussion - February 13 – 24, 2017. Co-Facilitators: Peter Ruddock and Willi Paul. Sign-up via Google Groups. Sponsored by Planetshifter.com
We have integrated six topics that connect us to Capitalism. Please join us and upload your essays and comments. This is an open and non-judgmental event. We will post a summary of the results on Planetshifter.com upon completion.
The initial event topics and their definitions are live and ready for your ideas, and include:
Topic One. Materialism / Resources -
As physical beings, we require physical things to live, at a minimum food, and in most climates clothing and shelter. How we obtain things and what we do with them is defined by social norms, societal values and our economic system. Our perceptions of the things that we possess are often equated with spiritual experiences.
Topic Two. Acquisition -
There are numerous ways to obtain physical things. We can make or grow things. We can buy them. Increasingly we are sharing many things instead of owning them - what we really want of those things is their utility, not the things themselves.
Topic Three. Consumption -
Consumption of things is driven by social norms. We acquire not just for use, but to be perceived as successful - the more we have, the better we supposedly are. We compete with others over who has more and better things. Commercial production reinforces this consumptive competition through advertising.
Topic Four. Waste -
Nature knows no waste. Everything is used and re-used. Waste, to humans, is that which is no longer immediately useful to its possessor. It is generally discarded as worthless, defective or useless. Waste is often generated because we think that we need something, when we really don't - we throw it away when we realize this.
Topic Five. Spirit / Transition / Sustainability -
We desire a transition to a new social norm, one in which we consume less and waste less. We will need a societal, cultural shift to get to this norm, one where we are not encouraged to accumulate, but to realize our real needs and to acquire physical things accordingly. This should be done in a way that uses the earth lightly, including generating minimal waste, and respects the people of the earth in doing so.
Topic Six. Capitalism -
As such, we will have to deal with the motives of capitalism, which encourages unnecessary consumption and waste. Mechanisms will have to be applied which instead encourage fair treatment of the planet and its people, while providing good lives for all.
Please sign-up and join us!
* * * * * * *
Facilitator Bios / Contact:
Peter Ruddock is a sustainable food advocate and small business consultant. He is working toward creating a more sustainable world, by changing the way we interact with our environment and with each other. He concentrates on food systems change, because given that everyone eats everyone should be able to relate to a healthier, more sustainable food system. He believes that there are four areas where he can best work on fostering this change: educating people about sustainability; creating a resilient local economy; creating vibrant local communities; and changing policies to foster such changes. He is active in a number of grass-roots non-profits to help accomplish these goals: Slow Food, Slow Money, Transition Palo Alto, and the San Mateo County Food System Alliance and the Coordinator of the California Food Policy Council.
Peter Ruddock
PeterRuddock at yahoo.com
(650) 283-0978
Coordinator, California Food Policy Council [FB]
Willi Paul has been active in the sustainability, permaculture, transition, sacred Nature, new alchemy and mythology space since the launch of PlanetShifter.com Magazine on EarthDay 2009. In 1996 Mr. Paul was instrumental in the design of the emerging online community space in his Master’s Thesis: “The Electronic Charrette.” He was active in many small town design visits with the Minnesota Design Team. Willi earned his permaculture design certification in August 2011 at the Urban Permaculture Institute, San Francisco.
Mr. Paul has been interviewed over 30 times in blogs and journals. See his early cutting-edge article at the Joseph Campbell Foundation and his pioneering videos on YouTube. Willi’s network now includes multiple partner web sites, a 3 Twitter accounts, a G+ site, multiple blog sites, and multiple list serves and e-Community Groups including his New Mythology, Permaculture and Transition Group on LinkedIn, and his popular New Global Mythology group on Depth Psychology Alliance.
Willi Paul
New Mythologist & Transition Entrepreneur
PlanetShifter.com | Academia.edu Portfolio
@openmythsource @PermacultureXch
willipaul1 at gmail.com
Replies