The New Green Economy

In 2600 BC, on 200 acres, the Oldest City in the Americas, the Origin of American Civilization, thrived.  The Lost Pyramids of Caral encompass a city with some of the largest pyramids in the world, uncovered in the sand mounds of the Peruvian Desert, between the Pacific Ocean and the fertile forests.

Called the Mother City, Caral’s uniqueness is highlighted by its cultural diversity; agriculture achievements; and trade relations.  In its prime, Caral was a grand center of trade and commerce.  With no fortifications, no war depictions, and no signs of warfare; it was a time of peace and play. 

With trade relations over 200 miles away, the people of Caral enjoyed a booming commerce

There are two methods to follow when building a home:

• A Disposable Home: a home that is dependent on continuous external input for its continued operation – such as energy, time, materials, and money; and will eventually reach a state of disrepair where it is no longer financially feasible to maintain.

• A Living Home: a home that is a self sustaining cell producing more energy and free time than it consumes; creating an autonomous structure that is interconnected to maximize your families’ investment.

Last time we discussed the meaning of “green”, and how a “green” product is either comprised of biological nutrients – nutrients made from organic, biodegradable materials; or technical nutrients – nutrients comprised of manufactured components that are continually, or partially, reused and upcycled into a new product.

In order to determine how your products’ lifecycle directly impacts your business’s bottom line, you must first determine which nutrient cycle your product is currently in.

To determine your product’s current nutrient cycle, ask yourself: Of the materials that compose my product(s),

Green is understanding, respecting, and incorporating the lifecycle of any given product, by-product, material, and/or additives of such product into the designing, manufacturing, storing, delivering, installing, and restoring the individual materials and product to an equally, or superior, reusable form.

Simple put, being green is understanding the lifecycle of any given product, and properly restoring the nutrient to the cycle in which it belongs.

In the book Cradle to Cradle, William McDonough and Michael Braungart illustrate this point brilliantly with their description of the two nutrient cycles of all matter; described as either a biological nutrient or technical nutrient.

In the last three steps, we discussed the method of implementing sustainability by using the C.O.R.E. Technology for shelter, food, water, and electricity.  While this technology addresses the four basic systems of life, rejuvenation is a multifaceted endeavor, with many integrated parts.

For rejuvenating our society, from a disposable mindset to a sustainable one, we must begin to think in sustainable terms, and really understand how they relate to our Intent for Life.  Intent for Life is taking personal responsibility for all our thoughts and actions, and focusing them with purpose.

In Step 2 of Rejuvenation, we discussed how there is a sustainable alternative to the way we live, and how it’s possible and achievable now, with the first two basic systems of life: shelter and food.  In this section, we’ll outline the next two basic systems of life: water and electricity.

In Step 1 of Rejuvenation, we discussed how most people work their entire lives striving for the basic freedoms of a place of their own, with plenty of good food, water, and air; only to live paycheck to paycheck, barely scraping by; with the looming fact that if they don’t get their financial heads far enough above water, they’ll spend the REST OF THEIR LIVES working to live! We also examined: If we didn’t create this system, and it doesn’t represent who we want to be; do we have an alternative?

We do, and it’s possible, practical, and achievable.  It’s based on four basic systems of life: shelter, food, water, and electricity.  In this section, we’ll discuss the first two: shelter and food.

With our busy and fast paced lives, have you taken a moment to really stop and look around?  What have you seen?  Do you see a society that represents your values and core ideals?  Do you see a society that represents your social and environmental views?

 Editors Note:

The New Green Economy™ is proud to publish the first installment of this original body of work on sustainable values. Our belief is that this thinking provides a crucial foundation for establishing healthy economic systems grounded in sustainable principles.

Read part II...

Statistically speaking, you just might be.  According to the research of sociologist Dr. Paul H. Ray, approximately 35 percent of the U.S. population in 2008 was considered to be part of this recently emerged subculture, with that figure steadily climbing at around 2.5 percent annually.  His work spans more than two decades of extensive research, which demonstrates that Culture Creatives are radically reshaping the values that define mainstream American culture.