September’s Flourishing Monthly (our monthly newsletter) explores the interwoven relationship between economy and ecology, diving into how we embrace economic systems that align with ecological health.
Ecology and economy belong together—both are derived from the Greek word ‘Oikos’ (eco) meaning ‘home’. Ecology is to know our home, while economy relates to how we manage it.
Today’s invitation is to reclaim our role as natural economists. Below you’ll find a series of informative and galvanising resources to catalyse the exploration. We hope these materials shine a light on possibilities for re-imagining and enacting alternatives that reunite economy with ecology.
“Why should we be surprised to see that the world economy is in a mess? It is in a mess because the managers of the world economy don’t know what they are managing!”
—Satish Kumar
When Satish Kumar delivered a compelling talk to students and lecturers of The London School of Economics, he outlined how teaching economics is incomplete without teaching ecology. In this article, published by The Ecologist, Satish shares what he discussed in this talk—outlining an ecological worldview in which economics serves the harmony of the Earth’s entire living system, rather than consuming it.
“The climate crisis is an opportunity to rethink development, progress, and economics in general.”
—Della Duncan
In this episode of the We As Nature podcast, regenerative economist Della Duncan shares the moments in her life that changed the way she approaches the ecological, social and economic challenges of our time. After training in traditional economics, Della was drawn to the importance of addressing the root causes of inequality. Through her work as a Right Livelihood coach, ‘Work That Reconnects’ facilitator, and host of the Upstream Podcast, Della is dedicated to the just transition to a more sustainable and equitable world.
Whilst sharing her deeply engaging story, Della also guides a short and simple meditation for connecting with the wide web of life and offers a 3-part invitation to support each of us in exploring our own right livelihood journey.
“Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity rather than accumulation, where wealth and security come from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency. Without gift relationships with bees and birds, Serviceberries would disappear from the planet.”
—Robin Wall Kimmerer
What can Earth’s abundance of berries teach us about economics? In this article published by Emergence Magazine, Robin Wall Kimmerer casts a light on a much-needed path towards economies that honour interrelation, gratitude and reciprocity.
“When we take action to localise our economies and strengthen our communities, we are helping to bring about a systemic shift in direction – towards cultural and biological diversity, social justice, genuine democracy, and our own health and happiness.”
—Local Futures
Explore an array of actions aimed at transforming local economies and communities with The Localization Action Guide by Local Futures. The guide is grouped by themes, such as food, finance and energy, as well as being searchable by who is acting e.g. an individual, business, community, or institution. If you’re feeling motivated by this issue of the Flourishing Monthly, this resource is a great place to start!
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