GEN Solution Library/Localisation-economics of happiness

About the challenge

In today’s world, education and information - from schooling to the media - promote a global consumer monoculture… a vision of progress that encourages hyper individualism, competition, speed, and ever larger, global scale enterprise. From cradle to grave, we are told that this path makes us happy, & now through green-washing, we are told that this is the path to sustainability.  Our challenge is to penetrate the veil of misinformation to provide a different vision, based on real world examples. Strengthening local economies worldwide is essential for both human and ecological wellbeing - for our very survival.

Description

The answer lies in shifting away from economic globalization towards localization. Whereas the global economy demands monoculture, both human and ecological, localisation is a process that adapts economic activity to diversity -- a fundamental principle of life. The worldwide localisation movement, including local food and finance, ecovillages, permaculture and transition towns, demonstrate that local economies rebuild our connections to one another and to the natural world – connections that are essential not only for our wellbeing, but for our survival.

We need to make “education as activism” a priority to spread this vision.

Areas of impact

• Social
  • Diversity & Cohesion
  • Leadership & Governance
• Economy
  • Planetary Boundaries
  • Sharing & Collaboration
• Culture
  • Vision & Purpose

See also

• http://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/localization-the-economics-of-happiness
• http://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/localization-the-economics-of-happiness