[GJM] Fw: "Capitalism" and "Appropriate use of Technology"

Wed Jun 18 12:06:17 MDT 2008

----- Original Message ----- 
From: ecotort at gn.apc.org 
To: jacklancaster at sbcglobal.net, et al  
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 5:24 PM
Subject: "Capitalism" and "Appropriate use of Technology"

>capitalism could help many things including 
> environmentalism

Unlawful abuse of "virtual" money/capital is not (necessarily) to be confused with capitalism....
....when the "True Cost" of an item or service is reflected in it's "virtual monetary cost" there will be green capitalism... 
 -people competing (and co-operating!) with one-another to benefit the whole world environment.....

>We need to seriously consider what is "appropriate technology" 

"Appropriate Technology" or "Permaculture" could be expanded into "The appropriate use of Technology for the benefit of Humankind, as intended by its Inventors".

mary rose: 
As I was walking across my office the other day, a big red neon sign flashed in front of my eyes which read: FROM AGRICULTURE TO PERMACULTURE. And, I do believe that we will be forced by events now occurring to make a permanent move from ag to perm

  And David Eisenberg founder and director of DCA (Development Center for Appropriate Technology is one of those leading the way in this effort. www.dcat.net.  Note that Builders without Borders is doing a demo in Washington, D.C. with a straw bale structure conducted by Builders Without Borders.   
  http://www.dcat.net/about_dcat/announcements.php   The Straw Bale movement emphasizes permaculture as well as mapping the territory to see where it is appropriate to build what.And other things such as  preservation of wetlands, along with  many other concepts pertinent to going green nd sustainable. Other appropriate technology to be considereed is: composting toilets, recycling of "greywater," use of solar cookers, and, I feel that bicycling should be included here. The "cooperatives that Bill Ellis speaks of, both cooperative ownership endeavors in what is referredt to as "intentional communities" need to be included here and, particularly food cooperatives, need to be incorporated into the permaculture concept as well.  

  Here are some links to more information on some of these concepts: 
  Solar ovens/cookers:  http://solarcooking.org/,   
  Composting toilets:  http://www.compostingtoilet.org/
  Recycling grey water: http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_sheets/plant_culture/gray_water_for_gardens.html
  Straw bale house construction:  www.caneloproject.com
  Rainwater Catchement: http://www.rain-barrel.net/rainwater-catchment.html  

  Along with the straw bale movement, I have previously posted information with regard to the use of paper in home and other structure building.  This website "Living in Paper 2008" is an excellent source of information on this new way of building:  http://www.livinginpaper.com/  It is imperative that we stop using wood with which to build structures. We cannot afford to cut down any more forests, that serve as the lungs of the Earth, in order to house ourselves.  One of the main priorities is to "reforest". The model for reforestation is offered by the Gaviotas Village model in Columbia that we have previously examined:  

  A book review of the book: Gaviotas: A Village To Reinvent the World from Amazon.com reads: 

  In the early 1970s, a unique community was founded in the los llanos region of Colombia. Located north of the Amazon rain forest, this region is an expansive savannah, sparsely populated and generally considered uninhabitable. Gaviotas originated out of the belief that the current state of urban expansion and poverty and the continued depletion of natural nonrenewable resources could not be sustained and that the future required people to learn how to live in harsh, inhospitable environments and to do so in an ecologically sound and sustainable manner. Journalist Weisman tells the story of a remarkable and diverse group of individuals (engineers, biologists, botanists, agriculturists, sociologists, musicians, artists, doctors, teachers, and students) who helped the village evolve into a very real, socially viable, and self-sufficient community for the future. The people of Gaviotas today produce innovative technologies (solar collectors, irrigation systems, windmills, and hydroponic gardens) that use the environment without depleting or destroying it. While some of their creative endeavors have not succeeded, even the failures tend to spawn ideas for future successes. Weisman does a fine job of detailing Gaviotas's evolution and placing it within the larger global historical context. The story he presents is wonderful testament to human creativity, commitment, and effort toward building a socially viable and environmentally sustainable future.?  Another article on this book may be found at: http://www.dharma-haven.org/five-havens/gaviotas.htm, 
  OK, let's look at how to raise food in small areas such as suburban yards.  

  A concept that fits right in with Permaculture is that of the Edible Landscaping movement which is sweeping the country here in the U.S. and moving abroad as people realize the necessity to get rid of their wasteful green lawns.  Checkout this website: How to Landscape with Edible Plants. http://www.plantea.com/edibleland.htm  Of note are two outstanding items on this website 1) if you can't for some reason compost, you can order organic T-bags to use as a growing agent. 2) Be sure and check out the featured article on the site which is a speech given by actor Tom Hanks at a Vassar graduation ceremony on "The Power of Four."  

  One of the best books on gardening is the now out-of-print:  Gardening For The Future of The Earth by Howard Yana-Shapiro, Ph.D. and John Harrison. Included in this book are passages written by Bill Mollison, the founder of the Permaculture Movement. As I have indicated previously, this book is now out of print, but there are used copies available through Amazon.com  http://www.amazon.com/Gardening-Future-Earth-Howard-Yana-Shapiro/dp/0553375334  One fo the great benefits of this book is that of examining "how we can each take action to reverse teh damage that has been done has been (and is continuing to be) done to our most important gardening resources: our soil and water."  The authors speak of "the critical environmental and spiritual problems facing us and describe how individuals rooted in the garden and around the home can make a positive difference. The authors also note that in addiiton to gardening we can make a difference through "using our wallets to influence how our food is grown."  They note that changes in the past have been particularly influenced by groups at the ground roots level gathering together in sufficient numbers that the voices cannot be ignored. 

  Let's talk about Food Coops:  Ecological Designer, Jim Bell, has a lot of experience with food coops and recently designed and helped construct an award-winning food coop building in San Diego, Calif. http://obpeoplesfood.coop/, http://obpeoplesfood.coop/., http://obpeoplesfood.coop/  For a free copy of Jim's book: "Achieving Eco-nomic Security on Spaceship Earth" and others on solar energy, go to www.jimbellob.com   Jim uses a homemade solar oven with which to bake chocolate chip cookies and pass them out every year on San Diego Earth Day. A cardboard box lined with aluminum foil can easily and economically be assembled for use as a solar oven. Here's a URL with good instructons for how to do it yourself. : http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/radabaugh30.html

  OK - let's go to Gardening and Your Health:  An excellent book on this subject is Dr. Eva Shaw"s: "Shovel It - Natures Health Plan,"  because it connects the dots between eating healthy foods and raising them as a way of creating holistic health. One of the major benefits of gardening is  stress reduction as it provides for exercise, meditation and connecting with the energy of the Earth. Hence, reinforcing the immune system in so many ways.  This book combines "cutting-edge medical research" with the secrets of gardening for the first time. Gardening can:1) help avert a heart attack, 2) lower blood pressure, 3) lower cholesterol levels, 4) strengthen bones, 5) deal with chronic fatigue syndrome, 6) reduce the use of pain killers and anti-depressants, 7) and reduce stress, among other things. .  

  Here's some excellent articles entitled: The Immune System:  http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/immune/immune1.htm, and the Immune System:  A New Paradigm: http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/immune/immune2.htm#The%20Immune%20System:%20A%20New%, and Y20Paradigm,   This article begins with the idea that your immune system is: :  
  "a circulating consciousness. I know this is hard for you to believe, but the new paradigm states that the mind is not limited to residing in the skull." And, some astounding information is going to follow here that is mind-blowing as it contradicts everything we have been taught for years as conventional medical practices have taken over natural healing modalities.  But this is also what has caused Dr. Bruce Lipton to write in his book, "The Biology of Belief" that the leading cause of death today is "iatrogenic illness," that is: "illness resulting from medical treatment."  A ten-year study of government statistics (Null, et al, 2003) concluded that "iatrogenic illness is actually the leading cause of death in the United States and that adverse reactions to prescription drugs are responsible for more than 300,000 deaths a year." More on this later.  

  Now, let's talk about "money" which everyone seems to feel is the root of the problem. And perhaps it is in large part, but what seems more obvious is that it is our "perception" about money that is the real root cause. And we seem to be in between a rock and hard place here with the ruling elite having control over the monetary system, and as was pointed out in an article yesterday, the Federal Reserve is legally mandated to "make the economy grow" so until we can change the laws on this, we need to figure out how to mitigate the circumstances.  

  And, all of the above are ways that we can regain our power through taking matters into our own hands, and creating a peaceful (r)evolution. But to make this a more potent movement, we can also create local currencies which are not subject to the laws of the national and international monetary system; and which provides for funding at the local level, while keeping the currency in the local community so it cannot be sucked off by the.corporations.  And, as previously noted, there is a lot of information on this provided by Thomas H. Greco, http://beyondmoney.wordpress.com/  This website now entitled:  Beyond Money,  provides for a video on "The Ten Principles of Economics"  

  Now, this is not going to take place by voting someone into office -- it can only take place by we-the-people enacting it at the grassroots/ground level. The sorts of things that need to be done in order to protect we-the-people, are not on the agenda of those in control of the government, be they in office now, or about to be elected (?) to office.   

  I have not covered many things that we can do, with regard to "energy resources," because this is a whole big subject that would make this much too long.  But I will be addressing this in the near future. Many of us will not be able to actively pursue the energy issue since converting to a new system is still out of reach pricewise, but we can still do things that will lower the energy bills both for the home and auto scene. But all of us, no matter where we live can begin gardening.   

  So, it is up to us to "be the change we wish to see in our lives." 

  with love and in gratitude for all that we do together. 

  mary rose  

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