Wither the Global Economy

The financial crisis that's dominated the news this week and the conflicting prescriptions for how to deal with it make one thing clear. No one knows how the global economy works anymore. Sure, some people have some ideas. But no one really knows exactly what to do. The most straightforward explanation of what's going on that I've read comes from Paul Krugman at the New York Times.

But the entire episode highlights what many environmental authors have been saying for some time: the global economy based on cheap energy is extraordinarily fragile. Today folks dismissed as doomsday scenariarios, predicting financial collapse and a return to backyard gardening, seem a lot closer to reality than those extolling the virtues of global cosmopolitan culture. If this last week is the beginning of a true shift in the structure of our economic lives, what will the future hold? What aspects of the global economy will remain in place and which will become distant memories of a bygone era?

There is a great longing for economic security in this country, a security based on a reliable supply of life's necessities. Here in La Plata County, our local food movement is spirited but still far from providing anything close to what we need to survive. The counties and towns that I think will thrive in the future are those with a re-invigorated commons that provide for food production and materials for housing. This is the basic structure that will allow communities to make the most of their natural, social, and financial capital.

What do you think? Should what will be the structure of the economy in the future? How will we define "wealth" and what is responsible action today, at this very moment?

EC Core Values League

Welcome to the EC!

Greetings,

The Fort Lewis College Environmental Center is gearing up a great year! We are at a critical time in the history of our country and the history of our world. There is so much great work to be done, so many exciting changes that are now within our reach. The Environmental Center brings students together to make change happen -- on the Fort Lewis College campus, in Durango, and across the Four Corners. In the process, students learn skills that they can apply to create change once they graduate, spreading the influence of the EC far and wide.

This year we will be helping Fort Lewis create a sustainability action plan to guide the College as it seeks to become a greener campus. Part of this plan will lay out a timeline for becoming a "carbon neutral" institution. We will also be collaborating with the Garden Project of Southwest Colorado this year to help mobilize around community gardens. We will continue to develop a new youth leadership program. This weekend is the retreat for the LIFE (Learning to Invest in the Future of the Earth) program. And in November we will help release the Be Local Coupon Book, which will help jump start a new independent business alliance for La Plata County. All these projects are expressions of our core values: positive action, integrity, community, creativity, and learning. Ben Rogers, our communications coordinator, will be posting a movie we've made about our core values on this blog next week. Check back to see our Core Values Super-heroes in action!