This book does an excellent job of summarizing our current predicament and how we got here. For those who are not familiar with the extent of our environmental problems, this is a good place to start learning. The author references and quotes extensively from some of the best environmental literature of the past few decades.
An excerpt on post-growth:
People deserve more free time, more security, and more opportunity for companionship and continuing education. They deserve to be free of the growth-at-all-costs paradigm and the ruthless economy described by Samuelson and Nordhaus.
A post-growth society thus should not be a stagnant society. It should include dynamic initiatives that recognize the real sources of human well-being. Clive Hamilton has put the matter well: "A post-growth society will consciously promote the social structures and activities that actually improve individual and community wellbeing. It will aim to provide a social environment in which people can pursue true individuality, rather than the pseudo-individuality that is now obtained through spending on brand names and manufactured lifestyles. [p.120-121]
Quoting John Maynard Keynes:
"...For at least another hundred years [from 1933 or so] we must pretend to ourselves and to every one that fair is foul and foul is fair; for foul is useful and fair is not. Avarice and usury and precaution must be our gods for a little longer still. For only they can lead us out of the tunnel of economic necessity into daylight....
"Meanwhile there will be no harm in making mild preparations for our destiny, in encouraging, and experimenting in, the arts of life as well as the activities of purpose." [p.108]
Quoting Milton Friedman:
If challenging growth seems difficult, one should remember Milton Friedman's observation: "Only a crisis -- actual or perceived -- produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable." [p.122]
Update: My ideas are centered around what I believe -- based on first-hand observations -- to be an actual crisis. However, that realization or perception is not shared by most. As a consequence, I'm going to park my latest version below and pursue one component of the idea: launching the health/fitness component. When the crisis occurs the idea will be here.
Latest version:
All contemporary institutions impose boundaries to learning. [It might be more accurate to say that existing institutions limit action.] These
boundaries have not permitted us to make the adjustments that are
necessary for a healthier and happier world.
In order to address the many challenges to quality of life that currently exist, a new institution sans boundaries is required. What might the rules be for an institution without boundaries?
Universe ClubtmRules:
- No Usury
- Quality Not Quantity
- Forced Leisure (Working Capital Partners can only contract for 20 hours of their time each week.)
- Low or No Vacancy
- Rhizome Operating Structure; No Executives or Executive Bonuses!
- No Commuting
- No Boundaries; A Spa, A University, A Permanent Residence, A Place of Wellness, An Investment
Rancho La Puerta (Check out the resort map in order to get a better feel for potential infrastructure design. No roads, only paths.)
(Please do not be intimidated by the rates for the above properties. The innovative structure will result in much lower costs.)
Potential Questions:Why should I take the time to understand what the club is about?
To my knowledge, this is the only system that actually makes it possible -- at least in theory -- to reduce carbon emissions 80% by 2020. Based on all that I have read and analyzed in the last several years, a reduction of this magnitude is prudent. In addition, we are about to enter a period of increased property taxes that will become a burden for conventional real estate owners. A review of investment fundamentals also leads one to believe that almost all existing investments will lead to substantial losses. It is probable that almost all pension/retirement funds will be worth only 10 cents on the dollar within ten years.
Why would I agree to provide capital without getting a return of some sort?
Access
to the properties will be at cost for those who have provided capital.
The credit system that currently dominates our lives only makes sense
for the ultra-wealthy. The rest of us would be better off if everyone
in our community did not pay interest. The cost of goods and services
would be drastically reduced.
How does this help
reduce carbon emissions?
It completely eliminates
commuting for those who work/study at each property as residency on-site
is required. Members of the club will have the option to live at the
club full-time so long as they have made a large enough capital
investment.
Why would I elect to encourage my college-age kids to become working capital partners in Universe Club rather than enrolling in a traditional college or university?
Because the earth's resources are finite, society will soon be forced to economically contract. In a contracting economy it will be advantageous to be a generalist rather than a specialist. While specialists will always be needed, narrow job duties are only attractive to a certain segment of the population. The rest of us like to explore and for a hundred years or so have not had the opportunity to do so. Now we can.
Also,
any tuition that is paid will be a capital investment and will be
remain even if your kids leave the Club. Students are earning their way
by working 20 hours each week.
Will the education portion of the Club be structured in any particular way?
No.
Much like the university structure at the start of the enlightenment,
students will informally seek teachers and decide how to shape their
education.
Where will the clubs be located?
The short answer is all over the world. More specifically, it has been reported that over 200 liberal arts colleges in the U.S. have been closed in the last 20 years. Some of the campuses may be candidates for conversion into Universe Clubs. In addition, there will be hundreds of office campuses that become obsolete as we shift from a specialist-oriented society to a generalist-oriented society. These may be conversion candidates as well. Many existing resorts may also qualify.
How can this concept be scaled up in order to make a difference?
I think that one way may be to follow the example of private golf courses with reciprocal playing rights. Those who are interested will source sites and raise capital with the support of others in the Universe Club network.
How would you respond to those who say that something like this is utopian?
Our contemporary consumer-oriented society is utopian. If we were realists, we would acknowledge it and move on to something that is sustainable.
What if I have additional questions or suggestions?
Please contact me via the email link at the top right side of this page.
