Small Is Beautiful. . .Right?
Written on 07/11 at 12:26 PM by Andy Posner
0 comments
Filed under: environment Renewable Energy philosophy
Large scale solar collectors such as this 100,000 square foot array are becoming Increasingly commonplace in the desert
In 1973, a collection of essays titled Small is Beautiful: Economics As if People Mattered, was published by the British economist E.F. Schumacher. In it, Schumacher argued that our economies had become “too big and too centralized,” defined by dehumanization, mechanization and unsustainable growth. Instead, Schumacher proposed what he called “Buddhist Economics,” which stressed the importance of decentralization for creating dignified, just and meaningful interactions between people and their work, environment, and the larger world.
Renewable Energy=Global Village?
I bring up Small in Beautiful because one of the most enticing features of renewable energy is its potential for realizing Schumacher’s vision of a global economy that functions at the level of the village. Because new forms of energy production-wind, solar, methane capture-are productive rather than extractive, and local rather than global, they can sustainably support economies that function on a human scale. When combined with new methods of communication and collaboration (namely, information technology and the open source revolution), a new era can be ushered in, an era defined by the concept of a ‘Global Village:’ powered by the sun, globally interconnected yet culturally, politically and geographically unique. A global village is self-sufficient (to the extent possible), empowers individuals, and is free from the hegemony of large corporations and institutions.
1) Content here. column long long column very long fill fill fill long text text column text silly very make long very fill silly make make long make text fill very long text column silly silly very column long very column filler fill long make filler long silly very long silly silly silly long filler make column filler make silly long long fill very.
1) Content here. column long long column very long fill fill fill long text text column text silly very make long very fill silly make make long make text fill very long text column silly silly very column long very column filler fill long make filler long silly very long silly silly silly long filler make column filler make silly long long fill very.
1) Content here. column long long column very long fill fill fill long text text column text silly very make long very fill silly make make long make text fill very long text column silly silly very column long very column filler fill long make filler long silly very long silly silly silly long filler make column filler make silly long long fill very.