Creating a Livable Future

I've been reading a great deal about Deep Ecology lately...and pondering how Green Business has launched a whole new concept of entrepreneurism.

For the past two centuries, businesses have treated natural resources as unlimited, there for the taking. They focused their creativity on getting the biggest bang for the buck in terms of efficiency, productivity, and sales.

At the time, this was seen as the entry to a new era of prosperity...but today, the long-term results are catching up to us. Global warming is altering the world's weather patterns and ecology faster than experts ever dreamed, and mainstream industry continues to deflect responsibility.

Some may wonder if it's too late - if the oceans, rivers, and streams are not irrevocably polluted, the aquifers drained past hope of replenishment, the rainforests razed past the point of renewal.

Some businesses deny the problems, or shrug their shoulders and drive to get even greater short-term profits while the getting's good. And some heroic souls put their lives and livelihoods on the line to resist the ongoing destruction.

But if the nature of commerce is to change - as it must - we need visionary new entrepreneurs who change the face of business by pursuing the best good for all, despite worsening conditions. Who visualize pioneering answers to overwrite the exploitative legacy of traditional industries, and set a new standard for balanced and sustainable business. Who take positive steps, in hope, toward creating a livable future for us all on this planet.

There are many, many green business networks and resources that offer opportunities to join in this visioning...for just a few, see the Reference Sites page of Your Words' Worth. For a globalocal event that encompasses this issue from many sides, see the Bioneers Conference, happening Oct. 19-21 in California, with satellite conferences held in many locations. For information on the parent conference, visit Bioneers.org for a list of satellite conferences, see the Beaming Bioneers site.



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