Dr. Kazi Abdur Rouf Visiting Scholar, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Canada

1. Green Community-Earth Community Development for Reviving Community Altruistic Values and Norms in the World Dr. KaziAbdurRouf Visiting Scholar, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Canada and Associate Professor, Noble International University USA. Paper presented at the Noble International University Peace Education Symposium 720 Spadina Avenue July 15, 2014

2. About the Paper This paper is the combination of ideas extracted from David Korton’s Earth Community Author’s community green development phenomenon and their significance for creating green community society To generate altruistic norms and values in the neighbourhoods This paper promotes a bio-diverse green economy and green women development based on Korten’s Earth Community’ approach.

3. Significance of the paper/New Knowledge Korten’sthoughts on ‘Earth Community’ help people devise alternative notions For the development of a people-centered sustainable green economy The author thinks Korton’s Earth Community synopsis Green community development provide readers with a synopsis of Green society might help people’s think and Find out ways of making better altruistic green community life in the contemporary capitalistic world.

4. Logic Debt driven materialistic consumption economy is unsustainable ecologically Problematic socially and unstable economically Currently there is no model for how common macro-economic ‘aggregates’ (Production, consumption, investment, trade, capital stock, public spending, labour, and money supply and so on) No model to account systematically for the present economic dependency on ecological variables such as resource use and ecological services.

5. Crisis in Capitalism 1 billion people across the world are on less $1 a day-half price of a small cappuccino in Starbucks A fifth of the world’s population earns just 2 per cent of global income Richest 20 per cent by contrast earn 74 percent of the world’s income Capitalism creates huge disparities Even during 2008 In UK, debt was growing at the rate of £1 million every 11 minutes (Jim, p. 23) Cumulative consumer debt stood at almost £ 1.5 trillion

6. Why Earth community/ Green community/Green economics needed Capitalism has fundamentally broken Capitalism has negative effects on human lives, other living species and threat to ecology Global economy has grown more than 5 times than it was in 1960 If it continues to grow at the same rate, it will be 80 times bigger in 2011 than it was in 1950 OECD estimated for 9 billion population , an economy needed 15 times of the today’s economy 75 times bigger than what was in 1950 By 2050 40 times bigger than today’s economy (200 times bigger than in 1950 (Jackson, p. 14) The Economic growth has failed the fragile ecological systems, we depend for survival

7. Why Earth community/ Green community/Green economics needed-continue It has failed to provide economic stability and secure people’s livelihoods Banking crisis of 2008 led the world to the brink of financial disaster The capitalist economy runs on debt Shopping generation-hooked on brand Destroy Ecology: 150,000 acres of tropical rainforest are destroyed Each day, 2 million tons of toxic waste is dumped in to our rivers and seas.

8. Empire and Earth Community Two terms are used by David Korton (2006) These terms are opposite to each other

9. Empire Empire is conquering, influencing, dominating, and extracting resources without returning to mother earth Empire organizes human society through domination at all levels and gives fortune to only a few people Great majority of individuals were impoverished their needs being subordinated by the ruling elite Individual choice is limited in Empire Empire brings fortune to the few, condemns the majority to misery and Servitude, suppresses the creative potential of all Example: Ancient Mesopotamia, Rome, Egypt, and Greece, a new basis of organization arose: Empire state, which was hierarchical and Controlled by relatively small elite and their entourages

10. Empire –continue 2 During this period and after, spiritually, gods were more often male Represented rulers and controllers Most earthly rulers were also male The role and the powers of women were diminished The new rulers robbed public wealth and discriminated against women Empire’s ruling classes maintain their control over the lives of ordinary people and resources Through allocation of money to different communities.

11. Empire –continue3 Children Seniors, women, disabled people and many other people are marginalized-struggling for justice in society Empire’s victory creates colonial elites Colonizers transfer power of exploitations to their colony followers There is a democratic challenge to the power of these modern empires.

12. Earth Community Earth Community is the reflection of collective human creativity and collective choice Earth Community is an alternative to the alienation and sorrows of an Empire It places life values ahead of financial values, and organizes by the principles of partnership This Earth Community bondinghelps people to challenge Empire’s power and privilege Here cooperation among people for the benefit of community well-being It organizes by partnership, unleashes the human potential for creative cooperation Shares resources and surpluses for the good of all (Korton, 2006)

13. Earth Community-continue Humans are the architects of their own nature and future According to Korton (2006) recent global communication technologies break down imperial domination and allow the Earth Community to prosper Although Earth Community is characterized by deep democracy, justice to all people is difficult to realize.

14. Difference between Empire and Earth Community Empire Earth Community Hostile and competitive Life is supportive and cooperative Humans are flawed and dangerous Humans have many possibilities Order by domination and hierarchy Order through partnership Compete or die Cooperate and live Love power Love life Defend the rights of the self Defend the rights of all Male dominant Gender balanced Source: Korton, 2006, Table 1.1, p.33.

15. Earth Community History Human society was organized on the basis of relationships-forms informal social organizations - David Korton terms it "Earth Community“ Cooperation was the basic principal of interaction Earth was respected, and the needs the individual were humanely balanced with the needs of the group However, from feudal period emperors become conquerors and started robbing Exploiting to the defeated regions Capitalist society become imperialists

16. Earth Community History-continue Before Empire, spiritually- goddess (Gods were females- representing the givers of life and sustenance Women enjoyed a status of full participation, with a voice in all family and village affairs However, in different periods of empire, women’s egalitarian status transformed and Was lost to patriarchal male domination.

17. Why Earth community is important and needed to revive Empire’s capitalist dehumanization process creates this disparity in the world Corporate businesses and institutions get enormous power Expand their wealth by turning the human race into cog labour Corporations are powerful engines of wealth concentration 85% of the resources of the planet are appropriated by 20% of the world’s people Now corporations influence and rule the world, and are increasing their exploitative power Corporate globalization is far more dominant than local living economies and healthy communities Petroleum production declining and its civilization destroying Mother Earth

18. Why Earth community is important and needed to revive-continue Increasing global worming due to polluted climate and its change Military force can no longer be used to take resources from weaker nations Poverty promises massive unrest and civil strife (conflict) World empire is based on a corporate system that has no role for the satisfaction of human needs and Nurturing of human values Empire system bottom line is to rule people This wealth disparity affects human-centered ecological economics and Results in air pollution, global warming and climate change.

19. Characteristics of green economics/ living economies Economic Democracy Local Preference–local needs met by local businesses Human Scale–foster face-to-face human relationships Fair-share Taxation Responsive Markets–businesses respond to self-defined needs of the people Responsibility for Harms Caused Information and Technology Economic Self-Determination–citizens must control their own economic future Fair and Balanced Trade – prices must reflect full costs.

20. Comparison between Modern Economy and Green Economy Modern macro-economic variable is the GDP GDP is a measure of the ‘busy-ness’ of the economy It is resource hungry manufacturing sector Leisure the fastest growing sectors in modern economics, responsible for 25% carbon ‘foot print’ Profit motive stimulates Expanding consumer demand by creating a complex social logic Private transport is incentivized over public transport; motorists are prioritized over pedestrians Energy supply is subsidized and protected, while demand management is often chaotic and expensive; waste disposal is cheap; recycling demands time and effort Wastage centers few and far, often overflowing with waste.

21. Difference between Global Empire and Local Living

22. Great Turning points Korton believes the Great Turning’ is already underway, on a limited scale, through Civil rights movements Feminist, environmental peace and other social movements.

23. New start (Green Stimulus Packages) In 2009 recovery package has aimed to ‘kick start’ consumers’ spending, protects jobs, and stimulate economic growth again The global financial crisis 2008 consensus us to re-invigorate economic growth Both liberal and coordinated market economics call for ‘kick-start’ consumer spending Get the economies growing again Changing the social logic consumption cannot be regulated to the realm of individual choice Social structure can shift people`s values and behaviours.

24. Green deal for Sustainable Development Increase resource efficiency, renewable energy and reductions in material throughput A massive technological shift; a significant policy effort Changes consumer values and lifestyles- free us from the damaging social logic of consumerism Unlocked us from growth, free us from the flow of novelty- material throughput Aim ‘to create and saver 3 to 4 million jobs, jumpstart US economy.

25. Potential for ‘green’ recovery Green stimulus component main approach is public sector employment at green jobs Conservation (low-carbon vehicles, clean energy and recycling) Quality of life (green neighbourhoods and housing) Environmental protection (including flood defence) and Infrastructure IT and green transport networks.

26. Green Recovery Process To dismantle old institutions (capitalism) is risky Start opening out of a public and policy dialogue of the issues Develop green economics literatures, research Three specific recommendations Jim Jackson (2011) Establishing the limits: Resource and emission caps-and reduction targets Fixing the economic model: ‘Fiscal reform for sustainability’ Support ecological transition Changing the social logic Promote social economy (Jack Quarter, 2009) Develop policies, acts and strategies for social enterprise organizations ( Rouf, 2011) Expand social businesses (Yunus, 1990).

27. Implications of the Study This paper creates new knowledge, thoughts and strategies that inspire people to organize themselves against exploiting empires To develop partnerships among marginalised people for their well-being in the community It tells us how to use human potential for creative cooperation Share resources for the creation of community-driven economies that are green, smart Promote the well-being of all people.

28. Way forward To eradicate injustice, inequality and exploitation from society, it is important to revive the earth community To restore justice and equality in the contemporary society To escape Empire’s control, it is essential develop contextual knowledge, technology, religion, and science To build the Earth Community through mutual cooperation, community organizing and community capacity building Deeping human community yearning for a healthy community can create a new era for the Earth Community (Korton, 2006) Cultural Turning, economic Turning and political turning can bring and Can effect a positive change to Earth Community

29. Way forward-continue Strategies for cultural, economic and political turnings could generate local living economics To move toward local living economies, David Korten suggests To open political process that includes all citizens’ rights to vote and Unbiased media access to open political debates Birthing Earth Community’, talks about leadership for birthing the great new era Here leadership comes from below through a process of mutual empowerment It allows us to move forward and glimpse the possibilities of human capacity.

30. Conclusion This challenging community organizing against colonizers, against colonizing values and norms can create a people-centered epic journey of self-discovery (Korton, 2006) This determination can open doors to living communities and Living economies with diverse and mutual benefits to common people Earth Community not only empowers disadvantaged groups, but also cares for and Nurture the environment and the ecology Results in stronger communities for facing disasters, and in greater sustainability and

31. Conclusion-continue Green growth of our current society This new turning makes the choice for life Gives expression to the higher potential of nature Restores families and community power However people need to organize themselves and force the few exploiters to distribute their wealth more fairly.

32. Thank You Comments/Questions