How we can optimise circular economy with people power
Lifestyle (action) centres to focus our green transition efforts
To make the green transition work in practice, we first need to make sense of logic bubbles that are holding us back from making congruent systemic changes. Some of the questions that frame our times are: how do we build bridges and develop a collective focus of the local environment and offer possible ideas to move beyond today’s adverse economic conditions? How do we bring those on board who believe the climate change is a hoax, or yet another avenue for government taxation?
How do we fill disparate knowledge gaps relating to the environmental stewardship, both in the north and south? How do we overcome dullness and the loss of critical thinking caused by deliberate disinformation and useless information filling our awareness, 24/7 ? How do we address the growing anxiety and trauma resulting from climate change disasters lived through, or broadcast? How do we get unstuck in our lives and work?
How do we connect all that has been disconnected: ourselves, our vales, our dreams, our unfulfilled potential and our higher mind aspirations to nature? How do we address all of these, and how do we heal the society? All under one roof and using one single solution?
Focusing the green transition
If we formulate a vision of a greener and more just world into an inspiring action plan that we can enact daily through activities within our neighbourhood, we could achieve exceptional results for everyone. If we ask ourselves on an ongoing basis: what can enhance our local community? Moreover, if many of us contribute in the ways we can, we move further towards more optimistic outcomes.
When we then add together as many common actions as we can muster to the maximum number of factors that reinforce positive behaviours, we begin to focus and notice a greater collective coherence in our actions to enhance our neighbourhood, save our natural heritage, reduce and replenish our resources, and so on. We think in terms of using less, yet achieving the same. We find greener alternatives to harness resources, whilst also achieving the goal of community renewal. The carefully built-in participation of governments and the focus of tens of thousands of incremental actions can make this aspiration real.
How can we apply leverage in new ways so that we create a plan that helps us interact within it daily in mitigating our impact on the natural world?
In the light of what we know and an international agreement in place such as the Paris Climate Accords, where do we take if from here? Are there any bridges missing, making this 80/20 shift and all positive pledges countries have made so far an integral part of everyone’s life?
How can this interaction consist of many automatic actions, almost by-products of different mechanisms in place so that planet mending and regenerating can happen even without our conscious knowing? What’s more, on a far broader level than currently perceived. When we create this domino effect of one positive action triggering another positive action, we then are truly operating within this optimal circularity.
Ecoplazas – Green action, learning and lifestyle centres – what are they?
If this is done in an increasingly organised way, we can affect positive change in the community. Information we find and help network and build together will create green lifestyle changes and new sustainable markets that also save energy and money. We can see new creative developments like these happening all around us; new eco businesses, alliances, groups, products and concepts joining in the green landscape and moulding it accordingly. This is an ongoing shift.
And whilst many of us tap into this circuit of green and social improvements via the Internet, we mostly engage with that as green consumers. In the process, it is easy for us to dismiss another vast, untapped source and springboard of creativity, potential, leverage and new levels of awareness. From my experience, which now spans over 20 years of practically integrating sustainability with other spheres of human activity, I intuit that we can only manifest this through our direct social interactions whereby we work and solve our problems together, practically. Hands on. No amount of theory and online interaction alone will ever supersede that.
‘How’ has always been more important than ‘how much’
Collectively and individually, we might get a sense that something fundamental is missing from this green transition plan. As, otherwise, we would have transitioned long time ago since the first significant ecological and cultural revolutions and collective awakenings in the 70s. There is a need for a flexible ecological renewal space. This solution could operate in every community that wishes to be part of this new regenerative wave. Spaces likes these would help start and fasten the process of realignment within the internationally agreed environment and climate renewal frameworks. This process is already on its way, with people increasingly co-operating through groups on a wide range of projects. On the most elemental level, we don’t need to agree on anything other than a principle of building stronger community coherence, which is in every person’s interest.
If the drive is to preserve nature whilst living sustainably within resource bound limits through building community centres along the lines of Ecoplaza, then we could probably instigate one of the most significant social shifts in human evolution, starting today. And, if these centres were to become a more central focus, our collective thinking and perceiving would stretch beyond the constraints of any individual and group belief system. This is what, I am certain, needs to happen for people to come on board and support new green reforms.
Kinga Monica is available for consulting on practical instigation of the concept, sustainability and ecotourism consulting, internationally.
To read more on this topic and the solutions that have helped shift a few gears of the climate change action to date, follow me on Medium.
Bibliography
A Big Strategy: In times of Crisis. A Model to Help Regenerate The Environment, Community And Sustainable Economy. Published in 2012.