NationStates Jolt Archive

International Convention on Green Politics
To be hosted in Biotopia

1] What does it mean to be “green”?
What is an environmentalist? Are there shades of green and what of big “G” green Vs small “g” green? What are the relationships between the environment, social, political and economic reform?
2] What is the Green Agenda?
What are the limits of the environemental movement? Are activism and political mobilisation compatible or effective? Is there the need for a ‘green revolution’? What role does technology play in the environemental struggle?
3] Ecotopia
What would a post-industrial society look like? Are green economics above or compatible with capitalism/socialism? What role does democracy have in this society? Can the modern state exist in a Green Future?

To commemorate the 21st anniversary of the Eco-Revolution that heavily influenced the Fifth Republic an International Convention is being held in the city of Burnakka, a city of historical importance to the environmental movement of Biotopia. The conference will be held over five days and will include two excursions. One is a day trip to Ground Zero in the city of Marvkk and another is to the Ibe Parma and Social History Museum nearby. All nations are welcome to attend the conference but are requested to RSVP their interest. The conference is expected to begin in about a week time. Delegates are free to speak on any of the particular questions to be discussed.

An initiative of the Burnakka City Council and Federal Government of Biotopia

To:Burnakka City Council &
Federal Government of Biotopia

From: President Sarah E. Tay
Governess Of Haven
The Borderlands Of New Endenia

CC. To: Dr. Lim,
Minister Of Enviroment,
The Borderlands Of New Endenia

CC. To: Dr. Glen
Minister Of Nuclear FallOut Containment,
The Borderlands Of New Endenia

Subject: Reservation Of Delegation Seats
Security Code: GREEN04

We would be honored to attend this international conference concerning Green Politics, as you may or may not know, New Endenia suffered a major enviromental disaster that wiped out all our major cities and destroyed 2/3 of our nation. We would be please to show the results of our Nuclear Fallout Containment Plan and the Land Restoration Project.

We feel that the results of these projects and plans show that even when a massive nuclear melt-down occurs, the governments can decisively act and contain the fallout before countless more citizens die.

Our esteemed Minister of Enviroment and Minister of Nuclear Fallout Containment would be attending this conference, both are highly qualified doctors and are experts in the fields of Enviromental Care.

Regards,

President Sarah E. Tay
Governess Of Haven
The Borderlands Of New Endenia

This is a most magnanimous offer from the government of New Endenia. Similar to your nation Biotopia experienced the devastation of partial nuclear war, fortunately much of this destruction was in the higher atmosphere which preserved our major cities and installations. The City of Marvkk, which is on the schedule, remains as a living testimony to the power of atomic warfare.

We would like to assure you that radiation has fallen to below acceptable levels as the blast occurred several decades ago but the ruins remain as part of our ‘living’ historical landscape. The conference is open to all delegates so should Dr Glen or Dr Lim wish to speak on any of the topics of the convention they are more then welcome.

~ Esso Derra
Directory of the International Convention on Green Politics

As director of the Convention I welcome the return of a Xikuang delegation to Biotopia after an unfortunate absence. The bond between the inhabitants of Xikuang and their land is one well known and respected by all citizens concerned with the greater welfare of society and the ecosphere. It would be most warmly appreciated if the delegates would be able to speak on the essence of that bond for our Convention.

In kind regards
~ Esso Derra
Director of the International Convention on Green Politics

To the esteemed Esso Derra of the International Directory on Green Politics, Biotopia

The Grand Duchy of Hell Bovines, as a nation that has respect for the enviroment as one of its main priorities, would love to participate on the Green Conference to be held in Burnakka.
We congratulate the government of Biotopia for such great initiative that will certainly help our nations to improve their understanding of Mother Nature and our enviroment and we'll be looking forward to exchanging our knowledge of enviromental protection with our fellow allies.
Yours faithfully,

Ailén Treegrower, Minister(ess) of Enviromental Protection, Hell Bovines

"We should attend. We are REALLY green."-The Great Leader Li.

ooc: my nation is 86% virgin rainforest and generates up to 15% of the world's oxygen.

"What in the world are these...enviromentalists, Hans?" Grand Canton Von Eisengruf curiously asked, while sipping on his freshly brewed coffee.

After pondering on the topic for a moment, one of his more intellegent Butlers, Rolf, finally conjured an answer

"I believe they were those eh...people who loved animals and trees and stuff."

Looking around at Rolf, Conrad perplexed look became relaxed as he finally remembered what these "enviromentalists" were.

"Of course! Wern't they the ones that stood in front of those construction workers and got buldozed?"

"Yes, I believe they were."

"Well thank god that their gone. At least we know thats one less problem that plauges our gene pool. Thank you, Rolf."

"My pleasure, sir."


----Transmission Jan 2005----

To: Biotopia

Must regretfully say that the Confederacy of Lachenburg cannot at this time participate in the current "Green Activities". It seems as if the ambassador we were going to send was brutally attacked by bears and is currently in the hospital, recovering from his wounds. I hope your conference is informative and helpful to all of those who participate.

Regards,

Conrad Von Eisengruf
Grand Canton of the People
Confederacy of Lachenburg

----Transmission Ended----

The Right Honourable President Joseph Heckle II would like to congradulate Esso Derra of the International Directory on Green Politics. This convention is an excellent idea for enviromental-minded nations to meet and discuss the relevant issues.
As The President shall be away for the next two weeks, he will not attend. And I, the Vice-President will be far too busy to attend aswell. However, Pencil Sucker's Minister of Enviroment, Dr Gert Fili, shall definatly be attending the convention. Dr Fili will bring with him 3 of his employees for the task of taking notes and writing reports etc.
We do hope this little party will be acceptable.


Vice-President
John Casoin

As always, Biotopia blazes the greenest of trails. It will be a great joy for us to attend this global green gathering. Tanah Burung will be represented by Mr Silas Simparieff, people's representative for the environment, and Ms Sahabat Alam, executuive director of the Ecology Society, one of the most prominent non-governmental organizations in our country. This joint representation from government and non-governmental organizations is designed to allow input from civil society voices.

As always the voice of Tanah Burung speaks eloquently to other nations and we shall look forward to hearing the insights your nation’s representatives. We have arranged the preparations for the arrival of Mr Simparieff and Ms Alam. It is a commendable decision to send both a government and non-government representative. Likewise we are providing access to various government and non-government representatives including a group of 140 high school and tertiary students from across the nation. I look forward to personally meeting both delegates.

~ Esso Derra
Director of the International Convention on Green Politics

To: Ailén Treegrower, Minister(ess) of Enviromental Protection. We look forward to the attendance of the government of Hell Bovines. No other nation has provided such inspiration or influence upon the environmental movement and consequentially the contemporary history of the nation then yours. This is a debt we intend to honour with the friendship, solidarity and support of our government and as individual citizens. Recognising the experience and dedication of the people of Hell Bovines to the environment we would consider it invaluable for Hell Bovines to provide guest speakers.

To: The Great Leader Li. We look forward to your nation’s attendance.

To: Minister of Enviroment, Dr Gert Fili. Preparations have been made for your delegation to arrive and be accommodated. I look forward to meeting you in person.

To: Conrad Von Eisengruf, Grand Canton of the People. I am sorry to hear that. We will send some flowers to the poor bears immediately.

~ Esso Derra
Director of the International Convention on Green Politics

I will provide some more details soon but for now please keep posting if you're interested.

Some Important Facts About Biotopia

Location: Biotopia is situated in the north-east corner of Greenfields which neighbours the other region of Aperin, famous for being the locality of the most prominent non-capitalist economies. Greenfields is a special region established for member nations of the Non-Human Union. The climate in the north is temperate and currently the city is basking in the warmth and sunshine of late summer.

Burrnakka: the city is a major port for the nation and is located on the mouth of the Lhom River which enters a natural gulf. The city is well known for hosting numerous conferences and has a safe after-hours atmosphere, is well lit, policed and clean. Ethnically it hosts the largest Celdonian population (a nation rather like Britain in Aperin) and it’s architecture reflects the influence of the local human denizens. The city is the fourth largest in the nation with a population of approximately 2.5 million.

On a nearby peninsula (visible on a clear day from the harbour) stands the Ibe Phama a central religious site for the ancient Pagan Church. The Pagan Church fused naturalism and mysticism and provided an important template for bioregional living and earth-based spiritualism. Over the horizon from the city is Marvkk, the ghost-city evacuated after a ‘small’ nuclear bomb desecrated half the city. It serves as a powerful reminder of Biotopia’s history and about the dangers of nuclear technology.

Species: Biotopian’s are not homo-spaiens. They come in a variety of colours and ethnicities like humans but are predominantly blue. They stand slightly higher then the average human male and have small flap-like organs below the mouth and a protruding ‘antenna’ from each side of the cranium that act as chemical detectors, rather like a sensitive nose. Biotopians are carbon based sentient bipeds but proud of their successes as non-human in a homo sapiens-centric world.

Government/Economy: Biotopia is a non-capitalist economy. There are some elements familiar to a capitalist market such as a resources (not stock) market, heavy industry, big business and marketplace competition. The currency is the Union Paw which is used extensively through Greenfields and can be converted at any bank, aeroport or exchange centre. A visa is required for most visitors. Civil liberties and democratic procedure are cherished by Biotopians; independent and critical thought is encouraged, education universally accessible and companies worker-owned to name a few but important attributes to the Biotopian character.

Society & the Law: A common mistake by many visitors, especially from capitalist nations, is to tip. Please don’t do this as it’s considered highly offence, even derogatory. Biotopia also has very liberal jurisprudence towards nudity so don’t be alarmed by seeing citizens in a casual state of undress, for non-Biotopians there is very little to be seen that would cause embarrassment. It is illegal to import, purchase or consume drugs and will result in being expelled immediately. A fair and open trial is the standard and legal representation as well as access to advice from your embassy or nearest consulate is available should you be detained. Biotopians however are well known for being polite, well-educated and interested in foreigners so please enjoy your stay and we welcome you to visit again.

BUMP tags of interest welcome

ICGP starts in one day, all delegates welcome.

one final mighty BUMP before i post the first entry on the ICGP. See you soon.

The members of the International Convention had all successfully arrived. On the steady journey of the Zeppelins those delegates unaccustomed with non-humans had digested a healthy does of tourist brochure know-how on Biotopian culture, history and at least half a dozen different versions of ‘the top ten destinations in Biotopia this summer!’ Cloud had obscured much of the landscape below the Zeppelin until its mid-morning approach to the Aeroport outside Burnakka. The city had lived up to its expectations and had offered pleasantly warm days, brilliantly blue skies followed by refreshing sea breezes in the afternoon.

The Conferences had been arranged to convene at the Syphellko Convention House a short twenty-five minutes along an extension of the city’s monorail service. Peering over the edge of a cliff top it provided a panoramic view above the city harbour and out into the mouth of the gulf. The delegates themselves where being accommodated in the Pondomaen World Hotel, a grand building with an distinctly Edwardian entrance above which smart self-contained rooms had been built overlooking a forested park.

The first day the delegates had been allowed the Biotopian tradition of acclimatising and being shown how to navigate the city. Day two had been arranged to discuss the first question of the Convention, “what does it mean to be green?” On the third day the delegates would be taken to the Ibe Phama which was only about 45 minutes from the city centre before returning to discuss “What is the Green Agenda”. The forth day was dedicated to taking delegates to the ‘living landscape’ of Marvkk as a demonstration of the dangers of nuclear technology. The Fifth day was for summarising the Convention and discussing the ideas of what a Green future might be like.

Day one has already passed…

The delegates have smoothly arrived at the Convention Centre. Name tags have been distributed and refreshments passed around (note: Biotopians don’t often employ staff to do these things, so international conveners often have to distribute the refreshments around themselves). There were many Biotopians of different ages and genders in a variety of costumes; some wore quite conservative business suits and plain clothes while others were donning the iconic tie-dye toga of ‘hippies’. There were also numerous students, reporters and academics of the Green sciences as well as local and regional politicians. In all it was to be a well attended convention by a cross spectrum of opinions.

After these formalities of arrival the delegates were seated in a large auditorium large enough for the five columns of tables each going seven back in length plus the gallery above where most of the students and journalists were directed. Esso Derra welcomed everyone, passed on her thanks and then spoke: “I would like to introduce the first speaker of today ßëllø Lëцïkkåst (“Bello Levee-kast”)…

“My thanks first to Esso Derra who has played a personally large role in organising this conference, the mayor, city council and people of Burrnakka for hosting this convention and the Biotopian Federal Government for arranging it. My topic of discussion is on the question what is it to be Green? As a professor of political science I teach the understanding of various ideologies and methods to approaching political study. Often I come up against Red-Blue, left-right dialecticalism with no compromise for a green perspective. That’s what makes Green ideology so exciting, is that is still a relatively fresh discipline and is broad enough to be applied across the spectrum of the old left-right measurements.”

“An environmentalist is someone who looks at the relationship between the ecology and society and recognises that they operate as a whole system, not as two separate models. In comparison I refer to people who limit their concern to the environment and conservationists; such people can be devoutly concerned and passionate about the environment but they fail in appreciating the dynamic inter-relationship between the social and the ecological spheres. Similarly someone who is ‘anthropocentric’ I refer to as a socialist, not necessarily the Marxist variety but simply someone who is only concerned with sociological relations as being separate to the environment.”

“To be an environmentalist isn’t to be one colour, there are shades of Green. There is the small “g” green of the reformists and the big “G” Green of the radicals, the difference is driven by the amount and the kind of change they prescribe. To avoid confusion I will divide these two types of green further. An environmentalist belongs to the small green faction and is characterised by the short term and reformist policies of such organisations that emerge to halt old-growth logging or converting to lead free petrol. An ecologist then is someone who questions why we’re using petrol in the first place.”

“Green, and when I say this I’m referring to the big “G”, is an ideology in its own right. It provides a model to understand the world and prescribes its own world-view on the issues of ought over is. Socialism, liberalism, fascism and any other ism all do this which proves them as a body of philosophy in their own right. An ecologist advocates a change in the current value system and the pattern of production and consumption. An environmentalist however would advocate a ‘managerial’ approach to the environment and environmental issues.”

“Ecologism like any other ideology continues a debate on not only the most appropriate methods of change but what the ideal society is. As a manifestation of industrial society the Green spectrum ranges from two views on the post-industrial society. One is the dominate belief in a technological, affluent services based economy. This is no different to the aims of capitalism or socialism except it advocates cleaner technology, cleaner affluence and cleaner services. This is the sort of world-view prescribed by the environmentalists.”

“The second is based on the subordinate concept of a posit-industrial society being decentralised and agrarian after the failure of industrialism. In this vision lays the unique and powerful force of the Green movement. It’s this sort of Ecologism that has caused many, including myself, to claim that Green transcends capitalism and communism. A famous slogan used by the Internationalist Party of Biotopia was ‘We’re fighting for our fair share of the pie!’ which was then taken and used to so simply summarise the Green movement with ‘Comrade, who wants a greater share of the pie if the pie’s rotten?’”
“Capitalism and communism and both industrial ideologies, they argue over the means of production and the distribution of wealth produced by these institutions. Both are essentially approaching the question of how best to progress industrialisation, through the benefits of the market and private capital or with central planning and social ownership – or even a mix. Green ideology however firmly puts the breaks on this kind of rationale because it clearly claims this: the Earth’s resources are limited! Ecologism doesn’t just argue over who should own what or how much should be produced by whom but undermines the very system of industrialisation by questioning wether these things should even be produced.”

“It also removes the anthropocentricity of the capitalist and communist schism by shifting the focus onto the biosphere, the complete system of the planet including the living and inanimate components which includes sentient society. It is therefore radical and revolutionary to its core. In this way Ecologism challenges both the structure and foundations of the current society as well as the foundations of every other major ideology.”

“One of the criticisms made against green ideology is that the term ‘green’ is an umbrella philosophy beneath which various sub-ideologies exists. Such an argument ignores the fact that when one discuss Marxist, Liberal or Fascist ideology they are not talking about a single entity but a term of diverse sub-groups and concepts within a general perimeter. How does one define the boundaries of Ecologism then? Well we would need to explain that the world-concept is eco-centric, based on the Limited Growth Theory and owing to the politico-social background concerned with post-industrial society and founded on direct – non violent - action, diversity and consensus.”

“Before I conclude I would like to make a side mention on the issue of technology and general green philosophy. At one end of our imaginary spectrum are the eco-anarchists; agrarian, communalists and decentralised leaving a minimum impact on the planet. At the other are the techno-greens; using ultra-technologies they afford a centralised, affluent standard of living with minimum impact on the planet. The techno-greens have been considered all the more utopian because although it might be desirable or even feasible to ‘return to the land’ it was a condition all sentient communities had emerged from and large proportions of them do in the developing nations.”

“The emergence of the information age has heralded a renewed optimism amongst the techno-greens. Massive reductions can be made in energy and resource use and instant communications brings the assurance of having a ‘life-line’ for isolated eco-communes as well as ensuring a maximum variety of opinions are heard and provides for social cohesion. The Information Age also introduced a new scientific branch: bio-mimicry. The study of natural systems is promising to revolutionise our industrial and manufacturing techniques into an eco-industrial revolution.”

“Bio-mimicry has been spearheaded by the most notably green on the scientific community having coupled green philosophy to their scientific processes. For example the standard procedure for any modern metal is the ‘heat, treat and beat’ method. Through studying the coating procedure of an abalone polymer compounds have been produced free of mining, toxic chemical refining or brute force to produce a specific shape. All of this from applying a naturally produced non-lethal synthetic chemical to a specially produced crystal truss. It’s events like this that seem to have left the door open for the techno-greens which promises, I think, an exciting prospect for the future.”

“Thank you for your kind attention, I would like to take any questions from the floor.”

Dr Fili stood up nervously.
"Hello ßëllø Lëцïkkåst. Dr Gert Fili, Minister of Enviroment in Pencil Suckers. You made some wonderful points, and I just have a few questions. You talk about techno-greens? I was wondering if genetic modification may have anything to do with this? What are you views on using GM to enhance the enviroment or as it may be, the ecosystem, in any way?"

“Ah, what a good question to start with, thank you Dr Fili. Yes genetic modification certainly comes into the perspective of the techno-greens with their emphasis on managing the environment. I personally think the problem with the issue of G.M. is that is frequently entangled with a lot of side-issues such as corporate ownership, genetic diversity and how modern agriculture is conducted.”

“To look at G.M. by itself I think we have to take the approach that any technology developed without a social function is meaningless. It’s one thing to modify a Fir tree so it can stand warmer, drier climates in response to global warming but the fundamental issues behind such an action is, why are we allowing global warming to occur?”

“The benefits put forward by techno-greens is that if we improve the productivity of our food crops this gives us the opportunity to conserve a greater amount of the ‘natural’ environment as well as making it easier to distribute food to a growing population. Greens however like to look at the whole system and so it’s impossible not to question the motives behind a capitalist corporation in producing ‘terminator’ seed stock or the impact of the ‘treadmill syndrome’ that the more food we produce the more people there are to feed.”

“I am not opposed to importing alien species or extending domestication to improve our agricultural practices but I am concerned about the problems of releasing un-naturally occurring ones into the indigenous environment, particularly ones that have been enhanced to resist our standard control methods. This should be a cause of concern for anyone who wants to promote a balanced, natural, ecological system. I suppose it also raises the issue of questing wether we have gone to far that the planet is so out of shape and civilisation is pushing at the biosphere’s envelope that we must ‘invent’ new species to cope.”

Looking hassled, the diminutive figure of Elsepeth Nibbling, Rehochipean Minister for Being Nice, scampered into the conference hall through a side-door and found a seat, grinning embarrassedly at other delegates. She immediately began scanning the agenda at high speed, trying not to hyperventilate.

After a few moments, she stood up.

"I'd like to stress my agreement with the view that genuinely green policy cannot be an afterthought, a patch to fix the ills of an existing system. It cannot be incorporated except as a foundation-stone - at least, not if one hopes for genuine benefits. However, I am not entirely sure how such a radical change can be expected in the majority of nations that ignore or only pay lip-service to green concerns.

"My own nation was fortunate enough to acknowledge the significance of green policy before it had undergone industrialisation, and hence was able to incorporate environmental concerns into the core of its economic structure; even this was only possible through a great deal of effort. I remain bemused as to how the necessary paradigm shift could be made in an economy institutionally welded to overconsumption, growth for growth's sake and the systemic marginalisation of ecological politics."

OOC: It's 2:30am so i'm going to bed but i do have a reply in mind, all others welcome to comment, complain or add their own thoughts!

OOC: sorry about the delay, NS wouldn't load for me

Day Three

The strong sunshine had warmed the waters in the Gulf causing a mild humidity to given skin and clothes a damp clinging feeling. The sky remained light blue with a few small fluffy white clouds briskly sailing eastwards. The morning preparations had continued successfully, the delegates had been awoken and in true Biotopian style left to their own means to find breakfast in the city, quite easy with the fresh smell of bread and pastries wafting into the lobby from the famous bakery next door. Afterwards everyone was herded to a specially arranged coach convoy before enjoying the air-conditioned and low-humidity inside.

The city’s north boundary was clearly marked at the Old Copper Gate, an impressive arch turned green with age large enough for two busses to pas side by side. On the other side of the gate the road ran along the coast with low shrubbery growing towards the white sands of the beach while elevating considerably the ranges and an increasing diversity of vegetation on the right. Turning around a corner in the road the busses exposed the Ibe Phama. An impressive black obelisk rose from the centre of a squat looking pyramid in the heart of a green looking penninsula.

After the coaches parked the passengers were divided into groups, generally one group of delegates to a mix of students and domestic attendees. The tours in general went a little like this…

“Welcome to the Ibe Phama. This has been a sacred site for thousands of years, right back to the pre-historic. As you can see the peninsula is quite narrow, there is ocean all around us and from the platform of the Phama you can see the Urrun Falls, another site of significance. Originally a type of wall was built across the peninsula made of megalithic granite stones erected as pillars and then smooth rectangular blocks placed on top; this is where the large boulders you see next to you originated.”

The congregation is walked to a large open pit; smooth sandstone rocks circle the hole.

“This pit is actually a well. It’s currently being reconstructed after an earthquake disturbed the underground river several centuries ago. At one stage a wooden platform covered this pit and a decorated ceramic pipe was used to force the water into a fountain. Still later we believe a wooden dome was constructed and decorated in bramble, the water spray fell downwards on the dome, eventually turning into a great mound of green life as creepers, moss, ferns and other plants colonised the original wooden structure, a potent symbol of the Earth as the womb of creation and the necessity of water for life.”

The visitors are walked around the peninsula, what appeared to be natural dunes were earth-covered houses and burial chambers. In some way each building or relic on the peninsula ties the worshippers and the worshiped with the natural environment and after all the centuries the artificial and the natural have blurred, a totemic face appears at the side of a tree, a stone boulder bears ancient images on its underside and so on. There is an indistinguishable mysticism between the land and spirit. Finally the groups are brought to the Ibe Phama.

“The Obelisk placed on top is actually made from a single slab of basalt but over the centuries of exposure to the sea water and salty winds it has been polished with a shine more resembling obsidian then common basalt. Just three years ago it lay on top of a heap of rubble, the remains of the final pyramid platform. It took seven years to agree on wether the nation should or shouldn’t rebuild the platform and from which period but it was eventually agreed on through good democratic procedure.”

“The current platform mirrors the Revived Pagan Era as you might tell from the stone craft and symbolic mosaic that goes across the wall of each tier. Originally a natural megalith was positioned on top of a grassy mound. The Old Pagan Era was similar the system of terraces on this pyramid but without the sloping sides, instead trees and shrubs where planted and the whole structure made to look like a natural site. The most grandiose plan was to turn the entire peninsula into a pyramid structure; it would have been so large and heavy that it would have sunk three meters into the ocean, becoming its own island.”

Finally the visitors are able to ascend the Ibe Phama. On the central platform the horizon of the sea expands and the green fringe of the island of Vellnain can be seen. So too the city of Burnakka and the east the Urrun Falls are a silver streak through the brown-green of the summer time hills. A strong breeze blows from the Ocean, carrying away even the horn of a passing freight ship as it ploughs through the north blue of the water. It is a panoramic site and one that commands respect for the site of natural beauty and wonder, the island to the north, the falls to the east in the south the river mouth and in the west the distant peaks across the gulf...

After arriving at the convention centre in time for a lunch of fresh fruits, excellent vegetarian mini-quiches and seven different varieties of fruit juice the Delegates reassembled for a discussion on the Second question: What is the Green Agenda?

“Twenty-one years ago a great experiment in the conversion of Green Theory into practice began. The foundations of the Green movement are based on the four pillars of political environmentalism, they are: grassroots democracy, social justice, sustainable development and non-violence. Combined they form a platform that is inherently revolutionary! The global nature of the biosphere gives environmentalism a global perspective which is rooted in a local context because of these four pillars. Before I continue I want to clarify something for you all. When we talk about environmentalism to Green Parties it’s the same difference as talking about Socialism and the Social Democrats.”

“Although I have been a political corespondent and author on Green Politics as a Biotopian I can best explain things in terms of my own experience, a home base advantage as it were. The Biotopian Green Party, the BioCollective, applied a revolutionary structure for its party apparatus. The use of consensus as a means to arrive at policy decisions has not been unique amongst certain religious organisations and trade unions but no other major party had used it. The use of consensus is part of that first pillar ‘grassroots democracy’ and I will what this means exactly.”

“Consensus decision making rellies on debate, a facilitator co-ordinates discussion but all alternatives are put forward and discussed and a vote is then held. This is not the end of the process however, dissenters have the opportunity to convince a member to vote against the proposal and block it. The purpose of the debate is not only to find a majoritarian opinion but find, consensus, amongst all members. The decentralised nature of this decision making process is perfect for the bioregional and grassroots foundation of Green politics. Externally however proportional representation is the preferred parliamentary system.”

“Interesting this system is also compatible with the high-technology advent of virtual or E-government. The dedication to Social Justice has been a defining feature of Green politics. Its concept ties together the social and ecological spheres and links the concern the quality of society and the environment together. An example to consider is the plight of indigenous people under colonialism, the destruction of dignity, enslavement and disposition is intimately related to the colonial relationship to the environment through monoculture, interruption and destruction of the natural systems.”

“The support for Social Justice stems from two historical influences on the formation of Green political parties. The first was the ideological foundations of liberalism, with its emphasis on civil rights, equality and political freedoms. The second was the standard story of how the early environmental parties emerged. The BioCollective was part of a broader social movement and in general most Green Parties are closely associated with a diversity of different environmental and socially progressive sections. Due to this diversity has become a celebrated part of the political institution and ideological make up.”

“Sustainable development as a means to an end, the satisfaction of human and ecological needs, is the cornerstone of all Green economics. Economic policy however also incorporates the need in grassroots democracy, worker ownership and social justice, a living wage a so forth. Despite the popularised opinion of Green political parties being fringe elements, radical and out-of-touch however Eco-economics and classical economics, the mathematical approach to economics, have proven to be compatible.”

“Differences in approach are between the reformist Greens who think wealth redistribution, environmental taxes and subsidies will implement sustainable development and initiating social change, we are after all creatures of economy after all. More radical Greens or the ‘deep’ greens advocate that sustainable development includes an entire paradigm shot in the structure of society for real change to come about. Issues such as self-sufficiency, bioregionalism and economies of scale are rolled into the concept of ‘sustainable development’. The techno divide also emerges, should Green Parties encourage industrial research to minimise the impact of urban living and the modern economy or should they agitate for disbanding industrialism altogether for a self-sufficient, labour intense and agrarian economy?”

“Finally non-violence: we should not confuse non-violence for passive resistance which is either an indirect attack on a system or the unconscious subversion of it. Civil disobedience is the most well known and employed method of non-violence as a means to initiate change. It can also employ methods like petitions, rallies and demonstrations as well as disrupting meetings and the functioning of a targeted organisation and gaining publicity for a project or campaign. Civil disobedience can also extend to acts of civil resistance to occupation by striking, go-slows or a ‘sit in’. Non-Violence has proven effective for long-term campaigns involving civil rights and environmental activism.”

“Within these four perimeters Green parties operate. The Green Agenda can therefore be thought as more a charter the rule book. For example some Green Parties have argued for the development of nuclear power as a means to fuel sustainable development and social justice through cheap available electricity to improve the living standard of communities and individuals. The incremental development of most Green Parties has been that various eco-specific campaigns and pressure groups has banded together and with the value placed on diversity other groups such as indigenous and civil rights movements, feminists and liberals have been incorporated in the foundations of most Green Parties and to some degree this remains the case.”

“An important issue amongst the most developed of the Green Parties as been the argument between Green revolution and Green reform. Of course unlike any other revolutionary doctrine non-violence is the tool of revolutionary uprising. Those that argue for revolution believe that the industrial pattern of production and consumption needs to be broken and that any attempts to reform will be diluted by vested interests and the self-preserving mechanisms of the system. The most radical school is the eco-anarchists that want a complete deconstruction of hierarchy and the return to a zero-impact existence of communalism. There however those who follow an Internationalist approach that a post-industrial society can exists in urban centres and continue the production the industrialised production of essential goods and services.”

“Another ‘green’ revolution to consider is the joint effort of legal reform and technological and economic innovation. Transition from a centralised fossil fuel economy to medium and individual scale solare, hydrothermal and wind power generation is a phenomenon of the environmental movement that continues. Community-scale finance, ethical investment and natural capital have become viable economic manifestations of this movement. The greatest change hailed however is the mighty paradigm shift from a production value economy to a services value one. Proponents have called it the Second Industrial Revolution and its dissenters as no more then ‘green’ capitalism.”

“In conclusion we should consider the environmental movement to have been a highly successful agent for change. Furthermore that the Green Party has been a success as contributor to new ideology and challenging established political practices. Like any force of change Greens and environmentalist at times have to face the entire ‘establishment’ and go against popularism. What hope of a ‘green’ future then? Marx predicted that industrial capitalist society would implode on its own tyranny. Unlike Marx the changes caused by industrialisation cannot be ignored or pacified with weak reform and half-way measures. It is here citizens that we will find Eco-Revolution!”

"Now, any questions from the floor?"

Ailén Treegrower, Hell Bovines' minister of the enviroment, was really enjoying herself in this conference. Not only she was marvelled with the beauty of Biotopian culture and history (a lenghty history indeed, when compared to that of Hell Bovines'), but she felt confortable to the fact that she had the opportunity to talk about enviromentalism, the subject of her expertise, abroad.
Once the speech finished, she decided to voice her opinion, as she munched on a tasty vegetarian mini-quiche at the same time.

"Excuse me, I have a question sir.", she said timidly to the Biotopian speaker, raising her hoof.
"You mentioned that some Green Biotopians are in favour of the development of nuclear power, something the Hell Bovinian government is totally opposed to. We personally think that Nuclear power is a very dangerous and polluting technology, since there has not been invented, to the date, a sucessful method to dispose the uranium and the nuclear waste generated by this technology. For such reason is that I'm curious, what's your position about this issue? And what's the position of the Biotopian government about the development of this technology?
Other than this issue, let me tell you that the Hell Bovinian government congreatulates dearly the Biotopian achievements on enviromental protection and grassroots democracy, very similar, yet different, to those made in our own land. I certainly hope this conference shall help us in achieve a better understanding of our societies." She said, and gave another bite to the mini-quiche.

The Moozimooan Minister for the Environment, Johan Guaso, slicked back his whiskers and slipped as quietly as he could into the hall.

The last couple of days had been a nightmare. Having accidentally thrown the memo about tickets with his weekly trash, he had purchased them from a guy on the street for three times their original price. And he didn't get a discount. His flight was delayed and then cancelled, thanks to repeated blackouts at the airport. Ironic that the reason Moozimoo had sent a representative had almost prevented him from getting there. Two days behind schedule, he arrived in Biotopia.

He entered the hall, and procured himself a bottle of beer and a plate of canapes. A Hell Bovine was asking the Biotopian speaker about nuclear power. Johan listened intently.

The Burungi delegates had listened to their host's speeches, impressed that this was all on a higher intellectual level than most environmental conferences they had been to. They applauded politely at the right moments, and lounged in their chairs. Silas Simparieff chewed away on his betel, thoughtfully.

At the mention of nuclear power, Silas sat up straight. He spat a stream of red betel juice onto the floor in a sudden fit of outrage. Damn. Now who's going to clean that up? He started rummaging around in his bags for some non-toxic cleaner, hoping to catch it before the stain set.

(I'm not sure if I'll have time to catch up, but call this one of those tags of interest.)

“Ah, my apologies for not being clear enough, I had in fact been thinking of Continental Green movements that had advocated nuclear power. Due to Biotopia’s history with issues of nuclear power and weapons there has never been a concerted or mainstream environmental pro-nuclear lobby in the nation. There have of course been individuals or small groups of ‘green’ intellectuals who have advocated nuclear power as a tool to a Green future in Biotopia nut nothing with much practical influence or popular support.”

“As for my own personal opinion I agree very much with what you just said and I suspect with that man who just spat his food on the floor [smiles]. There is an excellent analogy once used in nuclear debates amongst environmentalists had I wish I has brought the cartoon with me so you could all see. There is a person standing at the top of a tall building and another on the side of a slippery slope. The joke is that while there are more problems with sustainable electricity, the person who occasionally slips on the grass in comparison a fall from nuclear power is a once only event.”

“The great myth of nuclear power is that it is clean, however I’m sure we’re all educated here enough not for me to go into the details. The Biotopian government has been a devout; perhaps zealous is the better word? Anti-nuclear campaigner. Not so long ago 1,000 people marched in the capital to protest against announcements from far away Celdonia that they were going to construct more nuclear power plants. I can remember that there was a flurry of diplomatic dialogue going on between the Biotopian government and Celdonia trying to stop the expansion of their plants. To their success the Biotopian government extended a seat on the NERC* to Celdonia.”

*Nuclear Energy and Research Commission [NERC]: dedicated to the reduction of nuclear arms and the improvement of civilian nuclear safety and technology. NHU – wide monitoring of nuclear waste contamination and the development for strategies in reducing nuclear waste and improving the safety of dump sites and work places dealing with nuclear technologies. The NERC is also responsible for organising and regulating the dismantling of nuclear weapons within the NHU.

"Is there anything further anyone would like to add on this topic?"

"Ah, but your 'slippery slope' analogy does not take into account set-up costs, running costs, and the amount of energy produced." countered Johan.

"One nuclear power station is equivalent to around 7,000 wind farms - not individual turbines but whole farms . As well as that people prefer the occasional large nuclear power plant to the tides of wind turbines and solar panels covering the countryside. Plus, with advances in technology, we can put a pile of mattresses at the tall building, thus increasing the chance of the guy surviving [i]and protecting the pavement."

(ooc: betel isn't so much a food, as a mild narcotic - think of it as Southeast Asian chewing tobacco)

"I must agree with the speaker," Silas said briefly. "Nuclear power poses one danger that no number of wind farms could ever do: a meltdown. And wind farms produce no toxic products. In my country, we find a wind turbine to be quite beautiful. And then there is biomass, which produces energy while actually reducing garbage. I do feel the green answer is not how to produce more power. Rather, it is how to consume less."

[OOC reply to TB: ah but the average Biotopian doesn’t know of this ;P]

“That is an excellent response by, err, Mr Spitting Man. The emphasis of Green ideology on electricity production is to start from the bottom up as it where, to reduce and make consumption more efficient before tackling the impersonal and entrenched system of how that electricity is generated. Perhaps I will summarise the anti-nuclear argument for you [directed at the audience].”

“As I’m sure Mr Spitting Man, who I presume is here for Tanah Burung, could attest to a large and capital intense investment like a nuclear plant is not appropriate for a low level industrialised nation with decentralised or small-scale energy demands. Another point is that nuclear unlike any other means of electricity production requires a huge and similarly capital intense system for processing and transporting the fuel and then to store the spent fuel rods for the next several thousand years. This is an ongoing process which cannot halt even when the nuclear plants have closed and several tonnes of high and medium level nuclear waste can be produced, not to mention the constant threat of nuclear blackmail from lost or stolen fuel rods as well as damage to nuclear facilities.”

“Ever since its inception the nuclear industry has been continuously promising that technology will safeguard against accidents. Technology sadly is no match to the weakness of people, accidents, mental illness, or malicious intent can all threaten nuclear disaster and as the Biotopian saying goes ‘No matter how brilliant the technology [human] error is always one step ahead’. Also consider this, investments in electricity efficiency can reduce between two and seven times the Co2 emissions more effectively then the investments in nuclear energy.”

Ref:
http://www.foeeurope.org/publications/NUCLEAR%20CLIMATE%20STUDY.pdf

OOC: I’m going to be without my computer for at least tomorrow, it’s Australia Day and I will be in Perth to see the pretty fireworks go boom… that was sarcasm by the way. Feel free to continue the mini-nuke debate. When I return I’ll make a post about the Third Day (the excursion to Marvkk) and then we can continue with the final discussion on “Ecotopia”.

Cheers

OOC: finally awake! I arrived home yesterday but had a 6 hour "nana nap". I will update the thread when i return from my driving lesson (1.5 hours, gha!)

OOC: My apologies for the delay but RL got in the way, as happens. I'm going to skip over the second excursion because i'm quite busy and don't have time to write out the whole thing so instead on to Session three!

“Hello… I’m Citizen Bharro; I’m 76 years old and have been asked to tell you about my vision for an ecological future. Most of what I will tell you today I’ve either written in one of my three books or in my newspaper column. There will be three parts of my talk to you today: Economics, Government and Vision. In Economics I will discuss what the relation between Internationalism [Socialism], Capitalism and Green-Economic is. In Government I want to explain what role I think democracy has with a Green society and what some alternative might be. Then I will conclude by summarising what a Green nation and Green community might look like and if they have any relation to one another.”

“First to begin with the basics, what is Internationalism [socialism] and Capitalism? Internationalism [socialism] at its foundation redistributes the wealth that society creates in the most equitable way agreed, through all or nearly all workers owning a share in the factory, shop or business they work at. Unlike owning a market share nobody else can own a part of it and the workers can make the decisions themselves. The government protects the people from exploitation by providing them with their essential needs like a roof over their head and a good education. Capitalism starts off that anyone can own a resource that has monetary value, including labour which has often meant slaves.”

“People like to make the distinction that Capitalism is efficient, the market in theory ensures that a thing’s price is equal to the demand which means only a perfect amount of anything is ever made. Also under capitalism anyone can accumulate their capital infinitely and be as rich as they can make themselves. This is partly what encourages people toward capitalism, the promise of a fair go at getting rich. This is never how it works though because in a capital centred society those who own the most things have an interest and the means to control who does and doesn’t accumulate more because every time someone for example earns a dollar more it’s a dollar less the person who owns the factory will receive.”

“What both Capitalism and Internationalism [socialism] focus on are who owns and controls how things are produced in a society. Environmental Economics or Eco-Economics is concerned about this but also questions what is made and how much. A Green wants to see that those who make things receive a fair return on what they contributed and that all people have their needs satisfied. Economic well-being; having enough to eat, a secure a socially productive job and enough time for recreation and community is very important because communities that are unbalanced, where unemployment, hunger or tyranny dominate are self-destructive which leads to crime, anti-social behaviour and the general degradation of the natural environment.”

“In its outlook Eco-Economics sees a definite link between the economy, society and the environment, each is an interdependent system. Green economists also think about the intrinsic value of the ecological system and these can be given a value in the economy. Eco-Economics also deals with the idea of the limit of growth, that the carrying capacity of the land is the maximum amount of resource use including the waste produced that can go on indefinitely without undermining that carrying capacity in the long-term. The question many ask is wether or no technology can provide us with the good life and maintain the environment or is it a source of the problem?”

“Capitalism and Internationalism [socialism] are both closed systems. The biosphere however is open; the sun provides the energy for all biological activity. In comparison to our lives it is a stable and fixed source of energy, unlike fossil fuels and even resources like gold or uranium which are treated as being an indefinite by both systems. To think about the ecosystem efficiency is the key to survival, the most basic and plentiful resources are used which has resulted in the biological diversity we should be seeing around us everyday. Eco-Economics is a school of its own like Internationalism [socialism] and Capitalism but can use past experiences and theories by both. Consider the efficiency of capitalism’s ‘invisible hand’ or the social – and environmental – benefits of workers controlling their own wages and employment security.”

“If you’re still awake the second part of my talk is about to begin on what would be a Green government. A frequent discussion about Green government is the idea of the bioregion. Each bioregion provides the environmental needs of the population at the carrying capacity of the area. There are questions over how structured these communities would be. For example if contact wasn’t institutionalised and each bioregion had sovereign control over itself then there is always the danger of the very systems Green ideology opposes re-emerging. On the other hand, if not a central government, then who will oversee to the external affairs of the ‘nation’?”

“Green ideology entrenches democracy as the only acceptable form of government. Democracy allows for diversity which environmentalists consider to be the sign of a healthy ecosystem and so likewise a healthy political one. A balance between participatory democracy at the bioregional level and supra-regional oversight will be needed to give the most freedom allowed without infringing on the civil rights of other citizens. The necessity of redistribution of resources and wealth from the most productive bioregions to the least would also need to the considered as well as what controls the central government would have and how it would enforce them. One means of finding this balance has been to imagine there are levels of bioregionalism; the local, regional, continental and global.”

“This has been a mixed success in Biotopia. Large cities like Burrnakka were considered to be one bioregion. It could export finished products, machinery and processed goods to more rural bioregions and provide special services like intensive care and university education. Each bioregion aims for maximum self-sufficiency and trades its exports for what it can’t produce. A central government formed by the federation of these bioregions would protect citizen’s rights and protect the poorest bioregions from a subsistence existence or famine. In this way all the citizens of a defined region contribute to each bioregions well being.”

“The third part of my talk now begins about the vision of a Green future. The first thing I can think to say is not to think about the future but see it around you. I wouldn’t call Biotopia a Green nation or the perfect model, I think it’s a mixed Eco-Economy with most of the government trappings but at heart the majority of the citizens think in pre-Green ways. Other nations like Hell Bovines have made also made adventurous and radical attempts at creating a truly Green nation. What I would say about a Green Future is that it should be an unprecedented state of well being and harmony for all sentients and see creativity, vegetation and democracy replace monotony, industrialisation and apathy.”

((OOC: woah, that last one was long. Anyway, as I said on the NHU board I’d presume to be there. I did ask OOCly, just not ICly.:S Anyway… the previous post was a… 'standing house' of a story as we say here in the Netherlands so it is difficult for me to add anything to it. If this is out of line, hammer me down. ;) )

Femke Halsema, taking a short break from an intensive election campaign back home, stood up:
“Hi. First of all, I’m glad to be here as a representative of the Knootoss Green Party. I think maybe a short political introduction is in order.

I can agree with what I have heard about the ideological outlines of Esso Derra so I will take them as the point of departure. I suppose that if you have to put me in some ideological bracket, I’d represent ‘Green reform’. As a mass-movement that has attracted a broad consensus of voters we’ve proven – I think – that green policies can be widely popular. However it does mean that we have adopted more moderate stances compared to those who are part of some of the New Social Movements presents here. To them, I may perhaps seem like the Green-Eyed Capitalist but I hope that people will not leave this conference with that impression.

I find myself agreeing with the issues outlined on the second day of the conference: a consensus decision making culture for grassroots democracy, E-government, support for Social Justice, Sustainable development and non-violence. These are issues that I have fought for in my political career.

I hope you’ll permit me to get back to the issue of nuclear power, because it certainly is a complicated issue. I do not think we need to talk of either/or decisions when it comes to energy and how it can be made more sustainable. The use of wind power and solar energy, biomass, ambient heat, hydroelectric power and terrestrial heat have potential in some places, but not in all places. For energy there is not a one-size-fits-all glove for any country, so instead of an ideological debate we should opt for local solutions. There is more then one way to replace fossil fuels and there are multiple paths to go about it.

Wind power in my own nation has great opportunities. That is why we have promoted building windmill parks at sea. However, Knootoss still relies on nuclear power to generate a large part of the energy required to keep a frightening economy running. Wind power simply cannot provide enough - and the greens realise this as well. Therefore my party has always insisted on having a path leading to sustainable development instead of a stubborn stance that all nuclear power must go immediately. Instead of protesting, we can help to make a faster and better transition from nuclear to fusion-based energies. In my opinion economic, scientific and social development can and must be aimed at decreasing the pressure on the environment, so we can find a balance between the long-term energy needs of a society and sustainability. Perhaps this lays a little bridge to the larger discussion on the relation between economic development and green politics - as I see them.”

She sat down again.

ooc: please assume I was never here. I'm not able to contribute to this thread.

OOC: Please assume I've been here. I've wanted to attend but I haven't had the chance till now. The character I'll be using to represent my nation is Elias Shaheen. He is regarded as an expert in industrial ecology and is often called upon to act in an advisory role in macro-economic developments in Danarkadia.

IC: "There is a great deal that has been said that I feel I must respond to. First, I would like to voice, on behalf of the Unity, our great admiration for the Biotopians and their understanding of ecology. In response to issues of energy production and consumption, we have always sought to understand the equation as having multiple facets. Just as it is important to produce and distribute energy as cleanly and efficiently as possible, which is a fundamental matter of technology, an ecologically sustainable society must also seek to harness and utilize this energy efficiently, which is a matter of economics. I would like to speak on both these forces that define our societies.

Technology has had irreversible affects on humanity. It has affected the way we produce, the way we consume, the way we relate to each other and the way we dissiminate information. It has proven to be our greatest blessing and a hefty responsibility. However, we feel that the healthiest societies are those that understand technology as an institution, a tool, and a force that influences our collective evolution, but a force over which we have control in its manifestation. In some nations, it has been a blight on the land as people consume more. In others, like ourse, it has been a savior, supporting an industrial civilization in a land where easily obtainable energy in the form of fossil fuels is extremely scarce. However, we would not have survived if we had adopted a model that places material consumption as the pardigm for wealth.

This leads me to my discussion of economics. The discussion of Capitalism versus Internatlionism and so on...we must remember that whatever means of production and consumption we choose for ourselves, these institutions are empowered because we, collectively, give them power. For example, markets are flawed because they rarely take into consideration the entire costs of the production of an item, its ripple effect throughout the society. The price of energy from a coal-powered plant does not reflect the costs of health-care involved for caring for respiratory illness from air pollution, or the damage to fisheries caused by thermal pollution of water and so on. Though it would not be difficult to fasion a new institution, a more perfect market, in which these externalities were calculated into the cost of an item, this is not done. Why? Because in most capitalistic societies that lack a strong communal ethos, the market is no longer seen as a tool, an institution that should be repaired or replaced when it ceases to provide for the general welfare. It has become an immutable truth and such societies have become slaves to their own paradigms. They cease to evolve.

Technology, economics, society, and the way human societies interact with ecology can be understood in ecological terms. Technology is a kind of evolution of the social organism, economics the belly of it, societal organisation the mind, and ecology the biosphere in which it feeds and breeds and lives and the health of the internal and external forces of the organism is crucial to the survival of the organism . The trick is balancing out our human desires and wants with the often Malthusian relationships we have historically had with our bioshpere. We must remember that when our paradigms and institutions no longer serve us and infuse health into social organism, then we must reinvent ourselves and redefine our relationships. We must evolve.

Which brings me to my final point. An ecological, post-industrial society has this fundamental fluidity as its principle strength. The insights gained through the technological and societal trappings of the industrial age and the technological age enhance our awareness of how we act as individuals, in collective, and in relationship to our biosphere. A Green society does not forget these lessons. A Green society seeks balance in all things. And a Green society understands that wealth is not the goal in itself but the tool to the goal of the greater self-actualization of all societies' members. If an institution fails to serve both this human goal and the survival needs of the social organism, it is no longer worthy of our consideration."

"So if I may continue, as much as I enjoy waxing philosophical, the nuts and bolts of the issues are typically lacking in similar clarity. Certain issues of technology have been broached, particularly in relation to energy production. A rightfully serious concern for most Green-minded individuals because energy production is one of the most potentially environmentally destructive aspects of human industry. Nuclear energy, renewable, etc. How to balance out finite sources with, what could be, a near infinite demand?

First, consumption MUST be addressed. If we cannot produce enough energy to feed our economies, we must redefine our economies. To use my own nation as a case-in-point, when it became clear that Danarkadia as a whole suffers from a general aridity, as well as easily accessible energy, the general lifestyle became very communal. We live in dormitories, we eat together, we bathe together, we work together. Public transportation is crucial for long distances, there are no personal vehicles beyond bicyles, and our cities reflect this communal philosophy. As a result, the typical Danarkadian consumes very few resources in his or her life compared to nations of similar wealth. She collects few personal possessions, consumes a fraction of the resources, and has fewer material comforts. Yet we classify ourselves as having comprable wealth, why? Because our wealth is communal wealth. Everything we do enriches the community as a whole. As a result, much of the energy put into society goes into building better, more comfortable conditions, helping people realize their natural creativity, building better, more efficient transit systems, buildings, healthcare, and more pleasant vistas in which to gather and express artistic, musical, or spiritual endeavor. Our paradigm for wealth is different. It is not measured in personal wealth but the richness of our communal fabric.

But we do consume some. We do, after all, require energy for lighting, heat, cooking and cleaning, transporting goods and people, keeping our advanced technological and telecommunications infrastructure alive, and to desalinate water to drink and bathe and clean. But what we use we use efficiently and what we produce, we begin with the most renewable means first. All our buildings incorporate solar panels and passive heating and cooling into their designs. We pass coolants through pipes in the earth to regulate the temperatures indoors when weather is adverse. All our parks and farms have wind turbines. We utilize geothermal energy in which we drill into the hot rocks below to harness the heat of the earth. We use the thermal gradient of the oceans to electrolyze water to produce hydrogen for fuel cells and fresh water for our cities. We use biomass diesel and hybrid drivetrains to power the trucks, buses, and communal autos so critical to our distribution and transportation systems. We recycle everything we can and make the rest so it can be incinerated for energy. We use every means the earth gives us and then, only then, do we utilize natural uranium reactors to supplement our supplies. There IS enough energy, but one must learn to understand the feedback mechanisms inherent in an ecology and to utilize every available means.The social organism that evolves for efficiency and adaptability is the organism that will survive and prosper.

There are no easy answers. Our society has found what works best for it and some have called it spartan compared to other capitalist nations awash in questionably useful consumer goods and energy-guzzling technology. Our paradigm is not wealth in and of itself, but the prosperity of the individual and collective spirit. It works well for us, but we must consider, if a given system of economics will eventually consume itself into death, then the ends and means of production must be reconsidered."

OOC: Bloody Hell you wouldn’t believe how hard it’s been to get back to this thread. Anyway that was a very interesting thread(s) from Danarkadia. Anyway I say this wraps things up as I would like to get on with some other forum projects I have waiting. So thank you all very much for attending and I hope you learnt something from one another.

Somewhere off Hell's Bovines, heading North up the coast, Françoise Gladand and Evo Gogglez shared the last of the dried fish bars and had a short break before returning to the sleek efficiency of the paddling technique.

The sea kayak crept ever closer.

"ahhh Franni?"

After a month at sea, Evo could hold the question in no longer

"Are we nearly there yet?"