Green Work, Wealth & Community Development Work: how can we be of service? Wealth: whats the purpose of work?

Related Questions What is greenwhat is sustainability? What is money, finance, democracy? Markets? Regulation? etc.

Context Structural crisis of the economic system. Long-held assumptions challenged. Issue of the POTENTIALS of economic development

Key Theme: Redefining Wealth Phantom/Casino vs. Real Economy Quantitative: Money & Material Accumulation Qualitative: Well-being Regeneration

Work & the Real Economy What is work & its trajectory of evolution? What is Green Work? Whats a Job? How are jobs and work remunerated?

The Purpose of Social & Economic Change Reform? –mainstream view of sustainability as limiting excess –redistribution of (quantitative) wealth Restructuring / Revisioning? –reshaping the purpose of the economy –redefining as well as redistributing wealth

What is Green Work? Cleanup? Efficiency? Blue-collar? White-collar? Should all work be green?

Issues Raised the nature of work & green work the purpose & structure of economic life the role of money the role of human & environmental need the role of labour the role of business cutting-edge alternative perspectives

Whats the Real Economy? simply material production? Complicated by the rise of cultural production/consumption Raises questions about the purpose of production

My Perspective Green as Postindustrial –authentic knowledge-based development –key role of culture in the economy Strategic importance of positive alternatives in making change Holistic definition of a Green Economy Importance of work not simply jobs

The Economy in Loops

A Green Economy-1 1.From products to services: culture-based production as People Production; focus on end-use & human need. 2.Ecosystem-based economy: decentralization, distribution, participation

A Green Economy-2 Substitutes human creativity for resources & energy: shift in labour/resources balance. –Human development should be the primary strategy for sustainability Eco-production: high eyes to acres ratio. Efficiency depends on participation.

Industrialism: The Divided Economy Invisible Visible Use-value Exchange-value Consumption Production People Things Unpaid Paid Women Men Informal Formal Private Public

Invisible Economy (1) Total Productive System of an Industrial Society (layer cake with icing) GNP-Monetized ½ of Cake Top two layers Non-Monetized Productive ½ of Cake Lower two layers GNP Private Sector Rests on GNP Public Sector Rests on Social Cooperative Love Economy Rests on Natures Layer Private Sector PublicSector underground economy Love Economy Mother Nature All rights reserved.Copyright© 1982 Hazel Henderson 2

Issues Automation of blue-collar work. Degradation & outsourcing of blue- collar work: globalization. Undervaluing of Resources: labour- vs. resource-productivity Automation of white-collar work De-marketization of production & the Commons. A crisis of jobs or a Crisis of Remuneration? Is Fordist-era manufacturing the solution?

Remuneration & Qualitative Wealth Sever work and income? Wages: tied to certain kinds of production & markets. Public goods not so well served by markets. Economic insecurity: closely related to environmental destruction.