permaculture

["Wim A. de Bruyn" <WdeBruyn@mail.dma.be>]

Hello John Schinnerer,

Thank you for your interest.

>Aloha,
>
>a few questions...
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From:        Wim A. de Bruyn [SMTP:WdeBruyn@mail.dma.be]
>       >... a label that
>       >indicates the percentage of the price of a product that
>corresponds with
>       >its costs of production with ecological goods and services.
>
>       Who will determine what this percentage is, and how will they do
>so?  Who will determine what "ecological" means?
>       How will the labels themselves be 100% "ecological?"

The answer to this and other FAQ's are presented at the ZERO web site.  I
post the answer to this question as the separate mail : What is an
ecological product ?

>       >To satisfy the demand of consumers of the developed world for
>ecological
>       >goods and services, the producers of South Africa will compete
>with each
>       >other to produce ecologically.
>
>       There appears to me to be inherent contradictions in the above -
>demand, consumers, producers, industrial competition, "business as
>usual" but somehow it will magically be "ecological."  Any further
>explanation would be appreciated.

In the part which you copied from the letter to Mr. Mandela, you left out
the important part which is that consumers will be able to deduct their
costs of living with ecological products from their taxable income.
Imagine that you are a producer when consumers have this capacity to
deduct.   The billions of consumers of the developed world will then buy
your products only when they are to some degree ecological.  They will buy
more of your products than these of your competitors when your products are
more ecological than these of your competitors.  What will you do, to
satisfy these billions of rich consumers of the developed world?  You will
be obliged to improve the ecological quality of your products or go out of
business, will you not?

It is indeed business as usual, since the forces of the free market economy
still function when consumers can deduct their costs of living with
ecological products from their taxable income.  Only all these forces will
now push production and development, in general, in a direction in which
the integrity of human nature is maintained.  To give consumers the faculty
to deduct, allows the consumers to give sense to the use of the forces of
the free market economy.  In the current version of the free market
economy, all these forces are used to increase consumption, because the
only goal of development in the current version of the free market economy
is to CONSUME!

>       >...will improve the standard of living in South Africa
>
>       What specifically is meant by "improve the standard of living?"
>For whom, when?  What would be some of the tangible and intangible
>changes in daily life?

With billions of consumers demanding ecological products, more people will
earn a living by producing ecological products.  The increasing amount of
people who will be working in an ecological industry, will use their income
to improve their living conditions.  They will buy better housing, better
clothes, better food.  That is what is meant with a standard of living.
Intangibles are all activities grouped under cultural : concerts, reading,
traveling, holidays, recreation in general.

>       >...and lead to an increase in demand for the goods and services
>of the
>       >developed world.
>
>       How will this increase in demand have consequences different
>from the current "endless growth" economic systems?

The difference will be caused by the condition that consumers will be able
to deduct their costs of living with ecological products from their taxable
income.  This faculty to deduct will change the goal of development from
the current one "to CONSUME" to the goal : to keep the integrity of human
nature.  The moment consumers can manage their costs of living, all
producers will pursue the goal to keep this integrity.  Any growth will
therefore happen within the limits of nature.  All products produced will
sustain a way of living in harmony with nature.  Please read the annex to
the letter to Mr. Mandela : Ecological version of the free martket economy,
which I also posted to this list.

Is the situation more clear now?

>
>       John Schinnerer



With sincerity and its feelings,

Wim A. de Bruyn
Founder
ZERO, association of consumers keeping their integrity with their income
45 rue Alfred Giron
B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Tel. : **32 (2) 648 56 95
e-mail : WdeBruyn@mail.dma.be
ZERO web site : http://freezone.exmachina.net/ZERO