The hopes are high, and the populace waits with baited breath and fingers crossed. Can our amazing new president really turn around the frightening economic picture we are reluctantly getting used to? Can he really alleviate the knots in our stomachs? Can we all do it together, as he challenges us to do? I may be ready, but what about the next guy? And the big corporations — aren’t they really in charge?

The “Green Economy” should help a lot, we think. Let’s focus our funds, time and energy on creating jobs and revenue in areas that get us off oil dependence and preserve our Earth home. The public will is pretty strongly moving in that direction. Surveys show time and again that most of us would rather get fuel-efficient cars and energy-efficient appliances. We’d rather not be dependent on oil, and we’d love cleaner air and water. So the “green economy” could help untie some of the knots in our stomachs.

I would suggest that a “green economy” is a step in the right direction, but not where we want to end up. The question is whether we can create enough of a widespread shift in thinking — a paradigm shift  — that we no longer live by the mandate to always grow bigger, because “bigger equals better” — whether green or black. What we need is an “Earth economy” if we want to truly be able to think of sustainable life.

Earth’s economy understands that there are limits, and bigger is not always better. Earth does not grow beyond its boundaries. Enough is enough. There is just so much. The planet is not getting bigger, it is getting better — or would if we did not intervene. Natural things get so big and stop. They then may become more complex or turn themselves to other uses for their community, or ecosystem, and morph into a different format. They do not continue to grow forever.

Our economy is based on competition. This is theoretically a good thing, we are told, because it makes each of us produce the best product, and the poorer products are left out. However, sometimes the best product comes from cooperation, not competition. Earth understands this. Yes, plants and animals compete for their share of food, water, light. But they compete without ever annihilating their competitors. They understand the need for balance and cooperation in order for all to thrive.

Our economy is based on scarcity, which creates need, worry, and dissatisfaction. We are told we really need lots of things, and really should go buy them. Accumulation of goods keeps the economic wheels turning.

But Earth tells us to stop worrying and rejoice in our abundance. Our natural world is full of incredible beauty. If we do not hoard or over-accumulate, there will be abundance for all of us. If we realize we do not need more, or bigger, or newer things, we will go a long way in relaxing our stomach knots.

If you would like to join with others who are exploring sustainability issues, please join a Sustainability Discussion Class at Stillwaters. For more information, contact Joleen Palmer at 360-297-2876.