Planning Down: Economic Life Within Ecological Limits
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
October 20-22, 2009
Planning Down places a large project of work before its conference community: to study the gaps between our economic and ecological practices and to build a portrait of a rich community and national life for the near-future in which ecology and economy are more successfully aligned.
In current public debates about climate change, energy transitions, sustainable urban development, and the vulnerability of key ecosystems, the economy is conceived as something apart from, and often in conflict with, environment.
Long-developing habits and prevailing economic thinking—essentially, a philosophy of growth—have fostered this view and allowed us to externalize the ecosystem impacts of consumption; and even now, such impacts are considered as a line item in the economic model.
Nature itself, of course, never was an externality and has been conducting full-cost accounting all along. Numerous thoughtful, expert voices are speaking and writing about this and offering a variety of forecasts and responses.
The conference will feature speakers and thought leaders who are some of the most imaginative and compelling voices on the scene who have been encouraging—in their various fields and perspectives—more conscious and more successful alignments between social practice and the systems of nature that support us. It will highlight positive North American and global examples of social arrangements and economic innovation as proof that a high quality of life and can be broadly crafted and sustained here.
For more information visit:
http://www.gaininggroundsummit.com/vancouver2009/index.htm
