An economy we can no longer service...

I have just been reading an article outline the work done by Tesco and Sainsburys creating jobs in growing stores and they call this Corporate Responsibility (CR).

Do we now have to rely on charity from Corporates to create new jobs? Have we completely lost the idea and hope of a growing economy?

I have always being troubled by the statistic that 80% of UK employment is in the form of the Service industry. Not making primary or secondary industry but pure tertiary work, servicing the consumers in the UK. We are continually recycling our income and wealth and with a growing rate of unemployment these service industries are under threat as the disposable income to service each other will diminish.

The early noughties supported this shift in employment as more people had money, could borrow money etc.. but as the economy declines so does the value of this economy. As it grew itself it will also shrink itself.

We need to radically look at where jobs can be created and where the value in our economy should be coming from. Not emerging opportunities but existing opportunities in a global market.

Tribal Movement

Will sustainability ever become a mass market "tribal" idea. It seems that few people get it. Those that do, live it and are passionate about. Those that don't, steer clear and those in the middle are totally apathetic to it.

Do we try to force people to live more sustainably, do we financial encourage them to do it or do we take the lead and show them what the difference is.

The Green Party in the UK has exactly this challenge. Annomously their policies appeal to people, probably enough to be a major political force in the UK. The wrapper however isn't so appealing.

Is it just the brand, is it the apathy or is it that we need to stop talking about sustainability and talk about equality, fairness and economic value??

Quick ways to make a difference.

Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with low energy light bulbs.
CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Try multiplying that around your house and it soon starts making a big difference.

Localism and Global Issues

Localism has been something I have been passionate about for several years now. The idea of developing local communities, helping people re-engage with their neighbourhood and preventing big corporate culture from dominating our high streets.

With a low carbon economy, these ideas begin to be more relevant as we look at restrictions on global travel, renewable energy production requiring smart grids to be effective etc.. But we still live in a planet challenged by resource deprivation, mass poverty and poor health care.

I have heard the saying charity begins at home all my life and I do agree that principle, but if we focus purely on our neighbour do we miss a chance to make real change.

In reality our neighbour has never been further away, whilst at the same time never closer. The communications era has lead to a shrinking world. Someone living in my village has never read my blog, but I know people as far away as South Korea have. Does the term neighbour redefining in our global network.

The skills and ideas that we generate in the UK are equally relevant in South Korea, Libya or Argentina. Whilst the Global mastodons will continue to grow and reach new markets so the challenge of localism becomes ever more important. Towns in the sub continent and Africa need the skills and ideas to become self supproting to create jobs and provide food for their families in the same way that we do.

We should not be focussed on localism solving local issues but localism and networks of locallities changing the global framework and reinventing how we live our life.