In on of the big national newspapers, Dagbladet, I got to publish an article about permaculture.
Actually it is an response to an article where a CEO says that part time work is not sustainable, and that women has to work more if we are to maintain our prosperity.
http://www.dagbladet.no/2014/01/03/kultur/meninger/debattinnlegg/kronikk/debatt/31095021/
Google translate did this, and I just fixed the really whacked:
Anne - Kari Bratten , executive director of the employing organization Spectrum , makes a big mistake when she says to Dagbladet 28 December that women should work more. She says that part-time work is not sustainable for the community and that we all have to work more to ensure future prosperity. "If we do not start to work more , we fucked ," says Spectrum leader.
It is indeed easy to agree with Anne - Kari Bratten within the current paradigm , where economic growth is dependent on increased consumption. When she chooses to use the word sustainability to underpin demand , it is however difficult. In an environmental perspective, it is not sustainable to maintain current material consumption - much less increase it. To ensure the future welfare , including future generations , women must on the contrary work less . Men too , for that matter . At least those of us who have careers or consumption that contribute to the system that destroys the planet.
Everyone knows that the world is not sustainable , and that it takes more to save the world but to sort and buy organic milk. What is needed is a satisfactory alternative to the consumer society we have today. An alternative that provides a better life that is also environmentally sustainable . This option is growing, as more and more people are becoming more environmentally conscious and aware of what is healthy and ethical. If we use some of the new-found time to produce some of our own food , we contribute significantly to reducing the problems of the world . Food prices in stores are low even though the massive mono- cultures in the conventional agriculture contributes to soil erosion and soil degradation . To acquire new land to produce food on we chop down forest . That destroys plant and animal species on a large scale and is gone forever .
If Earth's future play a role in the choices we make , it fits very well choose to work less - because this means less purchasing power and lower material consumption . Bærum Permakulturforening believe in a society where working 80 percent gives more back to society than it would if you worked 100 percent. Life is short and we must prioritize. Having individual freedom to create the good life with a system that contributes to quality and quality , close to nature and family time, is an option to work more. And that saves the world.