Governance Archives – Page 2 of 8 – Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

Tompkins County, the Finger Lakes Hub of Sustainability

June 20, 2024/2 Comments/in Dave Rollo, Governance, Pollution, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald, Sustainability, Water /by Gary Gardner

by Dave Rollo

The Finger Lakes region of western New York State is distinguished by a series of long and narrow glacial valleys, dammed by moraine, that now contain lakes. Glacial scouring created some of the deepest lakes in North America, including Seneca, Cayuga, and Skaneateles lakes. These spectacular natural features give the region its identity.

The region features ample farmland and forest and a relatively sparse population. Tompkins County,

Introducing the Sustainable Missions Act

June 13, 2024/2 Comments/in Daniel Wortel-London, Governance, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Gary Gardner

by Daniel Wortel-London

What’s your mission? While few can answer this question quickly, most of us recognize the importance of a mission to an individual or an organization. A mission provides direction, a framework of goals, and a basis for developing the strategies we need to reach them. In the USA, every cabinet-level department must develop a mission as part of its broader strategic planning process.

Unfortunately, most federal mission statements tend to promote planet-destroying economic growth or attempt—in vain—to reconcile growth with conservation goals.

The Steady State Economy Act: Halfway to the Hill?

May 30, 2024/10 Comments/in Brian Czech, Economic Policy, Governance, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Gary Gardner

by Brian Czech

Promulgating the steady state economy via federal legislation has long been a primary goal at CASSE. However, even a primary goal isn’t necessarily pursued from the get-go. Much of the CASSE run thus far has been focused on raising awareness of the need for a steady state economy. Raising such awareness was even higher on the list of goals, because drafting statutory law is of limited use if there is no knowledge of the need for it.

Sortition for a Steady State Economy?

April 18, 2024/6 Comments/in Gary Gardner, Governance, Politics, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Gary Gardner

by Gary Gardner

In my frustration over humanity’s sluggish response to the urgent issues of our time, I find a bit of hope in an idea championed by the philosopher John Rawls. He had a simple and appealing suggestion for shifting people’s preferences in the direction of the common good.

Rawls proposed that anyone deliberating about public matters–legislators, officials, citizens, and others–start from behind a “veil of ignorance,” that hides from them their place in society.

Introducing the Luxury Cap Act

February 1, 2024/8 Comments/in Consumption, Daniel Wortel-London, Governance, Steady State Herald, Wealth /by Gary Gardner

by Daniel Wortel-London

Even as nearly a billion people go hungry every day, the wealthiest one percent of the world’s population is purchasing ever-more expensive toys. Yacht sales grew by an average of 22 percent per year between 2014 and 2022. Private jet sales have boomed since the start of the COVID pandemic. The global luxury jewelry market, already huge at $56.5 billion,

Time to Make a Material Difference

December 14, 2023/4 Comments/in Consumption, Gary Gardner, Governance, Materials use, Steady State Herald, Sustainability /by Gary Gardner

by Gary Gardner

Well, COP 28 ended yesterday with (seeming) agreement to (sort of) walk down the fossil fuel ladder toward a (not for a while) sustainable future. Geez! It’s almost 2024, more than half a century since Limits to Growth was published, and the human family is in a pouting mood. Why is it like pulling teeth to do the right thing, sustainability-wise? Why are we sleepwalking toward a cliff?

Learning from Las Vegas: The Costs of Growth

December 1, 2023/2 Comments/in Daniel Wortel-London, Economic Growth, Governance, Politics, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald, Water /by Gary Gardner

by Daniel Wortel-London

Since 1998, the City of Las Vegas and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have been gambling with nature. By auctioning off public land from the BLM for development and using the proceeds to preserve natural areas, policymakers and federal officials have bet that development and conservation can go hand-in-hand.

But it hasn’t worked out that way.

As the Las Vegas region has grown from 1.3 to 2.7 million people since 1998,

The Imperative—and Peril—of Density

November 9, 2023/5 Comments/in Biodiversity, Dave Rollo, Environment, Governance, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Gary Gardner

By Dave Rollo

The transition to a steady state economy—in which humans, their operations, and their artifacts are nested harmoniously within the economy of nature—is fundamentally about reconciling human needs with the needs of nature. Leaving space for habitat and the functioning of natural systems is critical to our survival and the survival of myriad other organisms.

Natural and traditional agricultural ecosystems are autotrophic (‘self-feeding’), meaning they are capable of regenerating resources and assimilating wastes.

Preface to Gag-Ordered No More (by Brian Czech)

November 2, 2023/9 Comments/in Brian Czech, Governance, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Brian Czech

[Editor’s Note: The Steady State Press has a new title. Gag-Ordered No More: The 800-Pound Gorilla in the U.S. Government (by Brian Czech) has gone to print. If the preface isn’t enough to whet your literary appetite, see the blurbs on the back cover (embedded below). And, be one of the first to order the book.]

Preface: They Wanted Me Out; Now I’m Out

They say the ironies never cease.

What Makes a County Great?

October 5, 2023/13 Comments/in Dave Rollo, Economic Growth, Environment, Governance, Steady State Economy, Steady State Herald /by Gary Gardner

by Dave Rollo

Think about the county where you live. Picture your favorite streets, event spaces, scenery, or terrain. If you’ve lived there awhile, chances are you know what makes it great: the natural, cultural, and commercial places whose characteristics make your community special to you and your neighbors.

Your connection to them becomes part of your sense of place. You delight in taking visiting family and friends to these special sites and you lament changes that threaten or despoil them.