Dear Friend,
Summer is 42 days away. Perhaps, then, you’ll find “the answer” today. The answer to what? I’m not sure, but according to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, 42 itself is the ultimate answer to the “Great Question.” The only problem was, no one could explicate the Great Question, either!
At CASSE, we consider the steady state economy an answer to some pretty big questions, all of which are quite clear. To wit:
- What does biodiversity conservation entail?
-
What kind of economy is truly sustainable?
- Which economic scenario is required for national security and peaceful international relations?
Yes, the steady state economy solves a lot of problems! We simply must continue advancing it among the public and policymakers. We’re CASSE; that’s what we do.
And that was our goal at FT Weekend last Saturday, where, sure enough, we met the insightful founder of . . . Solution 42. You’ll find her noted below; the newest member of our Board of Advisors. A top-notch development economist, Emily Brearley reminds us of Herman Daly, having served as a senior economist in the World Bank before moving on to more sustainable pastures.
Brearley was one of many intriguing contacts we made at the conference. The Polish foreign minister, a White House economic advisor, prominent authors, and one of the most successful conservationists on the planet were all introduced to CASSE and our steady-state mission. So were a few audiences (thanks to the open forums)!
The quintessential conservationist in the crowd, Kristine Tompkins, has carried on the amazing work started with her late husband, Doug (also below). Tompkins Conservation has established or expanded over a dozen national parks in Chile and Argentina, with nearly 15 million acres protected. Now if only those parks can survive the push for GDP growth, some serious steady statesmanship will have succeeded!
Conferences in general have been good for CASSE this quarter. We don’t over-attend them; we seek optimal participation, weighed against our projects in progress. We spend little on them, too, because frugality and conservation go hand in hand. In other words, we walk the talk in our choices of venue, lodging, and transportation.
Got a conference in mind? We seldom have the funding to sponsor sessions or attendees, but we do have some materials we can distribute to CASSE volunteers hot on the conference trail. Modest financial assistance is not out of the question if the conference is key to the CASSE mission. Just give us plenty of advance notice and we’ll see how it fits.
How much advance notice? Why, 42 days, of course!
Sincerely,
