With the right economic and environmental policies, it is possible to create an economy that thrives, both culturally and economically, co-evolving with nature itself.

In 2012, I travelled for 99 days on the Great Himalayan Trail. As someone who’d always been interested in environmental issues and the unheard stories of remote communities, the trip led to me realise that I needed to organise StoryCamps in remote locations. Walking for 1,555 kilometres in the hills and mountains of Nepal led me to realise the needs -- food, health, education, accessibility and connectivity -- of many of the country’s peoples.

When I came back to Kathmandu, I decided to go back to the community and explore their stories in more detail, as part of StoryCamp, a local initiative of my storytelling group, StoryCycle.  

Through StoryCamp, I learned that many of our communities have been working together on renewable energy. In recent years, there has been a flurry of activity by NGOs, the government and others to introduce renewable energy sources such as water mills, solar and biogas at the local level.

I also learned that there were initiatives to prioritise and protect local seeds. New types of seeds were being promoted and distributed in the villages. While these new seeds were capable of producing higher yields, they needed to be purchase every year. Traditionally, farmers get seeds for the next season from their current harvest. Many farmers prefer to stick with the local seeds, which have a long history of use.

StoryCycle has impressed upon me how our economy depends on nature for its survival. The economy is part of the living environment, and it can only thrive if nature and humanity both thrive. With the right economic and environmental policies, it is possible to create an economy that thrives, both culturally and economically, co-evolving with nature itself. Such an economy will ideally be decentralised, democratic, culturally rich, and circular. 

In order to achieve this kind of economy, there are a few steps that we can take, both on an individual level and a broader scale.

Individual lifestyle change

A lifestyle that is predicated on a plant-based diet, biking or walking to work, recycling, eating organic, fair-trade food, and other green choices has an important role to play in being sustainable. If our values are not reflected in our lifestyle, they will not be reflected in the society we wish to create. Rethinking our own consumption habits regarding what we eat or wear is one way to assert the development of the economy towards a more sustainable future.

Political mobilisation

When a green lifestyle is combined with political activism, such as forming transition towns, practicing permaculture, buying from local farmers, industries and business, protesting unsustainable business practices, and voting for political parties with green policies, we can have an even greater impact. These actions can be supplemented by starting an organic food club, local producer clubs, sharing stories and best practices.  

Economy democracy

The forces allied against sustainability -- the corporate capitalist system and its economic machinery of production and finance -- are formidable, and until they are dismantled and democratically, we cannot expect to see a truly sustainable economy. In order to achieve economic democracy, we can start working with small and medium business enterprises, buying local produce, and promoting local businesses over global franchises.

Maximum utilisation

All natural resources need to be utilised in the most efficient and ecological way possible. We need to create affluence from effluence. And we need humanity to proceed with caution and respect for life when introducing new technology. So many resources are wasted before, during, and after the production cycle. Moreover, money and resources are unequally distributed, dividing the world into rich and poor countries. This growing trend needs to be altered.

Circular economy

The new restructured economy needs to be rooted in ecological wisdom and practices. It need to be a cradle-to-cradle, circular economy where all its by-products circle back into production, just as they do in nature. The economy needs to be guided by an ecological ethics that is inspired by ancient wisdom as well as the latest ecological and technological sciences.