Definitions
Health: We often limit our notion of health to the absence of disease. But health encompasses much more. For instance, in 1986 the World Health Organisation (WHO) defined the fundamental conditions for health as: peace, shelter, food, education, income, stable eco-system, sustainable resources, social justice, and equity. In addition to these criteria we can also include psychological, emotional, and spiritual well-being. If we take all of these factors into account it means changing our values, behaviours, and institutions.
Sustainable: Something that is stable over a very long time period. Specifically, a robust balance between human culture and the cyclical rhythms of nature enabling both to flourish for perpetuity.
Ecological Sustainability: In balance with the cycles of nature using no more energy or materials than nature can supply on an indefinite basis. A primary reliance on natural materials rather than synthetic ones.
Social Sustainability: A stable social network in which the basic and non-basic needs of all citizens of a community are met within a framework of grassroots based institutions. Where the prevailing values of mutual-aid, self-
management, solidarity, equity, and cooperation are actualized.
Community: A geographical place where citizens interact with one another on the basis of solidarity, mutual-aid, equity, and diversity. Social ecologist Murray Bookchin puts it this way, “A municipal association of people reinforced by their own economic power, their own institutionalization of the grass roots, and the confederal support of nearby communities organised into a territorial network on a local and regional scale.”
Synopsis of Proposed Community Policy:
Housing – municipal housing strategy designed to meet the diverse housing needs of all citizens. Where, form and function interact to produce livable low impact domiciles.
Food Security – local food production and allocation strategy that emphasizes safe and nutritious food in conjunction with sustainable food production practices.
Energy – a municipal energy strategy that emphasizes conservation and renewable local and/or regional supply.
Human Development/Education – a municipal social development strategy with a focus on individual and collective empowerment.
Women – municipal policy that recognizes the specific needs of women in terms of opportunity, safety, career, and family.
Children and youth – A municipal strategy that develops a comprehensive programme which ensures young people are well cared for and that they have equality of condition so they may the best chance of realizing their full potentials.
Work – a municipal strategy around full employment, work week reduction, and worker self-management.
Wellness – a municipal strategy developed around an holistic approach to health care that puts significant resources into prevention and effectively integrates allopathic with naturopathic practices.
Community Economic Development – a municipal economic strategy based on import substitution and needs (use value) satisfaction rather than export and accumulation. With a premium placed on local and regional cooperation in terms of production, allocation, and consumption, within the context of worker self-management.
Transportation – A municipal wide strategy to reduce the use of private vehicles for commuting and out of region transportation. The introduction of a carbon tax as an incentive to reduce fuel consumption.
Conservation – A municipal strategy to reduce the use of raw materials and energy. Emphasis on public ownership of tools, equipment, and machines to be leased to neighbourhoods for shared use.
Air, land and water quality – A municipal strategy that factors in the total costs of extraction, production, and consumption.
Stewardship/Trusteeship – A municipal strategy that fosters an ethic of stewardship, as well as individual and collective responsibility for our social and natural environments.
Media – A municipal to plan to assume control of local print and broadcast media. This strategy would allow for the development of small independent media.
Inclusive Democracy/Governance – A municipal restructuring of our basic democratic institutions commencing with our local government structure and moving outwards to confederate the surrounding bio region. This would entail redesigning our local government around a system of nested assemblies (i.e. neighbourhood and citizens' assemblies) as supreme policy decision-making bodies.
Land-use Planning – A municipal strategy to de-commodify land by allocating its use via Community Land Trusts and not the market. To provide incentives for clustered, more land intensive building sites.
Technology – A municipal strategy that concentrates on appropriate technology that is more labour intensive and less capital intensive, with particular focus on low impact technologies and techniques.
Culture – A municipal strategy that encourages local cultural development including narratives, visual art, performing arts, and historical traditions.