Rough Draft-
Ecological Utopia: Abundance vs. Sufficiency
Thomas More author of Utopia (1516) describes a utopia as, “A ‘nowhere land’, a perfect society in ‘another place’, where justice prevails, the people are perfectly content, and where sadness, pain, and violence are banned” (More, pg. 5). Most utopias can be separated into two groups, utopias of abundance and utopias of sufficiency. An ecological utopia, whose foundation for sustainable living is based on needs of the community instead of wants, is an example of a utopia of sufficiency example. In his book Ecological Utopias: Envisioning the Sustainable Society, Marius de Geus states, “Utopian ideas can increase our consciousness of the environmental crisis and incite citizens and politicians to really begin the quest for a sustainable and ecologically responsible society” (Geus, pg. 260). In today’s society we live more along the lines of a utopia of abundance where the quality of life is determined by the luxury and affluence his or her life revolves around. It is materialistic ideology, such as utopias of abundance, that pushes for technical progress and industrial growth, which causes the degradation to the earth and its’ livelihood. In order to create a society that puts the future generations at the forefront needs to be some acknowledgement of ecological utopian ideas that will improve agriculture, reduce energy consumption, and promote an ecologically balanced state.
The urgency to improve environmental ways around the world has brought the topic of living with nature instead of dominating into the spotlight. Everywhere people, organizations, and even companies have been promoting the green living lifestyle to the public. One way of helping the environment is by improving agriculture around the world. In Ecotopia (1975) by Ernest Callenbach, the people of Ecotopia enjoy the benefits of their improved agriculture, “Ecotopians eat better food than any nation on earth, because we grow it to be nutritious and taste good, not look good and pack efficiently. Our food supplies are uncontaminated with herbicides and insecticides, because we use cultivation for weeds and biological controls for insects” (Callenbach, pg. 21). In America today farmers try to improve crop yield efficiency by using herbicides and insecticides, but in recent studies there has been a denouncing of using such products to increase crop production due to increase effects on the farmers’ health. In a case study done by John M. Antle and Prabhu L. Pingali, states, “Results show that pesticide use has a negative effect on farmer health, that farmer health has a positive effect on productivity, and that there are likely to be social gains from a reduction in insecticides use” (Antle, pg. 418). If agriculture of today could decrease their use of chemicals in farming crops, like the Ecotopians, than there could be an increase in the health of farmers and tastefulness of crops. As citizens of this earth there should be a responsibility towards sustainable agriculture and “The journey toward sustainability would not be possible if it only depended on environmentalists and/or the government; it requires the awareness of every individual and their efforts to realize this laudable objective” (Lee and Rangaiah, pg. 62). One of the main goals in improving agriculture is to try and create a cycle of renewable or sustainable agriculture. Which means the fertilizer used for farming should be recycled items that the society uses then disposes of them to be used as fertilizer. In Ecotopia their farming revolves around recycled goods, “Our agriculture has reached an almost totally stable state, with more than 99 percent of our wastes being recycled” (Callenbach, pg. 22). When societies are able to reuse resources to the point that they no long are dependent on outside sources. Using Ecotopia as a prime example of a society that has converted to a totally sustainable agriculture state, will provide our society with prime examples that can be implemented and used in our agriculture system right now. Agriculture is not the only problem that persists our society today, we also need to consider the way we use and relate to nature around us.
Societies should consider what actions they use and how those actions can harm the environment. After reading Ecotopia one main passage that discuses the way the earth and life in general revolves around the smallest living organism,
Our system meanders on its peaceful way, while yours has constant convulsions. I think of ours as like a meadow in the sun. There’s a lot of change going on – plants growing, other plants dying, bacteria decomposing them, mice eating seeds, hawks eating mice, a tree or two beginning to grow up and shade the grasses. But the meadow sustains itself on a steady – state basis – unless men come along and mess it up (Callenbach, pg. 34).
When considering societies and how they relate ecologically to nature and its surroundings, Ecotopia provides many examples that could be implemented in today’s society,
Mankind, the Ecotopians assumed, was not meant for production, as the 19th and early 20th centuries had believed. Instead, humans were meant to take their modest place in a seamless, stable-state web of living organisms, disturbing the web as little as possible. This would mean sacrifice of present consumption, but it would ensure future survival…” (Callenbach, pg. 47).
“The greatest evils which stalk our Earth are ignorance and oppression, and not Science, Technology, and Industry whose instruments, when adequately managed, are indispensable tools of a future shaped by Humanity, by itself and for itself, overcoming major problems like over-population, starving, and world-wide diseases” (Hayward, pg. 3).
Revised Revised Prospectus-
Ecological Utopia: Abundance vs. Sufficiency
Thomas More author of Utopia (1516) describes a utopia as, “A ‘nowhere land’, a perfect society in ‘another place’, where justice prevails, the people are perfectly content, and where sadness, pain, and violence are banned” (Geus, pg. 19). Most utopias can be separated into two groups, utopias of abundance and utopias of sufficiency. An ecological utopia, whose foundation for sustainable living is based on needs of the community instead of wants, is a utopia of sufficiency example. In his book Ecological Utopias: Envisioning the Sustainable Society, Marius de Geus states, “Utopian ideas can increase our consciousness of the environmental crisis and incite citizens and politicians to really begin the quest for a sustainable and ecologically responsible society” (Geus, pg. 260). In today’s society we live more along the lines of a utopia of abundance where the quality of life is determined by the luxury and affluence his or her life revolves around. It is materialistic ideology, such as utopias of abundance, that pushes for technical progress and industrial growth, which has caused the degradation to the earth and its’ livelihood. In order to create a society that puts the future generations in the forefront there needs to be some acknowledgement made to ecological utopian ideas that will improve agriculture, reduce energy consumption, and promote an ecologically balanced state.
Revised Prospectus-
Ecological Utopia: The Use of Sustainable Agriculture to Improve Farming in the United States
Imagine a world where living simplistically instead of ornately is sought not through prosperity, but thought individual and social happiness that can only be found when material pleasures and human desires are controlled for the better good of society and future generations. This world is an example of an ecological utopia whose foundation for sustainable living which is based on needs of the community instead of wants. In his book Ecological Utopias: Envisioning the Sustainable Society, Marius de Geus states, “Utopian ideas can increase our consciousness of the environmental crisis and incite citizens and politicians to really begin the quest for a sustainable and ecologically responsible society” (Geus, pg. 260). In today’s society we live more along the lines of a utopia of abundance where the quality of life for each person is determined by the luxury and affluence that their life revolves around. It is this ideology that pushes for technical progress and industrial growth, which has caused the degradation to our livelihood, environment, and ecological responsibility.
Due to all the new technological developments within our society one industry is hurt more than others, and that is the family farm. According to Farm Aid, “Family farmers are being forced out of business at an alarming rate; every week 330 farmers leave their land. As a result there are not nearly five million fewer farms in the U.S. than there were in the 1930’s” (Family Farms). The decline of family farms in the U.S. is due to the strive for efficiency that many major factory farms and large-scale production farms are pushing towards. One way we as a society can revive the family farm is to introduce the use of sustainable agriculture, which is a type of farming that encourages responsibility for the environment and farming communities. “Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Feenstra, What is Sustainable Agriculture?). Implementing sustainable agriculture through the use of ecological utopian ideas can help family farms, and prevent damage to our environment through environmental stewardship, harmony with nature, and living sufficiently instead of abundantly.
In times of economic, political, and environmental turmoil, people and societies turn to solutions that promise change for the better, and happiness for all. Sometimes this change is described as a utopia. Marius de Geus defines a utopia as, “literally a ‘nowhere land’, a perfect society in ‘another place’, where justice prevails, the people are perfectly content, and where sadness, pain, and violence are banned” (Gues, pg. 19). There have been many different utopias formed and molded over the past century, but most can be categorized in two categories; utopia and anit-utopia or dystopia. Utopias can then be further broken down into political, gender, ecological and many other types of utopias. Recently due to the green, earth friendly movement the idea of an ecological utopia has grown in popularity. An ecological utopia is when a society believes living on earth requires everyone to be held responsible to nurture, moderate, and enjoy what earth provides each day. There are two different utopias to consider when discussing the use of materials provided by earth; an ecological utopia or utopia of sufficiency, and technological utopia also known as a utopia of abundance. Each provide its own purpose but when considering what is best for the environment and earth, it is best to create a society that bases its beliefs on sufficiency instead of abundance.
9/8/09-For this research paper I will be reading Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach, and The Island by Aldous Huxley. If anyone is interested in the idea of ecological utopias I would suggest picking up these books and reading them. Ecotopia is a book that imagines what it would be like if Northern California, Washington, and Oregon separated from the rest of the United States and formed their own state called Ecotopia. So far it has been very interesting and I am looking forward to learning about a utopia that could help our current situation with the environmental crisis.
