Acheiving a sustainable economy: new economic alternatives to market globalism

ACHIEVING A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
New economic alternatives to market globalism

The speakers are:

1. Prof Bob Blain (Southern Illinois University) Beyond capitalism: confronting the endless growth paradigm

Bob believes that our growth-dominated economic system has reached a crisis stage, in no small part due to the accelerating growth of national and international debt. He spoke eloquently about exponential debt growth in the U.S. over a 200-year timespan at the recent American Monetary Institute conference held in Chicago, and is particularly concerned about the serious social and environmental costs as well as the consequent breakdown in infrastructure. Bob has also proposed a scheme for defining currency exchange rates in terms of productivity per hour of work, arguing that this makes the exchange rate parity fair, objective and visible, simple, free, and independent of any reference currency.

3. Dr Geoff Davies (A.N.U. researcher and author) Growing quality, shrinking quantity: minds, markets, money

Geoff is an academic at the Australian National University in Canberra who has published a splendid book entitled Economia, which is about new economic systems to empower people and support the living world. He is concerned about whether economic globalism has delivered on its promises and asks the questions (a) If progress is supposed to make our lives easier, why are so many stressed and dissatisfied? (b) why is so much of the world still impoverished? and (c) Is humanity destroying its own life-support system?

3. Deirdre Kent (NZ environmental & social activist, and author)
Healthy money, healthy planet: why we need a new monetary system
Deirdre has always questioned underlying assumptions and beliefs, and has founded several organisations in New Zealand which advocate new ways of thinking. One of her passions is to inform people about how the financial system we have inherited contributes to worldwide environmental and social degradation, and promoting monetary literacy to help avert further degradation. She is a trustee of Living Economies, an organisation set up for this purpose. Her most recent book, Healthy Money Healthy Planet: Developing Sustainability through new money systems, discusses how local, complementary currencies can make a difference.

Tea and coffee will be provided. A gold coin donation would be appreciated.

Further information: Contact John Hermann Email: hermann@picknowl.com.au Tel: (08) 8264 4282