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Many environmentalists are suspicious of the whole idea of 'economics', seeing free market capitalism as a key cause of many of current environmental problems. However, the original meaning of the word shares it root with ecology, and means 'household management'; management of all the resources at our disposal to deliver the outcomes we seek, whether it is at a personal, local, regional or global level.
Finance and economics includes ensuring that future generations have what they need to manage their 'household' too. A key part of household management is ensuring sound finances, which means building alternatives to the current debt-based monetary system and rediscovering the enabling power of money, based on abundance rather than scarcity. The third permaculture ethic of 'fair shares' also has major implications in this area, challenging us to work towards equitable financial systems and a balanced distribution of monetary resources.
The modern economy excludes many from prosperity, and enslaves many more with huge burdens of debt. Alternative trading systems allow alternative means of access to local markets and economic systems, and to create a sustainable local economy.
Permaculture is rooted in the idea of that individuals can reduce their environmental impact by producing things themselves, be that food, homes, or power.
In the current global food system, the price consumers pay for food bears little relation to the real costs of production due to subsidies and market distortions. Moreover, most commercial food growers have huge debts.
Since permaculture focuses on the connections between things more than the parts, the design of resilient economies relies on each contributor to build a strong network.