I think its time to organize something called The Green Union.
Membership in The Green Union will supplement, not replace, membership in other unions. Membership will be open to all workers and consumers, including the unemployed.
- Union Label (click for source)
The agenda of The Green Union is to promote a green economy through a general boycott of all products, services, companies, and jobs that are not green, and through the creation and spread of green alternatives.
To support this agenda, The Green Union would
- Serve as a clearinghouse for standards and ratings on the greenness of all products, services, organizations, and jobs. (the product category would include legislation and political candidates)
- Serve as an incubator for green activism, green business, and green jobs.
Green Union Mall
One idea for incubating green business and green jobs is a Green Union Mall. A green mall would be a local cooperative that might look like any other mall except that all the businesses, products, and jobs in the mall would meet green standards. The green mall would offer cooperative logistical and operational support to the businesses in the mall and to the wider green community. This could include shared front-office and back-office services, cooperative advertising, shared business equipment, cooperative finance and accounting services, green business start-up consulting, etc.
Green Currency
Another tool for promoting a green economy might be one or more forms of green (alternative) currency. It might make sense for The Green Union to promote one particular green currency or green currency standard.
Next steps for those who like this idea:
- Cooperative charter, bylaws, and website for The Green Union
- Detailed business plan for Green Union Malls
- Choosing or creating a preferred green currency or green currency standard
Please comment. I’d be glad to continue a discussion of these things here or on another venue.
Poor Richard
Resources:
- green standards
- green pages
- Green America
- cooperative
- alternative currency
- metacurrency project
- Shareable Commercial Spaces
Church of Reality
Critiques Of Libertarianism
Evolving Thoughts
P2P Foundation
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The Stone
September 7, 2011 at 9:48 pm
For product greenness I’d be more interested in disclosure (and of course highly-detailed accounting for) carbon footprint, rather than a pass/fail seal of approval or union label— in keeping with the non-zero tolerance policy. Also, green consumerism is an oxymoron, so the green mall would logically be a center for the activities called “reduce,” “re-use” and “recycle,” in that order of preference. Since “reducing” is about figuring out what one can do without, perhaps the net flow of merchandise at the green mall the opposite of what one expects at a mall?
September 7, 2011 at 11:28 pm
n8, thanks for those good comments and suggestions.
I think a good universal green pages would support both the quick reference seal of approval (or certification) approach AND the drill-down detailed disclosure approach. Going further, users might be able to define their own custom green standards and get ratings based on that, too.
I agree that green consumerISM is an oxymoron. But green consuming is not. Being a conscientious green consumer is just the opposite of what consumerism implies.
I strongly agree that the green mall would emphasize “reduce,” “re-use” and “recycle.” Many green businesses and jobs can be built on that, too.
November 11, 2011 at 11:23 am
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