The “Natural Economy of Life” proposes a monetary and economic model where humans and living systems take precedence over profit. This is a radically different economic system, which takes into account that resources are finite; that we are creating pollution on a disastrous scale; and that continuous expansion, as in the current capitalist model, cannot be sustained. Global wellbeing, awareness and prosperity are central to Bernd Hückstädt’s idea. Of particular interest with the model he proposes is that it has an ethical foundation, which rests on three basic pillars:
1. The good of every single participant – win-win.
2. The good of the community – family, community, country, humanity…
3. The good of the big scheme of things – nature, environment, mother earth, universe…
The model follows the most prevalent natural law that exists on our planet – the cycle of life, which is a cycle of growth and decay. Money is subject to decay and is, therefore, self-regulating, which keeps the money supply stable. Money, or ‘gradidos’ as the economic unit is called, is created without debt and used for the following:
– Basic income, either unconditional or active,
– Government income, including health and social services,
– Equalisation and Environment Fund (EEF) to protect and decontaminate the environment.
As Diana Schumacher, co-founder of the Schumacher Society, the Gandhi Foundation UK, the New Economics Foundation (nef) and the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF) stated: “It is a concept which provides adaptable tools for some of the most complex situations of our time, and which avoids the separation of environmental, social economic and spiritual issues”.