Article by Marco Crescenzi, President of Social Change School
Out of the physical lockdown, we now must exit the harder lockdown, the cultural one of life and business as usual. It is time to make choices, for all of us, knowing that what we choose today will build everybody’s tomorrow. Knowing that the future rests in our hands like never before.
Consuming industrial food of dubious quality with negative effect on our health and public spending, or preferring zero food miles, local producers (in crisis), cooking at home and with that our family’s and our own health? Keep buying on Amazon and favoring its enormous foreign profits or supporting the community by purchasing at local establishments and helping the families that work there?
Wasting plastic (mostly associated with industrial food and e-commerce) without caring about creating a future made of waste for our kids, or forcing producers to radical packaging choices? Working in the office 8-9 hours a day + 1-2 hours of transportation, or finding again a reasonable balance with less work and useless waste? Keep using the car, or insisting on efficient transport and using bicycles, asking for cycle paths and, for instance, request strong facilitations for electric bikes? We have the power to direct production and politics with our hands and wallets. We only need to acquire intelligent behaviours and think, now. Between the headless and unsustainable globalism supported by the left wing and the impossible sovereignism proposed by the populist right wing, the only possible solution is a new global to unify the best of globalization (internet, travel, exchange, global products and services of quality, high level training, intelligent systems like blockchain, “green” finance, NGOs) and the protection of local and multicultural communities.
Certainly not “our country first”, but a “the community first” with its richness of cultures, races, human and economic exchanges.
The zero food miles principle is a treasure in terms of health, employment, and local economy. Mending (maybe at the local tailor or shoemaker) before throwing away, reusing and recycling before rebuying, purchasing quality products rather than “fast” ones (food or fashion) and made in your country rather than delocalized, will do good to our roots and economy and will reduce global exploitation.
I have always been convinced that “refusing sovereignism” isn’t enough, as it has deep base reasons and a comprehensible rage that needs to be worked on with appropriate solutions, taking it away from demagogues.
Between an unbalanced globalism that favours multinational companies, free commerce and global exploitation, and an impossible and demagogic sovereignism, incapable of exploiting the opportunities of an interconnected world, there’s only one possible and reasonable alternative: a news global centered on green economy/circular economy, able to recreate the bonds of open and tolerant communities, where differences are transformed into local and global richness. It happened for the many Italian companies, born locally, and developed globally, on criteria of responsibility and creation of local value – from Olivetti, to Rana, to Cucinelli. It can happen for many young startups today, as long as they find space and sympathy at a local level.
