Whole Systems Economics
The economic strength of community becomes truly sustainable when connected to the coordinated development of infrastructure projects in the 9 Areas of Regeneration. Whole Systems Economics is an approach to long term, sustained financial prosperity that integrates business, community and institutional planning in line with naturally occurring systems. Healthy communities form alliances with each other expanding the circle of success in harmony and the sincere exchange of value.
Quadruple Bottom-Line Business
Financial Profitability
Businesses and projects can create long-term, stable, secure and steadily increasing profitability, based on the provision of goods and services that effectively address real needs. They can do this in a way that combines creativity, talent, commitment, energy and material as efficiently as possible.
Successful projects are able to adapt to the changing realities of life in a way that is deeply connected with their core purpose, values, mission and vision.
Environmental Sustainability
Environmental Sustainability means that those materials that “re–source” or are supplied to us from our physical environment are worked with in such a way that the end result of our interaction with them is that there is more available to supply to the future versus when we began. In organic permaculture and biodynamic agriculture, for example, soil that is farmed for decades is more fertile than when the farm was started.
Environmental sustainability also means reducing any negative impact. This ideal may not be immediately applicable to every situation. What do we do, then? Reducing the negative impact is a great start. Use recycled paper products, compost green waste, install a solar hot water heater or lighten the color of the roof in hot climates to reduce the cost of cooling the office. It is all important.
Cultural Vitality
Perhaps the biggest cultural improvements we can support in our communities are simply to acknowledge, respect, be interested in, learn from and make a place for the aspects of local culture that have been there before us or are still there, often struggling with adaption to change. Our commitment is to partner with the keepers of culture so that, together, we may preserve the strength of ancient wisdom and values, while supporting the constant renewal of their applicability to the here and now.
+ Financial Profitability
+ Environmental Resilience
+ Social Progress
+ Cultural Vitality_______
= Quadruple Bottom-Line
Social Progress
Support Social Progress for vendors, employees, and community. Every business has tremendous opportunities to address its effect on the physical, mental, emotional, cultural, financial and spiritual well-being of those people with whom it interacts on a daily basis. Improving the Social Bottom-Line means starting and growing social progress programs along specific measurables being developed as part of the UFC Model that:
- are important and valued by the populations, themselves, as compared to what the business “thinks” would be good for them and
- are improvements generated directly or indirectly by the activity and/or operation of the business as compared to, say, a donation to a non-profit doing good works
- uphold and champion rights and compensation of workers, as they are the prime capital in the functional and sustainable operation of our communities.
Examples include buying only from socially progressive vendors that support their employees’ continuing education and wellness, quality full working day care for small children of employees, flexible hours to accommodate single parents, and internships offered to at risk youth or disabled workers to learn new skills and explore new career paths.
Educational and arts programs that empower people to become more personally effective at improving social and environmental bottom line results are another highly-leveraged way to create social progress and a constructive relationship with the environment.
New Banking Models
Banks are ideally suited to move both capital and education toward work that needs to be done urgently. The process of starting or acquiring a community bank is strictly regulated and carefully monitored. Once approved by state and federal regulators, communities working with Unified Field Corporation’s Sustainable Community Partnership Banking Model and System will concentrate lending and investments on projects that build sustainable local infrastructure in 9 Areas of Regeneration.
We are now realizing that what we thought were our “needs” must be revised. Through the industrial, technological and advertising ages, we have become a voracious consumer society. Simplifying and clarifying our true needs, combined with balanced and intelligent application of proven technologies, can result in a sustainable and regenerative world.
