The Volume Economy

Till now our economy is based on money and growth and we produce artificial scarcity to keep our economy working. Because we can not resolve problems with the same kind of thinking we used when we generated them, I imagined a system of exchange that is not using money as medium. Our world is able to produce enough for everybody just we have to distribute better our resources and consume what we need not what we desire. Let’s imagine that each of us has a box (= a volume) where he/she can put his/her belongings. All what is bigger than the box itself, as cars, is shared. This would bring us to reflect and think very well what exactly we need and what we don’t before taking them with us. Do you really need 20 pairs of shoes? or is it cleverer two have two pair of shoes and some food?

While a large part of the world’s population still dreams about swimming pools, over-sized limos and golden toilet seats, many others have adopted another perspective: they don’t think of being rich as a goal in itself. And they don’t want to clutter their homes with more possessions either. They understood that happiness and well being are not a consequence of possession or money. We have to learn to live fulfilling a role in society, feeling part of it, be aware of the consequences of our actions and take responsibility for it. The consumers can role the market just by making decisions of not buying certain things. What if we really could just own 0,6 m3 of things? And what if each time that we throw away something we lose the respective volume? How many of us would be out laws? As a student abroad I see with how less I can live, with how less I can be happy. What would happen to the economy and to production if we could just own so few? Will we start to produce smaller things, using less material? If we would lose the volume of things we throw away would we build more lasting and durable products?

author: Vicky Katrin Kuhlmann more on www.vickykatrin.com

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