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<p>Hi GRENers,</p>
<p>I cut and pasted my column and the Doughnut graphic today because
I think the Doughnut Economy template is a model everyone can wrap
their head around that addresses both social and environmental
issues in one package. I'm feeling somewhat evangelical about this
and I would love to see community wide collaboration around this
model. <br>
</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>Susan K<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.therecord.com/opinion/2020/10/14/the-real-deal-doughnut-economics-action-lab.html">https://www.therecord.com/opinion/2020/10/14/the-real-deal-doughnut-economics-action-lab.html</a></p>
<h1 class="c-article-headline__heading">The Real DEAL: Doughnut
Economics Action Lab</h1>
<p><img
src="https://images.thestar.com/h7MvONoniJw19hrsNH3uiooOrkg=/1200x1178/smart/filters:cb(1602622243140)/https://www.therecord.com/content/dam/therecord/opinion/2020/10/14/the-real-deal-doughnut-economics-action-lab/doughnut_classic_4_.jpg"
alt="The DEAL: Doughnut Economics Action Lab is building
connections with pioneering changemakers around the world for an
‘economic transformation that promotes human flourishing for all
on a thriving planet,’ writes Susan Koswan." width="392"
height="384"></p>
<div class="article__byline__font c-article-header__byline
article__byline-container-author-withphoto"
data-lpos="article|author">
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<div class="c-author-badge article-byline__author-badge
c-author-badge--no-img"><span class="c-author-badge__initials">SK</span></div>
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<div class="article__byline"><span class="article__author-by">By </span><span
class="article__author"><span class="article__author-name
article__author-name--nolink">Susan Koswan</span><span
class="article__author-credit">Special to Waterloo Region
Record</span></span>
<div class="article__time-container"><span class=""><span
class="article__published-date">Wed., Oct. 14, 2020</span></span><span
class="published-date-border"></span><span
class="article__readtime"><i class="material-icons
c-material-icon c-material-icon--article-readtime-clock"
role="img" aria-hidden="true">timer</i><span>3 min. read</span></span></div>
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<p class="text-block-container">Economist Kate Raworth is my new
superhero. So is University of Waterloo PhD candidate Sophie
Sanniti, who introduced me to Raworth’s <a
class="text-block__link"
href="https://www.kateraworth.com/doughnut/">Doughnut Economics</a>.
I mean, how many people have the audacity to challenge The Economy
and come up with a better model?</p>
<p class="text-block-container">We have to face the fact that we
humans have made a bloody mess of this fine planet and are
jeopardizing our future. Doughnut Economics just might be our way
forward. Like the Theory of Everything, hotly pursued by
physicists the world over, Doughnut Economics proposes a new
inclusive social and economic model that aspires to “meet the
needs of all within the means of the planet.” Raworth subtitles
her book: “7 Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist.”</p>
<p class="text-block-container">Our current economic model of
unfettered capitalism — The Economy with a capital E — is killing
us. The sweet spot must be found that puts everyone between the
outer boundaries of the Earth’s capacity to provide, and the inner
boundaries that proscribe the essential physical and social
requirements: the classic doughnut shape.</p>
<p class="text-block-container">At the end of September, Raworth’s
team launched <a class="text-block__link"
href="https://doughnuteconomics.org/">DEAL: Doughnut Economics
Action Lab</a> based out of the United Kingdom. The
work-in-progress is organized around five themes: communities and
art; cities and places; education and research; business and
enterprise; and government and policy. DEAL is building
connections with pioneering changemakers around the world for an
“economic transformation that promotes human flourishing for all
on a thriving planet.”</p>
<p class="text-block-container">We have to shift from Gross Domestic
Product to embedding the economy into our social systems as a
tool, and not the guiding light. We are social beings, not
potential customers. The economy is not simply supply and demand,
but a dynamic, complex system of exchanging goods and services. We
can no longer extract, produce and throw away, but have to rethink
all processes — industrial and natural — to repurpose and
regenerate without producing waste. We have to finally say this is
enough; we can survive and thrive without having to continually
grow. As the C40 Cities say, “We need to invest in a thriving
society, rather than return to an unsustainable race to devour our
natural resources.”</p>
<span style="display:block" id="contentMiddleBreakPoint"></span>
<p class="text-block-container">What does that look like? What role
do our cities play?</p>
<p class="text-block-container">Raworth has partnered with <a
class="text-block__link" href="https://www.c40.org/">C40 Cities</a>
— a network of cities committed to addressing climate change — to
produce a working model for city-based actions that keep us all in
the doughnut. The C40 mayors have produced an <a
class="text-block__link"
href="https://c40.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#36000001Enhz/a/1Q000000kVoY/kuR1PLHMGR2K9eEbo8aivV.xPegZVTqwt.EjX.4a.hk">agenda</a>
that includes actions cities can take to build back better. If we
expect to have a green and just recovery from the pandemic and
survive the climate crisis, we must all speak up to embrace and
practice this model. There is no question that a great deal of
pressure is put on local politicians to do it all. But their
proximity and agility make them ideal and accessible partners with
local non-government organizations. </p>
<p class="text-block-container">Many of the changes we’ve made to
protect public health during this pandemic also address climate
change and bring more of us into the doughnut. They include
working from home, replacing car lanes with protected bike lanes,
walking and biking through our neighbourhoods, reduced air travel,
the need for a universal basic income, and even the heightened
interest in home gardening. The tiny homes on Lot 42 and a number
of local hotels opening up rooms for our homeless also address
some of the social inequities.</p>
<p class="text-block-container">Thing is, these changes can’t be
temporary, thinking we’ll get back to normal when the pandemic is
done. Our normal needs to be better and Raworth’s Doughnut model
provides the tools to do that.</p>
<p class="text-block-container">Right now, Toronto, Montreal and
Vancouver are the only Canadian cities that are part of the C40
Cities. Waterloo Region has been a leader in sustainability in
many ways, but it is time for us to leap in wholeheartedly with
the full commitment to a carbon-neutral, socially just community
that the Doughnut model represents.</p>
<p class="text-block-container">Environmental and social justice
advocates are fragmented and issue-driven. A lack of resources and
collective power forces them to react and put out fires. We need
to collaborate and work around the common themes in the Doughnut
model for Waterloo Region to become one of the many Doughnut
cities that are popping up worldwide. Action is the key word here
and anyone can sign up at <a class="text-block__link"
href="https://doughnuteconomics.org/">doughnuteconomics.org</a>
to make the magic happen.</p>
<span style="display:block" id="contentEndBreakPoint"></span>
<p class="text-block-container">Because ain’t nobody don’t like
doughnuts.</p>
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