Home » Society (Page 111)
Category Archives: Society
Air pollution produces cancer and death
The World Health Organization issued a press release on October 17th 2013 confirming the global hazard of air pollution causing cancer and death.
In 2011 we started AiREAS in Eindhoven (Netherlands) to take local responsibility for air quality and human health. It is not a new institution. It is a cooperative effort of the four pillars that constitute a modern society: local people (behaviour), government (territory), business (innovation) and science (knowledge and education).
The way AiREAS works
The problem we face is that air pollution is a consequence of our way of structuring society (the system) around consumption. To address this issue we can try to modify the parts that pollute. This has been done for many years already through government regulations and bureaucracy. It produced certain important levels of results. The application of norms was related to the unhealthiness of environmental pollution. These norms did not account for the mortality of cancer produced by the outdoor pollution. This now changes.
The situation compares with the awareness of energy consumption in 1970’s in relation to oil shortages. People started to take action by using energy saving light bulbs and other measures. The increase though of energy consuming household appliances multiplied the usage of energy through lifestyle despite the awareness. Energy itself does not necessarily kill people, now we know that air pollution does. Air pollution has to do with lifestyle and what we burn.
Another example is the cancer producing asbestos. Severe measures are still needed to clean up the environment from this lethal substance.
Many law suits were fought in court for negligence or negation at expense of human health. The current acknowledgment of the World Health Organization should start worrying powerful organisations that are on the pollution end. We will enter now a transformation phase of society that will solve a lot of related problems.
What we find is that the system that produced wellness and economies of growth also produces the highest outdoor pollution. The relationship between booming economies and pollution is a challenge of its own. We have seen system’s managers, political and economic leaders choose in favor of the system’s lobby and against human sustainable progress.
Stress between the system and human evolutionary progress should be positive, not killing
AiREAS is unique in the sense that it positions the formal multidisciplinary cooperation at the natural human being side, inviting leading people from the dominant system to take responsibility together for the local environment and health. And they accept (in Eindhoven where we started).
Within the ruling system the different partners act as competitors or through financially interdependent relationships (sales, subsidies, taxes, wages, etc) on which power and authority is claimed. Within AiREAS this inequality disappears. They all take responsibility together by submitting their talents and authority around a common purpose introducing a new lobby: the health city or region from an air quality and human health point of view.
It works surprisingly well when the multidisciplinary group is complete. The institutional systems become positive instruments in hands of responsible human beings that have a leadership position in each system. They join forces at human, not system’s level, out of self interest and with a creative purpose: sustainable human progress through health and safety.
Cancer has no hierarchically positioning, nor does responsibility. It both affects us all. The effects of combined progressive authority (as opposed to usage of power and blockage of institutional selfishness) can be decisive when addressing sustainable life issues. Bringing together the entire diversity at a regional level does make that difference. It can now even be demanded. Health was maybe abstract but cancer is not anymore.
* Those who individually pollute need to transform voluntarily or they will face the consequences by those who claim responsibility, No finger pointing at others will help anymore. If in need of help it should be asked, not waited for.
* Those who can contribute to the transformation through talent and authority should work together through ventures like AiREAS. Not participating in the solution of one of the most serious issues of modern times is also liable to disputes while participating has obvious benefits.
AiREAS can be applied anywhere in the world on a local for local for global basis.
Curing is a cost and negligence, solving and preventing is an investment in ethics and responsibility.
By doing so we transform the world by affecting the environment, human interests and economies positively.
If in need of help just contact me: jp@stadvanmorgen.com
In Eindhoven:
- we designed, manufactured and installed our own fine maze measurement network for fine dust, ultra fine dust, NOx and any other environmental point of reference. We need this to watch our progress.
Airboxes were designed and position by technology, science, region and residents together.
- 4 universities (heart, lung, botanic, modulation, climate, space, behavior, perception, etc) combine the data with practical health information obtained from the field and provide knowledge to the team.
- Stip-Step measures are taken in co-creation in infrastructure, traffic flow, public communication and interaction, civilian initiatives and value driven entrepreneurship.
- a transformation economy is established to finance progress through a circular, result driven structure independent of local tax money feeding local progress.
- World wide we present our innovations through our multinational partners and by establishing Local AiREAS wherever sufficient multidisciplinary commitment is united.
Interest has been shown in other regions. Transformation steps are being taken by citizens in Breda (Netherlands), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Rio de Janeiro (Brasil) and Poland while via multinational partners initiatives are rolled out commercially as well.
Interested in AiREAS?
Contact me: jp@stadvanmorgen.com
Or one of the many partners.
What is a Sustainocrat?
A Sustainocrat is someone who simply accepts his/her biological nature in the diversity of living life with our key responsibility to keep it healthy, safe and progressive through proper interaction with our surroundings. This understanding gives a mindset that affects the way the Sustainocrat addresses every day’s realities and choices. It also determines the way we address a job, responsibility or authority within society. Everything is fine when society respects our highest ethical and environmental values but become an issue when not.
When needed the Sustainocrat inside us stands up and shows Sustainable Leadership, addressing the issues with authority and determination.
A few examples:
Hi, I am a bunch of molecules from nature that decided to come alive and become a human being: ME
A Sustainocrat realizes that if we pollute our environment we also pollute our biological selves. The consequences do not just affect our quality of life through undesired illnesses, it also makes economies collapse. So we need to take responsibility for what we eat, drink, breath and how we interact with our natural surroundings. The institutions that serve humankind need to do so with holistic ethics as a guidance, not just consumption.
A Sustainocrat makes purpose drive use of the instruments that humankind created over time (products, politics, economics, organizations, etc). The are the toolbox of a Sustainocrat, not the other way around like certain system dynamics want us to believe. The Sustainocrat uses these instruments for human benefit and symbiotic harmony with our environment.
We find Sustainocrats everywhere in society, at any level, age and authority, doing normal work as a citizen, even at the highest level of societal systems. We use our influence according our understanding and beliefs. A Sustainocrat from Belgium said: “Sustainocrats are not smarter or better than anyone else, they simply have the awareness that anyone can cross the door through the “system’s wall” where the old problems do not exist”.
Sustainocrats take self aware responsibility together through purpose driven, multidisciplinary alliances when our key responsibilities are in jeopardy anywhere in the world. We do not challenge the system, we just focus on 5 key issues, and invite influential leaders and Sustainocrats of the system to go along.
- Health
- Safety
- Applied knowledge
- Food
- Self sufficiency
Together the system is innovated using human natural and universal dynamics, well before it collapses into chaos and disaster. Sustainocrats are peaceful transformers when needed, using talents, conviction, perseverance, authority and teamwork when needed. The transformation process causes the renewal of the economy and a new boost.
Key responsibilities are taken together when needed
The awareness of a Sustainocrat is new. Until now the actions of humankind have never produced such massive destruction of our habitat. Global issues produced by our consumer economics and dependence demand responsibilities triggered from our living molecular reality, not the system’s reality. The network of Sustainocrats is growing as a human transformative movement in any business, government, educational, etc institution. As a grows and takes responsibility the balance is regained as well.
Before tension grows unsustainable the Sustainocrat already units to take measures.
People use their profession and citizenship to safeguard our biological well being by influencing the surroundings, creating co-operations like in the picture and taking responsibility at home and at work. After all, where ever we are we are a biological human being first. Neglecting this will only affect our own selves. Sustainocrats will draw the attention to it anywhere in the world allowing us to positively use our instruments (technology, organizations, knowledge, etc) for our sustainable progress instead of discomfort and disaster.
If you recognize yourself in the above you are a Sustainocrat too. Just say it so others connect when needed. When we address the Sustainocrat inside us we have nothing to sell, just to give: our talent and responsibility. We do that when things are important to us, like life itself.
Choosing your own blindfold
Today I received a short story of the Belgium system critic Werner van Ginneken (in Dutch). He defined the Sustainocrat as someone who is the same as everyone else but at the other side of “the wall”. This drawing summarizes his story.
Which blindfold do you choose?
It is funny to see that it clarifies the current democratic structure of political parties that all defend the same financial system of consumer debt and dependencies by offering the population their own colored blindfold before letting them crash and try again after some care taking.
When I showed the picture to Werner he referred to another drawing that he had loved. I tried to find it but could not. It shows a river with someone walking at one side while seeing someone else at the other side in an apparent state of great happiness. “How do I get to the other side?” the person calls out to the happy one. “You are already there!” was the response.
Clue
We tend to create our own obstacles by accepting and supporting the irrational of systems or looking at the happiness of others rather than our own. Freedom from blindfolds is not yet a Sustainocrat but a good basis to become one.
Sustainocracy, the new democracy 