Commentary from Tim Smit, Chief Executive, The Eden Project

From Tim Smit, Chief Executive, The Eden Project

Democracy and Sustainability is a great subject and one which has, to my knowledge only been addressed elliptically, that is to say in the context of other narratives. I have recently finished a book by Lewis Hyde, The Gift (an old book, but new to me), that addresses some aspects of this and have also, on holiday, just completed Paul Hawken's new tome, Blessed Unrest, which is very interesting, if a little romantic, on the same subject. To me, the debate should actually be centred on healthy communities, which in turn could be seen in the context of democracy, but is not essential to it. Hawken makes a point about democracy in the USA and the UK which argues that democracy as it is practiced in both places in not sustainable as the pressures for conformity in what are, in effect, two party systems, is so great, that maverick thinkers, are squeezed out, allowing the status quo to prevail. The opposite would be true in say, Holland where proportional representation creates a much more pro-social political system, free (not entirely) of much of the baggage in the UK and USA.