Economics and ecology

Common origin of Economy and Ecology
It is important to note here the common root origin of economics and ecology: Oikos, meaning house or home. Where economics is the making of the home or management of the estate, ecology is about the relationship between an organism and its environment and other organisms. Looking to synthesize these concepts, it seems natural that the making of the home (economics) is about the relationships within the home and between the home and the external environment, including other homes/people/species (ecology).

Economics is about the management of the home, yet the majority of the products and processes used to build, maintain, operate, and eventually deconstruct our homes come from outside sources and distant places under external control and often at the expense of ecosystems and other people. Our access to these resources is not guaranteed, and the price tag that we pay both directly, such as fuel and food costs, and indirectly, such as war and a toxic environment, are increasing rapidly. To reverse these negative trends while strengthening our collective security, we have the opportunity to shift efforts towards localized production. We can turn lawns and abandoned lots to gardens and zones of production. We can form industrial ecologies and creative enterprises from our current infrastructure. In doing so we increase our ability to influence and control our sources of subsistence and the positive or negative impacts they have on us and the world.