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Green Ways to Secure Peace?

Sara Wolcott | Sunday 10th May 2009

Sometimes social media can have some poetic justice. Like in Sri Lanka, where blogs are used to bring out alternative stories of what's 'really' happening in the midst of the violence - stories that the government won't admit to being true. Or the other day, when Rupali Devi commented on a blog I wrote on 'Non-Violence for Sustainable Development'. I wrote the blog several weeks and weeks ago - and had even forgotten about it. Rupali reminded me that Ghandi wasn't just a champion for non-violence - he was a champion for the environment before the term - and the subsequent movement - of 'environmentalism' had ever been coined. Or more accurately, if you are fighting for peace in the ahimsa style that Ghandi modeled, you almost naturally become an environmentalist.

His comment came at a highly appropriate time. Not only am I personally researching bottom-up modes of building peace (and frequently discouraged by the momentous task of the bottom-up meeting the international players in almost any current conflict situation), but 'peace' hardly describes our current world.

Right now, far away from comfortable room overlooking the South Downs in England, thousands of people are fleeing Northern Pakistan as the violence continues to erupt. It's a reminder not only of the horrors of violence and forced migration, but, if you look closely, that armed conflict is big business. Violence is rarely totally 'insane' - someone usually benefits. And often, the beneficiary is making quite a lot of money.

Since JustMeans is all about greening business, I couldn't help but wonder, how do you turn arms dealers and a massive industry embodied in the US military budget (which has an amazing ability to keep rising, almost as if it were a pre-Financial Crisis Housing Bubble) green'?

Would it entail curtailing or even ending that industry? Would it mean 'environmentally friendly' guns? I'm a bit disgusted by the thought. I've yet to see a gun help the environment, but maybe I'm blinded by my general distaste for warfare. Though I don't hear much talk about 'greening' 'security'. Maybe its time has come.

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Houseonahill Houseonahillorg 13 May 2009

Very interesting perspective. Queen Rania has an opinion about it that I agree with : http://jm.ly/yZcZuu .

I would LOVE to learn of your research that should probably be a campaign to end world violence by "Greening Security" and educating the globe.

Great post!