Preindustrial Model for the Future

Just read a really interesting article that was shared with me from a friend who works at Sightline Institute in Seattle. The article is about some of Japan's past and present methods of operating sustainably. Even though times have changed and are complex now, I think there's a lot to learn from the Japanese and on building sustainable societies. I especially enjoyed the "co-creative" or "generative" communities statement that was made. Here's a part that I found really interesting in the article.

• "...You could say that a truly sustainable society existed in Japan during the Edo Period. Because all resources were regarded as precious, plenty of businesses evolved to deal with re-use and recycling. There were businesses that specialized in repairing metal goods; old cooking pots and kettles and other items of metal could be repaired and used again. There were special tradesmen who would repair wooden barrels and pails used to hold liquids. During this era, everything was repaired properly and used as long as possible. Paper lanterns and locks were repaired, mirrors were polished, and so on."