Editor's Note: The ancients protected the environment by creating "social fencing" between themselves and some forest areas that they called the Sacred Groves. Some moderns have been protecting themselves by creating "cultural fencing" between their lifestyle and that of the capitalistic world and they call it Longo Mai, the Long Life. Which side of the fence do you want to be? --Ragu & Nisha

Sacred groves reflect what ecologists call social fencing. Sociologists say that in the absence of written laws, religion played an important role in enforcing social norms and codes. The best way to protect something was to make it sacred and then attribute what is required to the wishes of the god.

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"We don’t calculate the amount of work people do or what they use, or any exchange between them; everyone gives what they can and takes what they need. It harks back to a precapitalist economy based more on human relations than on monetary value. Here the land, the houses and all basic resources are collective property. On top of that, we are maintaining and adapting skills and knowledge that would otherwise be forgotten — for example the art of living in a group. This could be very important for a post-capitalist society" - Hannes Reiser

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Be The Change Idea

Search for a sacred grove or an intentional farming community near your place and plan to volunteer or enjoy your next vacation there.