ABSTRACT

Ronnie Lessem and Alexander Schieffer's Integral Green Society and Economy series has three overarching aims. The first is to link together two major movements of our time, one philosophical, the other practical. The philosophical movement is towards what many today are calling an 'integral' age, while the practical is the 'green' movement, duly aligned with that of sustainable development. The second is to blend together elements of nature and community, culture and spirituality, science and technology, politics and economics, thus serving to bring about an 'integral green' vision, albeit with a focus on business and economics. As such, the authors transcend the limitations to sustainable development and environmental economics, which are overly ecological, if not also technological, in orientation, and exclude social and cultural elements. Thirdly, this particular volume, with Darja Piciga, focuses specifically on Slovenia, as well as on Europe generally, drawing on the particular issues and capacities that this country and continent represents, particularly for sustainable development and social knowledge-based economy.

The emphasis on Slovenia arose, not only because it lies at the heart of Europe, but because a specific movement for an Integral Green Slovenian Society and Economy, has been co-evolved there, by the three editors in conjunction with Slovene organisations, communities and movements, with a view to integrating existing and emerging knowledge resources, initiatives and practices into a model, as an alternative to austerity, for Slovenia and other European countries.

part I|41 pages

Towards an Integral Green Slovenian Economy and Society

chapter |18 pages

Prologue

Invitation to Participation: An Integral Green Slovenian Economy and Society in and for Europe

chapter 1|21 pages

Integral Green Slovenia

A Multitude of Stories, a Multidimensional and Multi-Layered Process

part II|20 pages

Nature- and Community-Based Economics of Self-Sufficiency

chapter 2|18 pages

Food and Energy Self-Sufficiency

Preserving Nature and Communities and Coping with Global Challenges

part III|35 pages

Culture-Based Developmental Economy

chapter 4|8 pages

Rediscovering the Consciousness of Nature and Landscape

From Geomancy to Geoculture and Integrated Development

chapter 5|9 pages

Nature- and Heritage-Based Tourism

Solčavsko as a Case of Resource Management by the Local Community

part IV|43 pages

Knowledge-Based Social Economy

chapter 6|8 pages

Traditional Resource Management Knowledge

The Case of the Commons

chapter 8|17 pages

A Knowledge-Based Social Society in Slovenia

From Cooperatives and Social Enterprises to a Network Society

part V|19 pages

Finance- and Enterprise-Based Living Economy

chapter 9|8 pages

Sustainable Mobility “Made in Slovenia”

The Case of Metron

chapter 10|9 pages

Combining High-Tech Green Solutions with Social Responsibility

Enterprising Ways of Pioneering Global Markets

part VI|44 pages

Education and Innovation for an Integral Green Slovenia

chapter 11|15 pages

Preschool Education for All the Senses

The Case of Kindergarten Slovenska Bistrica and Its Integral CARE Centre

chapter 12|12 pages

Secondary and Tertiary Education for Sustainable Development

Biotechnical Centre Naklo as a CARE-ing Institution

chapter 13|15 pages

Holistic Education for Sustainable Development

Education as a Key Catalyst for an Integral Green Slovenia

part VII|22 pages

Slovenia in Europe: Smart Integration with a Sustainable Vision

chapter 14|12 pages

Actualising Europe's Integral Green Potential

The Slovenian Way of Smart Integration of European Union Policies for Sustainable Development

chapter |8 pages

Epilogue

Integrating Potentials for a Sustainable Future: Sustaining Integral Green Slovenia