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Eco123 Revista da Economia e Ecologia
Monday, the 20th Abril 2020
by Uwe Heitkamp
Back to nature? A rift is appearing in our country and our lives: not only between rich and poor, old and young, and sick and healthy, but also between people from the city and those from the hinterland, who are becoming increasingly foreign to one another. Those who live and work in towns and cities inhabit a different world from those who live in the country: they do not know what rural life is like. But people who plant their own corn and potatoes, who harvest their own fruit and vegetables, who have their own chickens and goats, have a direct connection to their food. Country folk generally lead more environmentally friendly lives than city folk, who, in order to get their food, first have to travel to the supermarket and then open a packet which they will later throw into the rubbish bin. There is no shortage of homes in the countryside. There are empty properties here. The cities are overrun by noise, polluted air and stress, the villages are dominated by social interaction…
Where does our future lie as human beings? In the hinterland, there is an unwritten rule that people give each other things from their gardens. This makes their friendship especially precious, and people show in this way that they value each other in their mutual interdependence. People truly know one another and show concern for their neighbours, share food and moments of joy, especially those things that are not of material value. People mourn together those who have passed away, celebrate each other’s birthdays and other occasions, distil medronho brandy and go mushroom picking together. People share happiness with one another and delight in the birth of a new family member.
ECO123, which is produced in a provincial village, is read just as much in Lisbon and Porto as it is in Portalegre and Guarda, or in Oslo and London. It only comes out four times a year, but it works with time and not against it. That is why we feel that, during the Covid-19 pandemic, time is more like a period of rest, or a holiday, than a necessary or unnecessary evil. It is a unique chance for everyone who wants to enjoy some time for themselves, to pause and read, even in the cities too. Because there, as we know, hardly anyone has any real time, just stress. But we need time to think and feel about the way we wish to live.
In the city, most people leave their flats in the morning to drive to work, and only return home again in the evening. But those who live in a village have their home, their place of work and their children’s school all nearby: a major ecological and economic advantage. For that reason, too, we will witness a flight from the cities in the coming years. We will inevitably come across people who do not know how to use their hands to produce their own food. There will be a lot of work to be done in terms of ecological training and education, e.g. permaculture, aquaponics and soil regeneration.
How do you wish to live? Send us your ideas to  info@eco123.info
Thank you.
