Integral Green Slovenia: Towards a Social, Knowledge- and Value-Based Economy and Society at the Heart of Europe, edited by Darja Picga, Alexander Schieffer and Ronnie Lessem, is the second book in the Integral Green Society and Economy series by Gower. It tells the unique story of a society pursuing a newly holistic and green approach to economics. The story is framed by real-life stories of integral communities and organisations on a path of social innovation for sustainability.
The rich set of authors jointly introduce a purposeful developmental process, helping Slovenia as a whole to become more “integral†and more “greenâ€, thereby responding to its specific needs and drawing on its particular strengths. The Citizens’ Initiative driving this process included all sectors of Slovenian society in co-evolving sustainable societal and economic development. As a whole, this book serves as a global showcase for an integral European economy, dealing with an entire society at the geographic heart of Europe.
As you read through Integral Green Slovenia, you are not confronted with a discordant set of chapters, but invited into an interdependent storyline. Inspired by the nature and culture as well as historical evolution of Slovenia, all contributors see each other as a continuation of this foundational story.
In genuine application of the theory of integral economy and integral development, they draw on the Slovenian history and on each other – from grassroots developments in organic food self-sufficiency to remarkable case of Pipistrel, a world leader in ultra-light aircraft design and construction; from cooperative movement in the beginning of 20th century to one of the country’s most prominent high-tech manufacturers, Domel, co-owned and co-managed by employees; from socially innovative Kindergarten Slovenska Bistrica, widely recognised for its holistic approach to children’s education and community engagement, to integral consideration of strategic environmental assessment – to take Slovenia forward as an integral society and economy.
The Integral Green Slovenia is dedicated to Slovenia, to Europe and to the World, in the spirit of the Slovenian anthem, with the words of the poet France Prešeren: –
“Long live all the nations,
Who long to see
That all men free
No more shall foes,
but neighbours be.â€This groundbreaking series introduces specific societies on their way to becoming “integral†and “greenâ€. While there is a profusion of commendable books with “green†and “integral†credentials, they tend to be lacking in one or other of three major respects.
Firstly, they often focus on the ecological and technological aspects of “green†and are, hence, not fully “integralâ€. By integral, series editors Ronnie Lessem and Alexander Schieffer incorporate not only nature and community, but also culture and spirituality, science and technology, politics and economics – altogether forming an integral, systemic whole.
Secondly, the integral books tend to be culture-free. They assume that the ideas advanced could apply anywhere in the world, whereas Lessem and Schieffer’s Integral Worlds approach takes account of the particularity of each society.
Thirdly, the increasingly popular notion of “integral†is generally associated with the approach of American philosopher Ken Wilber. While the editors acknowledge Wilber’s outstanding work, their own integral orientation goes beyond it, drawing on integral interpretations and applications of the entire world.
Building on these three premises, each volume of this series aspires to tease out the unique path of a country towards an “Integral Green Society and Economyâ€.