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Resource efficiency is the wrong metric. We should use nature as the measure, using nature's wisdom as a template for our economic systems.
Douglas Tompkins
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the importance of aligning economic systems with natural principles instead of merely focusing on resource efficiency.

Douglas Tompkins advocates for a fundamental shift in how we evaluate economic systems, suggesting that we should prioritize the wisdom found in nature rather than merely measuring efficiency in resource use. By using nature as a template, our systems can become more sustainable and harmonious with the environment, leading to a more responsible and thoughtful approach to economics.

Themes

NatureWisdomEconomicsSustainabilityEfficiency

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech on environmental policy, one might say, 'As Douglas Tompkins stated, resource efficiency is the wrong metric; we should look to nature for guidance.'

More from Douglas Tompkins

If you just hold your cell phone for 30 seconds and think backwards through its production, you have the entire techno-industrial culture wrapped up there. You can't have that device without everything that goes with it.
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I just realized at least what I was doing was making a lot of stuff that nobody needed and pushing a consumerist society. So I went to do something else.
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The byproduct of the main thrust to protect the biodiversity of a given place is that you get especially young people out to the parks, because it will be future generations that will have to value these landscapes and these ecosystems and make sure that nobody is changing the law.
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