Core Values

The core values include: universal human rights, DEI, secular governance, intergenerational stewardship (including Native American “Seven Generations” principles), and environmental sustainability. These interconnected principles form the backbone of a forward-thinking, inclusive, and enduring system of governance.

Universal Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a foundational pillar of Democracy 2.0.

At the heart of our vision is the unwavering commitment to universal human rights. This means recognizing that every individual—regardless of race, gender, age, religion, or socioeconomic status—possesses inalienable rights. These rights include freedom from discrimination, access to basic necessities like healthcare, education, and housing, and the dignity and respect every person deserves. By enshrining these rights as the foundation of policy and decision-making, we ensure that every law and public initiative is evaluated with the unwavering standard of human dignity.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

A society’s strength lies in its diversity. DEI is not just a buzzword but a critical framework that ensures the participation and representation of every community. It mandates that policies are shaped through voices that reflect the full spectrum of society, removing barriers that marginalize underrepresented groups. Equity ensures that each individual receives the care and resources they need to thrive, while true inclusion means that every contribution is valued—transforming the public square into a vibrant community where every citizen finds their place. The DEI framework fosters innovation, social justice, and a resilient public culture that stands against systemic inequalities.

Secular Governance

Secular governance is the practice of ensuring that government decisions are rooted in evidence, reason, and collective well-being, rather than in any specific religious doctrine. By maintaining a strict separation between religious institutions and state affairs, we guarantee that public policies are made in the best interest of all citizens. This allows for a more scientifically informed, unbiased approach to legislation, ensuring that laws are designed to serve society’s diverse needs rather than align with any one faith. Secular governance reinforces equal rights and protects personal freedoms by basing public policy on principles of fairness, transparency, and universal values.

Intergenerational Stewardship and the “Seven Generations” Principle

Inspired by Native American wisdom, particularly the “Seven Generations” principle, intergenerational stewardship calls for decisions that account not only for the present, but for the long-term well-being of our society and environment. This philosophy insists on weighing current actions by their impact on future generations—ensuring sustainable economic development, social justice, and ecological preservation. By incorporating this principle, policies are crafted with a mindful eye on legacy, creating systems that nurture long-term community health, cultural continuity, and responsible investment in our shared future.

Environmental Sustainability

The planet is our most precious shared resource, and its stewardship is non-negotiable. Environmental sustainability is about balancing human development with the preservation of nature. It requires policies that protect natural ecosystems, reduce waste and emissions, and promote renewable energy. In our framework, sustainability is integrated into every aspect of governance—from urban planning and resource management to the design of public policies that help mitigate climate change. By prioritizing environmental protection, we ensure that every generation inherits a planet that is vibrant, resilient, and capable of sustaining life in all its diversity.

Respect for Elders and Collective Wisdom

Establish advisory councils that include indigenous elders and traditional knowledge keepers. Their roles would be to lend historical perspective, cultural insights, and spiritual guidance to ensure policies honor the land and bolster community resilience over time.

Sacred Land and Environmental Guardianship

Treat land as a sacred trust rather than a commodity. Policies governing land use, conservation, and development will be designed to honor the traditional notion of stewardship, respecting the inherent rights of natural spaces to thrive for future generations.

Cultural Continuity and Resilience

Support the preservation and revitalization of Native American languages, traditions, and practices as part of the nation’s cultural heritage. This strengthens social cohesion, enriches civic life, and ensures that the wisdom of ancestral ways informs modern governance.

The Interconnected Vision

These principles are not isolated ideas but interwoven threads in the fabric of our democratic future. Universal human rights provide the moral compass, while DEI ensures that every voice contributes to governance. Secular governance anchors decision-making in empirical, unbiased data, while intergenerational stewardship reminds us that our choices today define the world of tomorrow. Environmental sustainability cements this vision by ensuring that nature and humanity can coexist in a balanced, flourishing relationship.

Together, these principles form the foundation of Democracy 2.0—a system where people, communities, and the planet are prioritized, innovations are celebrated, and every policy reflects a commitment to long-term, inclusive well-being. This approach not only protects our current freedoms but builds a resilient, dynamic framework for the future, ensuring that our democracy evolves alongside our deepest values.

Permaculture based Ethics

Below is a detailed proposal on how the ethics of permaculture can be integrated into Democracy 2.0, using permaculture’s core philosophies as a metaphor—and as concrete guiding principles—for creating a resilient, regenerative, and community-centered governance system.

Permaculture is founded on ethics like Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share, and on design principles that emphasize working with natural systems, cooperation, and sustainable, regenerative processes. These values can be seamlessly woven into Democracy 2.0 to create a framework that nurtures communities like living ecosystems. Here’s how:

1. Earth Care (Environmental Sustainability)

• Policy and Infrastructure:

  • Sustainable Resource Management: Develop policies that ensure natural resources are managed in a regenerative way. This can include support for renewable energy projects, green urban planning, and investment in sustainable agriculture.
  • Ecosystem-Based Planning: Encourage local governments to integrate regional ecological data into their decision-making. Emulate natural ecosystems, so that urban planning, transportation, and food systems work in harmony with, rather than against, the local environment.

• Community Initiatives:

  • Local Green Projects: Support community-led initiatives such as urban gardens, renewable energy cooperatives, and wildlife conservation programs.
  • Feedback Loops for Sustainability: Use digital platforms to report and monitor environmental policies. Just as permaculture designs use observation and feedback to iterate, these data will help refine and adjust policies to maintain long-term ecological balance.

2. People Care (Direct Citizen Involvement & DEI)

• Inclusive Governance:
  • Decentralized, Localized Decision-Making: Mirror permaculture’s emphasis on local adaptation by empowering communities to manage their own governance projects. Local citizen groups can form decentralized assemblies that feed into the broader national framework, ensuring that every voice—especially those historically underrepresented—is heard.
  • Capacity Building and Education:
    • Incorporate educational programs that teach both civic participation and sustainable practices. These programs can cover civic tech, open source governance, and environmental stewardship, ensuring that communities are equipped to manage both social and ecological challenges.
  • Community Resilience Networks:
    • Build networks that help communities share resources and knowledge. By promoting mutual aid, the system reinforces social safety nets and equips communities to better respond to crises, much like the interconnected layers of a resilient ecosystem.

3. Fair Share (Equitable Distribution and Regenerative Economy)

• Economic Justice:
  • Regenerative Economic Policies: Enact measures that ensure wealth and resources are fairly distributed among all citizens. This mirrors permaculture’s notion of returning surplus to nurture the system.
  • Collaborative Budgeting and Resource Allocation:
    • Implement participatory budgeting processes where citizens directly influence how public funds—especially those allocated for community development and regeneration—are spent.
  • Closed-Loop Systems in Government:
    • Integrate feedback mechanisms that “reinvest” the collective gains from community projects back into the system, fostering continuous improvement (akin to minimal waste strategies and resource recycling in permaculture).

Conclusion

By integrating the principles and ethics of permaculture into Democracy 2.0, the governance system becomes more than just a set of policies—it transforms into a living ecosystem. One that cares for the Earth, nurtures its people, and ensures a fair share of resources for all, all while adapting and regenerating continuously through inclusive, iterative design.

This approach bolsters environmental sustainability, strengthens direct citizen involvement, and ensures that economic prosperity is shared equitably. Ultimately, it creates a resilient democratic structure capable of evolving with the needs of both society and the planet, ensuring that our governance model nurtures a future that is truly sustainable and just.

Check out Fundamental Principles for more.