Coffee, Doughnuts and Perks

 North Saanich’s Sanjiv Shrivastava has proven to be a most intelligent district councillor. With a master’s degree in nuclear physics and a doctorate in condensed-matter physics, he is certainly one of the most highly academically trained.

He is also one of the most accessible. I have had coffee with Sanjiv several times, gaining insight into his views on local issues as well as global problems that affect us all. At a recent coffee chat, he discussed a conference he had recently attended in Sweden on Doughnut Economics.

Doughnut Economics is an alternative economic model proposed by British economist Kate Raworth. It aims to create a sustainable economy that meets everyone’s needs without exceeding the planet’s ecological limits.

Imagine the two rings or edges of a doughnut. The inner ring (the “social foundation”) represents the minimum standards for human well-being. Falling below this means people lack essential necessities such as food, housing, healthcare, education, income, and equality. The outer ring (the “ecological ceiling”) represents the environmental limits of the Earth. Going beyond this means we contribute to climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and other forms of planetary damage. Between these two rings — the safe and just space for humanity — is where we should aim to live and design our economies.

Traditional economics focuses on growth (GDP). Doughnut economics instead focuses on balance: ensuring no one falls short of life’s essentials (social justice) and ensuring humanity doesn’t overshoot the planet’s environmental boundaries (ecological sustainability). Cities like Amsterdam, Brussels, and Portland have adopted “doughnut” frameworks to guide policy, measuring success by well-being and sustainability rather than growth alone.

Cllr Shrivastava is a believer in Doughnut Economics and wants to bring these ideas to North Saanich. An admirable goal. I will be interested in how he moves forward with this initiative.

What is also admirable is that although Cllr Shrivastava will bring the knowledge and tools he gained in Sweden to North Saanich, he attended the conference entirely at his own expense.