Why oikos?

Etymologically, "oikos" is the Greek root of both economy and ecology. House is what it means and household management is the evolution the term took over time. Through education we know it will be possible to put back economy and ecology together so that the meaning of both terms return to their original root and so we can finally manage our house with consideration for the three pillars of sustainability.

As mentioned, etymologically, "oikos" is the Greek root of both ecology and economy. We dream of an economy that is able to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. We are thus working towards an economically reasonable, ecologically sound and socially equitable economy. ecology - 1858, coined by Ger. zoologist Ernst Haeckel as Okologie, from Gk. oikos "house, habitation" + -logia "study of." Ecosystem is from 1935. economy - late 14th century, from L. oeconomia, from Gk. oikonomia "household management," from oikonomos "manager, steward," from oikos "house" + nomos "managing," from nemein "manage." The sense of "manage the resources of a country" (short for political economy) is from 1651. The term ecology was coined in 1858 by the zoologist Ernst Haeckel as "Ökologie" from "oikos" which means "house" or "habitation". The term economy was framed in the late XIV Century from the Greek "oikonomia", which means "household management" and from "oikonomos" meaning "manager, steward".

Over the years, economy and it's corollary, economical development took a different meaning. We had a simplistic understanding of how managing the house should be done. Sweeping the dust on the porch or further in the back yard was the way our common house was managed. Unfortunately, this is still what we observe today. We realise now that a proper management of the house is more than just sweeping the

problems away, or said more bluntly, that pursuing economical growth is not the sole manner to manage our house. Our vision is thus based on the three pillars of sustainable development: the social, economical and ecological ones. Through education we know it will be possible to put back economy and ecology together so that the meaning of both terms return to their original root and so we can all live in a well managed house for generations to come.