zoop [the libarynth]

intro:

As societal pressure on non-human populations shifts way beyond carrying capacity, the search is on for ways of giving those populations a means of counterbalance within antropogenic systems. Zoöp is such a proposal, for a new kind of organization based on ongoing research by Klaas Kuitenbrouwer at Het Nieuwe Instituut.

The term is a combination of coöp (short for co-operation) and zoë (Greek for ‘life’) It is the name of a variety of the legal format of the co-operation in which humans as well as certain collective bodies of non-humans can be owner-employees. The zoöp format has a twofold aim: first to expand the capacity for non-humans to act within the wider societal tissue and to strengthen their legal and economic position, second to engender ecological regeneration and growth that is resistant to extractivist dynamics of capitalist practice.

Externally, zoöps function like any other co-operation and they can exist within the existing juridical-economic infrastructure: certain products, services or yields of a zoöp are tradeable in the market economy under certain conditions. Internally, zoöps have a different kind of economy, not aimed at generating financial capital but aimed at the growth of ecological capital, which is expressed in a qualitative metric (counted in zoöns) and a range of quantitative metrics.

Zoönomy

The ecological networks under the zoöps organisational logic together are labelled the zoönomy. The development of this zöonomy is the primary interest of the non-human entities that are employee-owners of the zoöp. A zoonomy’s qualitative state of development is counted in zoöns. A fully flowered zoöp per definition has a zoönomy of 99 zoöns. This qualitative metric indicates the level of zoönomic fulfillment of a given zoöp – the degree to which its zoönomic potential is reached. Next to this a zoöp quantifies certain aspects of its zoönomy, for instance: the amount of C02 it sequesters, the amount of water it filters, the amount air it filters.