The concept of “stable state” is explained by an Ecotopian in the novel as follows:
But, we’ve actually achieved something like stability. Our system meanders on its peaceful way, while yours has constant convulsions. I think of ours as like a meadow in the sun. There’s a lot of change going on—plants growing, other plants dying, bacteria decomposing them, mice eating seeds, hawks eating mice, a tree or two beginning to grow up and shade the grasses. But the meadow sustains itself on a steady-state basis— unless men come along and mess it up (Callenbach 2004).
The meadow changes slowly over time, but it is the place for production, consumption, and decomposition. An organic recycling system keeps the meadow ecosystem in a stable state. However, the meadow ecosystem is affected when men come in. In Ecotopia, people seek the point of stability within its ecosystem, while people from the industrial society tend to see the meadow as their resource of exploitation and “mess it up.”
1.3.1.1 The Concept of Home Place
Another theme of ECOTOPIA is “Home Place.” Weston learns that it is important for people to support each other in Ecotopian society. Meanwhile, he realizes what a lonely and stressful life he used to live in the industrial society. The story ends when he finds his home in Ecotopia. Home is a niche where individuals restore themselves and feel secure. At the same time, home is the Earth for all the living beings. That is how F. Capra, a natural philosopher, describes ecology: a study to connect all the living beings with one another on the earth as home (Capra 1995; Callenbach 1995).
