Whatever Happened to Civil Society?

Our experience of love, care and belonging are formed by our relationships in the civil sphere, not by the state or the market. Our lives are subsequently shaped, battered and sometimes improved by the state and the market, but the primary formation of our unique selves and our values is the work of civil society.

Solar Power in Africa

In Africa, unlike the weather here, it’s always nice and bright, there is lots of sun available all year round, so we can use the solar energy. What we’ve also devised is a hybrid system, which also uses wind energy. So what happens in Africa – or anywhere – is the winds are often there when it’s raining. When there’s no solar, the wind power kicks in.

Zapatista Women Inspire the Fight against Patriarchy

Women’s participation in Mexico’s 25-year-old Zapatista National Liberation Army, or EZLN movement, has represented an incredible organizational achievement since its original uprising in 1994. On International Women’s Day, the female militants of the EZLN did not fail to meet expectations when welcoming 7,000 people to the “First International Political, Artistic, Sports, and Cultural Encounter for Women who Struggle.”

Could Community Activism Replace Charity in our Society?

Giving money can often be a way of avoiding our feelings of guilt, whereas increasingly people are using these negative emotions as motivator for positive change. Community voluntary action is taking the place of charitable donation as people increasingly allow themselves to respond emotionally to social inequality when they see it around them.

How to Navigate the Disorientation of a Seismic World

For many, the defining political sensation of our day is disorientation. We often feel torn apart in every direction. Even if we grasp the profound depth of the problems we face, navigating this seismic landscape towards something better always seems beyond us.

Igniting the Local Food Revolution in Your Community

For the local food movement to grow exponentially in your community, you must take your place on the front lines. To ignite a new level of impact, effectiveness, and scale, you must master the seven revolutionary steps of building a regional foodshed…

Local and Regional Community Resilience Building is Going Global

The passion and enthusiasm at the Gaia Education/GEN/Transition Towns tent was infectious and nourishing. Overall, what most filled me with hope was that the conversations about local and regional resilience-building and the need for a deeper transformation are now global conversations, offering a common ground for collective action beyond multi-lateral dialogues.

Game Over?

In October last year, a volcano went off in the conversation around gender and power. You most likely heard it. Catalysed by courageous first person accounts of sexual harassment and assault, Harvey Weinstein – one of the biggest executives in filmmaking – was forced from his place of power in Hollywood while a wave of empathy and solidarity with those who spoke out swept across social media via the #MeToo campaign.

10 Stories of Transition in the US: Transition Twin Cities’ Grove of Life

Two of the key goals for any Transition Initiative just starting out are to raise awareness about Transition and build a robust base of supporters. When members of Transition groups in the Twin Cities of Minnesota heard about the Northern Spark festival, they knew it was a golden opportunity.

Indigenous Communities Carry on Berta Cacéres’ Work by Defending Nature and Health Care in Honduras

On March 2, hundreds gathered in Honduras to commemorate the life and work of the renowned Honduran activist Berta Cáceres on the second anniversary of her assassination. Carrying torches, Cáceres’ supporters marched to the city center of La Esperanza to demand justice for her 2016 assassination.