Commons and Commoning: A Progressive Vision of a Good Society
By developing the commons paradigm and discourse, its practices and ethical values will have many valuable impacts, not just in the agriculture and food sectors, but more universally.
Economy featured
Steve Keen: “On the Origins of Energy Blindness”
On this episode, economist Steve Keen offers a deep forensic history of why modern economic theory has neglected the role of energy in productivity – and why this “Energy Blindness” is now a major blindspot in how our culture views the present – and the future.
The Laboratory of the Commons
We can only say very generally that something on which we mutually depend for our survival and well-being is a commons, and through our implication into a commons, we are called forth to action, toward the need to collaboratively govern this commons together (be it digital, urban, educational, atmospheric, etc.). But beyond this, their logics are diverse.
Using Solar Commons to Decentralize and Share Solar Energy
Energy from the sun is sure one of the most pervasive forms of common wealth. So why not capture and share that wealth more widely with everyone?
Degrowth Collective: Limits and Opportunities
The working philosophy of Degrowth Collective is of careful nimbleness, which spans from flexibility of governance to adapting to local conditions.
A localized alternative to ‘disaster capitalism’
What if, when the next disaster hits – whatever its cause or location – the most numerous, doable and beneficial ideas lying around were those that support the rebuilding of local economies. This is what I call “disaster localization”.
Can ‘degrowth’ solve our ecological, social & economic problems?
Economist Tim Parrique speaks with co-host Rachel Donald on this episode of the Mongabay Newscast about the economic model known as “degrowth.”
Artisans Cooperative: An Etsy alternative, owned and run by artists and makers
That platform, Artisans Cooperative, just launched its marketplace in October 2023, ahead of the holiday season. It is a place where artists and makers can list and sell their goods, and collectively run a business. It is a place where customers can browse and find actually-unique items that they can trust are made with care and skill.
Restanza and the cultural commons
Central to the idea of the Restanza, as proposed by the Italian anthropologist, Vito Teti, is that places sometimes characterised as “left behind,” inferior to the metropolitan hubs of the modern world, can be brought back to vitality, that being left behind can be reimagined as the positive act of purposively staying behind.
A response to Hannah Ritchie: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Economic Growth
Perhaps the title of this piece is a bit too provocative. Even if Hannah Richie falls within the usual eco-modernist discourse, she is not obsessed with economic growth. This builds a good basis for agreement.
Repair the Rift: A Review of “Slow Down”
In a world where capitalism and green growth are often touted as the only options, Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto is a glimmer of hope shining through otherwise dark times.
Cooperative Ways to Weather the Silver Tsunami
Some 24 million United States workers could be affected by the coming “silver tsunami,” which refers to business owners of the baby boomer generation retiring without a succession plan for their businesses.
