Willie Osterweil

Yes we camp: A global fight for radical democracy

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Millenials all over the world have received a brutal political education. The lucky few of us paid far more and will get far less for our college degrees than any generation before, we have watched with dismay as our parents squabble over light bulbs while the seas boil, and we have witnessed the steady erosion of public space, individual rights, the fourth estate, and checks on executive power. The financial collapse of 2008 seemed to catch Baby Boomers by surprise, but for us, it was just another news story, a predictable event in a world spinning out of control….We have seen the house of cards start to tremble, we have watched our future sold to the lowest bidder, and we see it happening everywhere at once.

How to share land

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When looking through the lens of collaborative consumption or the mesh, it’s easy to see how many of our needs can be met through sharing with others to some lesser or greater degree. Surveying this communally inclined world, we find that our homes, cars, jobs, time, and more can easily be shared. Land is another asset that can and should be shared, one that is in high demand as rising food prices and the desire for healthy food blooms alongside the “Grow Your Own” movement’s current momentum.

The joy of public banking: What our state legislators need to know

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There’s a war on the future. Who’s paying the price? Main Street suffers as Wall Street thrives…Every state but one is facing fiscal nightmares. The exception is North Dakota, which is debt-free and on strong fiscal ground: the only state that ran a major budget surplus in 2010, cut personal and business taxes during the recession, and has the lowest unemployment and foreclosure rates. And yes, the North Dakota Bankers Association and its member banks strongly support the BND.

Report: Public banking can democratize the economy

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In the wake of the financial crisis that the U.S. is still clawing its way out of, a handful of ideas have begun to surface that might actually shore up our still-floundering economy and, potentially, avert future devastation. (No, not the eminently gutless Dodd-Frank bill.) Rather, public banks– also known as state banks or partnership banks–provide a path for the people to harness some economic power of their own in order to build a broad-based, ground-level prosperity which is rooted in their community.

Building resilience: The new economy in the shell of the old

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In Resilience Circles, we say three things need to happen to make a transition to a new economy: we need a new story about the economy that dismantles the myth of “recovery;” we need stronger communities; and we need new “rules” – i.e. new policies befitting a democracy instead of rule by a corporate elite. To make this happen, Resilience Circles learn together, engage in mutual aid, and take social action.

Oil, civil liberties, and the G20 Summit in Toronto

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Canada seems to be heading into authoritarianism and corruption which is similar to conditions in Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and other countries in which extractive industries are leading centres of national cash flow, which props up industry and state regimes. (Some people describe those international trends as a “resource curse.”) Lobbying, revolving doors between industry and government, and oil subsidies are three of the sides of Canada’s petro-regime.

Getting the story right

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Despite everything that has transpired to reveal the deep structural flaws in our economy and its main theories, few in the media and government seem to be able to grasp the concept that the story has changed and that all efforts to perpetuate ‘the story’ will only prolong the agony and make things worse.

Post Carbon and Energy Bulletin

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Post Carbon Institute announced January 14 that it was adopting EnergyBulletin.net as a core program. In this post, EnergyBulletin.net’s Managing Editor introduces EB and explains why he thinks this marriage is a good thing: “With social changes coming faster than ever, we need a more robust organization so we can continue to support the community that’s grown up around peak oil and sustainability.”